Toon Boom
Storyboard Pro 20
Preferences Guide

TOON BOOM ANIMATION INC.

+1 514 278 8666

4200 Saint-Laurent, Suite 1020
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
H2W 2R2

contact@toonboom.com
toonboom.com

Storyboard Pro 20 Preferences Guide

Legal Notices
Toon Boom Animation Inc.
4200 Saint-Laurent, Suite 1020
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
H2W 2R2
Tel: +1 514 278 8666
Fax: +1 514 278 2666
toonboom.com

Disclaimer
The content of this document is the property of Toon Boom Animation Inc. and is copyrighted. Any
reproduction in whole or in part is strictly prohibited.
The content of this document is covered by a specific limited warranty and exclusions and limit of liability under

the applicable License Agreement as supplemented by the special terms and conditions for Adobe®Flash ® File
Format (SWF). For details, refer to the License Agreement and to those special terms and conditions.

Trademarks
Toon Boom® is a registered trademark. Storyboard Pro™ and the Toon Boom logo are trademarks of Toon
Boom Animation Inc. All other trademarks of the property of their respective owners.

Publication Date
03-11-2021
Copyright © 2021 Toon Boom Animation Inc., a Corus Entertainment Inc. company. All rights reserved.

1

Table of Contents

Table of Contents
Table of Contents

2

About Preferences

4

Migrating Preferences

6

Accessing the Preferences Dialog

8

Switching Between Preference Sets

10

Exporting Preferences

12

Importing Preferences

14

Resetting Preferences

16

Preferences File Location

18

Preferences Dialog Reference

20

General Preferences

21

Project Settings Preferences

25

Naming Preferences

27

Colours Preferences

31

Global UI Preferences

32

Camera Preferences

38

Tools Preferences

42

Import/Export Preferences

44

Pitch Mode Preferences

47

Playback Preferences

48

Advanced Preferences

52

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Storyboard Pro 20 Preferences Guide

3

About Preferences

About Preferences
The Preferences dialog box allows you to adjust preferences to suit your workflow and your production's needs.

The Preferences dialog box is divided into the following tabs:lShortcutslGenerallProject SettingslNaminglColoursl

Global UI

lCamera4

Storyboard Pro 20 Preferences Guide

l

Tools

l

Import/ExportlPitch Model

PlaybacklAdvanced
NOTE
Some preferences require you to exit and restart the application, or close a view and reopen it.

How to open the Preferences dialog box
1. Do one of the following:llWindows:l

In the top menu, select Edit > Preferences.

l

Press Ctrl + U.

macOS:l

In the top menu, select Storyboard Pro 20 > Preferences.

l

Press ⌘ + U.

5

Migrating Preferences

Migrating Preferences
When launching Storyboard Pro for the first time after upgrading from one major release to another major
release, you will be prompted to import your preferences from the older version to the new one.
NOTE
Preferences can be migrated from Storyboard Pro version 5.0 and higher. This functionality does
not apply to earlier versions.

How to migrate preferences
1. Launch Storyboard Pro.
Upon initial launch of the upgraded software, the following prompt displays:

2. Click Yes.

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Storyboard Pro 20 Preferences Guide

7

Accessing the Preferences Dialog

Accessing the Preferences Dialog
You can access the Preferences dialog from the Edit menu on Windows, or from the Storyboard Pro 20 menu
on macOS.

How to open the Preferences dialog box
1. Do one of the following:llWindows:l

In the top menu, select Edit > Preferences.

l

Press Ctrl + U.

macOS:l

In the top menu, select Storyboard Pro 20 > Preferences.

l

Press ⌘ + U.

8

Storyboard Pro 20 Preferences Guide

9

Switching Between Preference Sets

Switching Between Preference Sets
Storyboard Pro comes preloaded with five different preference presets (referred to as preference sets), eachtailored for a different kind of task. By default, the Basic preference set is used. You can choose which
preference set to use in Preferences dialog.
A large part of the default settings in the different preference sets are the same. The following table describes
which option is different depending in each preference set, and how:
Preference Set
Tab / Location

PreferenceStandard

Animatic

3D

Off

On

On

Terminology Style

Animation

Animation

Live Action

Disable project namelength limitation

Off

Off

On

1

1

10

Scene Name >Automatically add leading
zeros

2

2

3

Global UI

Compact Information
Style

Off

On

On

CameraZoom Slider

Off

On

On

Use Optimized Drawings

Off

On

On

Number of Frames toPreload

120

200

200

Number of Panels to
Preload2

4

4GeneralProject
Settings

Preserve project length
when adding transitions

Scene Name > Increment
name byNamingAdvanced

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Storyboard Pro 20 Preferences Guide

NOTES
l

When you customize a preference manually, it is not saved to the current preference set. It issaved as an override for all preference sets.

l

Switching between preference sets only affects preferences that you have not manuallycustomized yourself. This means, for example, that if you manually enable the Preserve project
length when adding transitions preference, this preference will no longer be affected when you
switch to a different preference set.

l

To make all your preferences affected by the preference set you select again, you must reset
your preferences—see Resetting Preferences on page 16.

How to switch between preference presets
1. Do one of the following to open the Preferences dialog:llWindows:l

In the top menu, select Edit > Preferences.

l

Press Ctrl + U.

macOS:l

In the top menu, select Storyboard Pro 20 > Preferences.

l

Press ⌘ + U.

2. In the top-left corner of the Preferences dialog, open the Preference Set drop-down and select thepreset you want to use.
Preferences will be updated according to the table above, except for those that you manually set.
3. Click on OK.

11

Exporting Preferences

Exporting Preferences
You can export your current preferences to an XML file. You can reimport this file later to restore yourpreferences, or share it with project collaborators so that you all use the same preferences.
NOTE
When you export your preferences, only the preferences for the currently selected preference set
are exported.

How to export your preferences configuration
1. Do one of the following to open the Keyboard Shortcuts dialog:llWindows:l

In the top menu, select Edit > Preferences.

l

Press Ctrl + U.

macOS:l

In the top menu, select Storyboard Pro 20 > Preferences.

l

Press ⌘ + U.

2. Near the top of the dialog, right of the Preference Set: drop-down, click on the Save... button.
A save dialog appears.
3. Browse to the location where you want to save your preference file.
4. Type in the desired name for your preference file.
5. Click on Save.
Your current preference settings have been exported as an XML file, in the selected location withthe file name you gave it.

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13

Importing Preferences

Importing Preferences
You can import a preference file exported from Storyboard Pro.
NOTESlTo export preferences into a file, see Exporting Preferences on page 12.

l

When you import a preference file, it will override all your preferences for the currently selected
preference set.

How to import a keyboard shortcut configuration file
1. Do one of the following to open the Keyboard Shortcuts dialog:llWindows:l

In the top menu, select Edit > Preferences.

l

Press Ctrl + U.

macOS:l

In the top menu, select Storyboard Pro 20 > Preferences.

l

Press ⌘ + U.

2. At the right of the Preference Set: drop-down, click on the Load... button.
An open dialog appears.
3. Browse to the directory where your preference file is located.
4. Select the preference file you want to import.
5. Click on Open.
The settings in the selected preference file are loaded into the Preferences dialog, overwriting yourcurrent preferences.

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Storyboard Pro 20 Preferences Guide

15

Resetting Preferences

Resetting Preferences
You can reset the preferences in Storyboard Pro to their default settings.
IMPORTANTThis will permanently undo all the changes you made to your Storyboard Pro preferences.

How to reset your keyboard shortcuts configuration
1. Do one of the following to open the Keyboard Shortcuts dialog:lWindows: In the top menu, select Edit > Keyboard Shortcuts.

lmacOS: In the top menu, select Storyboard Pro 20 > Keyboard Shortcuts.

2. In the bottom-left corner of the Preferences dialog, click on Restore All Defaults.
A confirmation prompt appears.
3. If you are sure you want to restore the default preferences for Storyboard Pro, click on Yes.
All the preferences in the Preferences dialog are now set to their default setting.

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Storyboard Pro 20 Preferences Guide

17

Preferences File Location

Preferences File Location
T-SBADV-003-001
After the first time you have launched Storyboard Pro, your preferences, along with numerous other options
and switches in the user interface, are stored in a hidden directory on your computer.
Depending on your operating system, you can find your preference files in the following location:lWindows: C:\Users\[username]\AppData\Roaming\Toon Boom Animation\Toon Boom Storyboard
Pro\full-20100-pref
NOTE
On Windows, the AppData folder is hidden. To display it in Explorer, in the top menu, open
the View pane and check the Hidden Items checkbox.

lmacOS: /Users/[username]/Library/Preferences/Toon Boom Animation/Toon Boom Storyboard Pro/full20100-pref
NOTE
On macOS, the Library folder is hidden. To display it in Finder, hold down the Alt key.

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Storyboard Pro 20 Preferences Guide

19

Preferences Dialog Reference

Preferences Dialog Reference
The following section contains a an article for each tab in the Preferences dialog. Each article contains a list of
all the preferences in its tab, as well as a description of the preference. Refer to this section if you want to know
more about what a specific preference does or if you want to get familiarized with all of the preferences in
Storyboard Pro.
General Preferences

21

Project Settings Preferences

25

Naming Preferences

27

Colours Preferences

31

Global UI Preferences

32

Camera Preferences

38

Tools Preferences

42

Import/Export Preferences

44

Pitch Mode Preferences

47

Playback Preferences

48

Advanced Preferences

52

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Storyboard Pro 20 Preferences Guide

General Preferences
The preferences related to script and panels editing are principally grouped on the General tab.

Parameter

Description

GeneralStarts new acts and joins selected acts which are displayed in theTimeline view.
Enable Acts

In Storyboard Pro, you can organize panels in scenes and acts. By default,
acts are not available because they are not relevant to every script. If you
have a story divided into acts, select this option to display and manipulatethese sections.

Show Rename Dialog
Automatically

When you move scenes around, the Rename Scene dialog box opens
prompting you to rename the scenes. This option is enabled by default.
When you deselect this option, existing scenes keep their original nameand new scenes are automatically named without the Rename Scene
dialog box opening.

Warn when Deleting Audio
Tracks

Display a confirmation prompt when attempting to delete an audio track.

21

Preferences Dialog Reference

Parameter

Forbid Drawing on Panel
Thumbnails

Description

By default, this preference is enabled, preventing you from drawings on
the panels in the Thumbnails view. Turn off this option if you want to use
all the Drawing tools directly in the Thumbnails view.
By default, when adding a transition, the length of scenes is not adjusted.
Since the transition causes the next scene to start playing before thecurrent scene finishes playing, this results in the project becoming

Preserve project length when
adding transitions

Automatically Create New
Sequence

shorter by the length of the transition.
With this option enabled, when a transition is added, both scenes thatare joined by the transition are extended by half the length of thetransition, resulting in the project remaining in the same length, and all
subsequent scenes starting at the same time as before.
By default, new storyboard projects are created without sequences.
Select this option so new projects are automatically created with asequence.
When any change is made to the workspace, such as adding, moving or
removing a view or a toolbar, the change is automatically saved to thecurrent workspace.

Automatically Save
Workspace

NOTE
If you disable this option, you can save your workspace manuallyby selecting Windows > Workspace > Save Workspace fromthe top menu.

Automatically Generate
Thumbnails in LibraryLets you decide if thumbnails are automatically generated in the Libraryview or not. By default this option is enabled.

Automatically GeneralThumbnails for Panels

Lets you decide if thumbnails are automatically generated for panels or
not.

Ignore Modifications to
Captions in Auto Tracking
Mode

When Auto Tracking Mode is enabled, any change made to a panel will
activate tracking changes for that panel. With this option enabled,changes can be made to a panel's captions without automaticallyenabling tracking changes for that panel. Any other changes made to thepanel or its content will still cause the panel to be tracked for changes.

Terminology Style

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Storyboard Pro 20 Preferences Guide

Parameter

Live Action

Description

Use live action terminology across the Storyboard Pro user interface, ie:act, scene, shot and panel.
Use animation terminology across the Storyboard Pro user interface, ie:act, sequence, scene, and panel.

Animation

NOTE
This option cannot be changed when using Storyboard Pro inJapanese, as the terminology for both production styles are thesame.

ScenesBreak Scene when performing"Split Current Scene"command

By default this option is disabled, this means that when using theStoryboard > Split Current Scene command, the current scene will be
split in two before the selected panel. When enabled, the scene will be
broken in three, isolating the selected panel in the middle. If you selectmultiple panels and use the Split Current Scene command, each selected
panel will break into a separate scene.

Track Scene Names in a Log
File

Tracks scene/shot names in a log file.

Enable Global Layer
Navigation

Maintains the layer selection while navigating between panels.

Enable Brush Preset Layer
Selection Lock

Keeps layer selection to layer specified in selected brush preset.

LayersNone: Sets the default alignment used when creating a layer.

Default Layer Alignment

Faces Camera: The layer is oriented to face the camera, so it rotatesaround its pivot point to always face the camera, but does not move withthe camera. Use this option when you plan to position a 2D layer in 3D
space, where that layer belongs in the scene.

23Preferences Dialog Reference

Parameter

Description

Pinned to Camera: The layer is oriented to the camera's perspective. The
layer always moves with the camera. The advantage of using this option
is you can simply draw on top of everything in the scene.
Optimize Project
The resolution at which textures will be reduced when using the Reduce
Maximum Texture Resolution

Remove Unused Elements on
Close

Texture option in the Optimize Project dialog box. Value is in dots per
field (dpf).

Remove unused elements in a project when closing it.

3D Features

Enable 3D Functionalities(Requires Relaunch)

By default, newly created scenes are set to the 2D mode, so your project
is not encumbered with unnecessary features if you plan to work in 2D
for more than a few scenes. You can convert a scene to 3D, so you canmove and rotate 2D and 3D layers in 3D space. This means that even if
you do not have any 3D objects in your scene, you can still move 2D
objects along the Z-axis to create a multiplane effect. A 3D scene will also
allow a camera to be moved in 3D space using the Camera tool.

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Storyboard Pro 20 Preferences Guide

Project Settings Preferences
The following settings are applied to new projects created with Storyboard Pro.
NOTE
If you make any changes to these settings, those changes will not apply to your current project.
They will only be applied to new projects you create in the future. To change your current project's
settings, select Storyboard > Properties from the top menu.

Parameter

Description

GeneralDefault Panel Length

The default length of a newly created panel (in seconds).

Disable Project Name
Length Limitation

For compatibility with Storyboard Pro, the project name length is limited to 23
characters. Selecting this option removes this limitation.

Save New Project inSingle File Format(packed file)

Saves new projects in single file format with the following file name extension:.sbpz. The project is saved in a zip file.

Default Field Chart

Sets the field standard for the project.

Vector Layers

Pixel Density

Determines the amount of pixels to store in textured brush strokes for each pixel

25

Preferences Dialog Reference

Parameter

Descriptionthat displays when the drawing is not zoomed in or scaled up. For example, at
100%, zooming in or scaling up textured brush strokes will make them lose
texture quality. If set to 200%, textured brush strokes can be zoomed in or scaled
up until they're twice their original size without losing picture quality.
Bitmap Layers

Width

The default width of the canvas when creating a bitmap drawing layer. The
percentage is relative to the width of the project. Its default value, 200%, makes
the width of the canvas twice the width of the stage.

Height

The default height of the canvas when creating a bitmap drawing layer. The
percentage is relative to the height of the project. Its default value, 200%, makes
the height of the canvas twice the height of the stage.

Pixel Density

Determines the amount of pixels to store in textured brush strokes for each pixelthat displays when the drawing is not zoomed in or scaled up. For example, at
100%, zooming in or scaling up textured brush strokes will make them lose
texture quality. If set to 200%, textured brush strokes can be zoomed in or scaled
up until they're twice their original size without losing picture quality.

3D Models

Scale Factor

The default scale factor to apply to a 3D model when it is imported into yourproject. You can enter a decimal value between 0 and 1 to make newly imported
3D models appear smaller than their original size, or a decimal value greater than
1 to make 3D models appear bigger than their original size.

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Storyboard Pro 20 Preferences Guide

Naming Preferences

Parameter

Description

Scene/Sequence Name
Automatically Add Leading
Zeros

Automatically adds a zero before the scene or sequence name.

Increment Name By

Lets you define the increment number. By default, when adding a new sequence,
the increment is 1.

Incremental Naming on Copy

By default, when copying a sequence, the copy retains the same numbering as
the original but with an added suffix. For example, the copy of sequence 2 would
be named 2_A.
When this option is selected, the copy of the sequence will be named using thenext available sequence number following the established increment rule. For
example, the copy of sequence 2, would be called sequence 3.

Minimum Number ofCharacters

Determines the minimum number of characters the scene names will containwhen using leading zeros.

Resolution Suffix

Lets you set the suffix pattern to use when a suffix is added to a new scene when
the name is already in use.
You can choose the punctuation mark preceding the suffix from the first drop-27

Preferences Dialog Reference

Parameter

Description

down menu:•

None: Suffix appears immediately following the name of the scene. For
example: 12A.

•_: Suffix appears after an underscore. For example: 12_A.

•.: Suffix appears after a period. For example: 12.A.

You can choose which type of suffix to use:•

Auto: Uses an upper case alphabetical suffix. Once the suffix reaches Z, it
will start again at A, preceeded by a number. Example: 12_A, 12_B, (...),
12_1A, 12_1B, and so on.

•

Numerical: Uses a numerical suffix. For example: 12_1, 12_2, and so on.

•

Uppercase: Uses an upper case alphabetical suffix. For example: 12_A,
12_B, and so on.

•

Lowercase: Uses a lower case alphabetical suffix. For example: 12_a, 12_b, and so on.

Panel

Automatically Add Leading
Zeros

Minimum Number ofCharacters

When creating a panel, this ensures that the panel's name uses a minimum
amount of digits, set by the Minimum Number of Characters preference. If thepanel's number doesn't require enough digits, zeroes will be added before its
name to make sure it uses the right amount of digits.
For example, by default, the panels in a scene with three panels would be named
1, 2 and 3. If you enable this preference and set the Minimum Number ofCharacters to 3, those panels would be named 001, 002 and 003. However, panel#10 would be named 010, and panel #100 would be named 100.
If the Automatically Add Leading Zeros preference is enabled, this preference isused to set the amount of digits to use when naming panels.
By default, panel names are incremented by 1. You can enable this option toincrement panel names by a specific amount. For example, if you set this option
to 10, panels in a given scene will be named 10, 20, 30, etc.

Increment name by

The purpose of this option is to preserve panel numbers when inserting a panel
between two existing panels. When this option is disabled, if you create a panel
between two existing panels, the new panel will be named based on the numberof the previous panel + 1, and subsequent panels will be renamed to keep their
numbers in sequence. However, when this option is enabled, panels inserted
between two existing panels will be named using the number that is the average

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Storyboard Pro 20 Preferences Guide

Parameter

Descriptionof the previous and next panels, rounded down. For example, if you create a panel
between panel 10 and panel 20, this panel will be named 15. If you create anotherpanel between panel 10 and 20, this panel will be named 12.
By default, panel names are named using numbers. This preference allows you toselect a different naming rule, most of which use letters instead:l

1, 2, 3... : Uses decimal numbers composed of Arabic numerals to namepanels.

ll

A ... Z, AA ... ZZ, AAA ... ZZZ, AAAA ... : This is a positional letter-based
notation, which means it works similarly to decimal numbers, except it
uses letters instead of Arabic numerals, making the panel numbers usebase 26 instead of base 10. For example, panels 1 through 26 are named
using single letters from A to Z, after that comes AA, then AB, and so on
until AZ, and after that comes BA, BB, etc.
A ... Z, ZA ... ZZ, ZAA ... ZZZ, ZAAA ... : This notation uses two different
logics: After the first time the panel names cycle through the wholealphabet, a single Z is added at the beginning of the panel names, andsubsequent panels are named ZA to ZZ. Every letter after that first Z makeup a 26-based number in positional notation, just like the previous option.
Therefore, panels 1 through 26 are named using single letters from A to Z,
then after that comes ZA, ZB, and so on until ZZ, and after that comes
ZAA, ZAB, and so on until ZAZ, and after that comes ZBA, ZBB, etc.
In summary, the first Z is essentially an exceptional notation that means
26, while the other letters constitute a number in base 26 positional
notation.

Panel Auto-increment Rulel

A ... Z, ZA ... ZZ, ZZA ... ZZZ, ZZZA ... : Each time the panel names cycle
through the alphabet, a Z is added at the beginning of the panel's nameand the last letter in the name cycles from Z back to A. The Zs at the
beginning of the notation accumulate, meaning that the amount of Zs atthe beginning of the panel's name indicates the amount of time panel
names have cycled through the whole alphabet.
In summary, the value of this notation is equal to the sum of each letter's
position in the alphabet.

l

A ... Z, ZA ... ZZ, 2ZA ... 2ZZ, 3ZA ... : Each time the panel names reach Z, a
Z is added at the beginning of the panel's name and the last letter in thename cycles back to A. Those Zs accumulate. However, when more thanone Z is present at the beginning of the panel's name, they are notated bya number followed by the letter Z, instead of by multiple Zs. Hence, thenumber preceding the Z at the beginning of the panel's name indicates theamount of times panel names have cycled through the whole alphabet.
In summary, the value of this notation is equal to 26 × the number29

Preferences Dialog Reference

Parameter

Description

preceding the first Z added to the position of the last letter in the alphabet.

Allow Custom Panel Names

By default, it is not possible to rename panels in Storyboard Pro, but you canchange this behaviour if needed. Once you select this option, the Storyboard >Rename Panel command, as well as the Panel name field in the Panel view
become active.
Lets you set the suffix pattern to use when a suffix is added to a new scene when
the name is already in use.
You can choose the punctuation mark preceding the suffix from the first dropdown menu:

Resolution Suffix•

None: Suffix appears immediately following the name of the scene. For
example: 12A.

•_: Suffix appears after an underscore. For example: 12_A.

•.: Suffix appears after a period. For example: 12.A.

You can choose which type of suffix to use:•

Auto: Uses an upper case alphabetical suffix. Once the suffix reaches Z, it
will start again at A, preceeded by a number. Example: 12_A, 12_B, (...),
12_1A, 12_1B, and so on.

Display Total Numbers ofPanels in Panel Name•

Numerical: Uses a numerical suffix. For example: 12_1, 12_2, and so on.

•

Uppercase: Uses an upper case alphabetical suffix. For example: 12_A,
12_B, and so on.

•

Lowercase: Uses a lower case alphabetical suffix. For example: 12_a, 12_b, and so on.

Displays a counter at the end of the Panel field which indicates the total numberof panels in the selected panel’s scene.

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Storyboard Pro 20 Preferences Guide

Colours Preferences

Parameter

Description

You can select the colours for a lot of coloured elements in the user interface ofStoryboard Pro.

NOTE
Colours

Some changes to colour preferences may not appear until Storyboard Pro
is restarted or until the affected view is closed and reopened.

Click a colour swatch to open the Select Colour dialog box from which you can
set a new colour.

31Preferences Dialog Reference

Global UI Preferences

Parameter

Description

Time Display Units
Allows you to select the way the time is displayed in the ruler at the top of theTimeline view:

Time Display Units inTimeline Ruler

l

l

l

Time Display Units inThumbnail Panels

Timecode: Displays the time in the HH:MM:SS:FF format, where HH means
hours, MM means minutes, SS means seconds and FF means frames.
Frames: Displays the time in frames only.
Feet + Frames: Displays the time in feet and frames. A foot corresponds toone vertical foot of animation exposure sheet, which amounts to 16
frames.

Allows you to select the way the length of each panel is displays above thethumbnails in the Thumbnail view:32

Storyboard Pro 20 Preferences Guide

Parameter

Description

l

l

l

Timecode: Displays the time in the HH:MM:SS:FF format, where HH means
hours, MM means minutes, SS means seconds and FF means frames.
Frames: Displays the time in frames only.
Feet + Frames: Displays the time in feet and frames. A foot corresponds toone vertical foot of animation exposure sheet, which amounts to 16
frames.

Allows you to select the way the duration of panels and scenes is displayed inexported PDF documents:

Time Display Units inExported PDF
DocumentslllTime Display Units inTimeline View
Overlays

Timecode: Displays the time in the HH:MM:SS:FF format, where HH means
hours, MM means minutes, SS means seconds and FF means frames.
Frames: Displays the time in frames only.
Feet + Frames: Displays the time in feet and frames. A foot corresponds toone vertical foot of animation exposure sheet, which amounts to 16
frames.

When adjusting the in and out point of a panel, sound clip or video clip, or whenmoving a clip, the amount of time by which you're offsetting the selection isdisplayed temporarily until you release the mouse button. This option allows you
to select the way the time offset is displayed:

33

Preferences Dialog Reference

Parameter

Description

l

l

l

Timecode: Displays the time in the HH:MM:SS:FF format, where HH means
hours, MM means minutes, SS means seconds and FF means frames.
Frames: Displays the time in frames only.
Feet + Frames: Displays the time in feet and frames. A foot corresponds toone vertical foot of animation exposure sheet, which amounts to 16
frames.

Defines the default starting time of new Storyboard Pro projects.
Default Time CodeStart TimeNOTE
You can change the starting time of the current project in the Project
Properties dialog.

Thumbnail View
Keep Current Panel
Centered

Keeps the current panel centered in the Thumbnail view.

Display Next andPrevious Buttons

Displays the Previous and Next buttons in the Thumbnail view.

UI Style
When enabled, the Tools toolbar will display each tool in its own button, insteadof grouping certain tools together in pop-up menus. Storyboard Pro must be
relaunched to apply a change to this preference.

Flat Tools Toolbar

IMPORTANT
Because not all tools can be displayed simultaneously in a single column,
some tools will be hidden from the Tools toolbar by default. You cancustomize which tools appear in the Tools toolbar by right-clicking on it
and selecting Customize.

Focus on MouseEnter

In Storyboard Pro, some keyboard shortcuts, menus or toolbar buttons areintended for specific views in your workspace. To use keyboard shortcuts orother functionalities on a specific view, this view must be focused on. For
example, the Centre on Selection shortcut will find the selected element in theTimeline or Camera view, depending on which one is focused on. Storyboard Pro

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Storyboard Pro 20 Preferences Guide

Parameter

Description

draws a red rectangle around the currently focused on view.
By default, to set the focus on a view, you must click on its tab or on anythinginside the view itself. The Focus on Mouse Enter preference will make Harmony
automatically focus on the view the mouse cursor is over, making it switch thefocus on a view and use keyboard shortcuts on it.

NOTE
Some items in the top menu also have functionalities that are specific to
the focused on view, but moving the mouse cursor to the top menu mightleave the wrong view focused on. To circumvent this problem, it might benecessary to become familiar with keyboard shortcuts, contextual (rightclick) menus and the view menus available via the menu

button at the

top-left corner of some views.

Compact Information
Style

Shortens the information in the Panel, Thumbnail and Storyboard views.

Use Dark Stylesheet(Requires relaunch)

Application loads a dark skin for the User Interface.

Touch Interface
Enables manipulating views such as the Camera and Drawing views using thefollowing gestures:l

To pan the view, drag your two fingers in any direction, keeping both
fingers at the same distance from each other.

Support Gesturesl

To zoom in, drag your two fingers away from each other.

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Preferences Dialog Reference

Parameter

DescriptionllInvert Scroll Direction

To zoom out, drag your two fingers closer to each other.

To rotate, drag your two fingers in a curve so that they revolve in the same
direction.

When panning a view by dragging it with your fingers in one direction, thismakes the view pan in the opposite direction.

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Storyboard Pro 20 Preferences Guide

Parameter

Touch Sensitivity

Description

Control touch sensitivity. On macOS, higher numbers give a slower response topans. On Windows, higher numbers favour scale/rotates over pans.

Language
The language in which to display the user interface.
Language (Requires
Relaunch)

By default, this is set to Autodetect, which means that Storyboard Pro will launchin the language of your operating system, if it is one of the supported languages,
and will otherwise launch in English.

Tablet Support
Use Qt Wintab Tablet
Support (Requires
relaunch)If you are using a tablet other than Wacom, deselect this option (and relaunch) if
you are having issues with offset or pressure sensitivity.

37Preferences Dialog Reference

Camera Preferences

Parameter

Description

Options
Show Status Bar

Display status bar in Camera view.

Show Zoom Slider

Display zoom slider in status bar.

Onion Skin and Light Table
Select the render style used for drawings displayed in the onion skins. The
options are as follows:
Onion Skin Render
Style

Original Colours: Drawings displayed in the Onion Skin are rendered using theirreal colours.
Coloured: Drawings displayed in the Onion Skin are displayed in solid red if they38

Storyboard Pro 20 Preferences Guide

Parameter

Description

are before the current frame, or in solid green if they are after the current frame.
Coloured Outline: Drawings displayed in the Onion Skin are displayed in red
outline if they are before the current frame and in green outline if they are after thecurrent frame.
Select the onion skin position.
Onion Skin Position

Overlay: Display the onion skin over the current panel.
Underlay: Display the onion skin under the current panel.

Lightness as Alpha

Use the perceived brightness of colours as an alpha value in the onion skins.
Lighter colours will be more transparent. This option is disabled when the
Coloured Outline Onion Skin Render Style is selected.

Enable Across Scene(Scene) Boundary

Enable the display of onion skin layers from panels outside the current shot orscene.

Apply Camera Motion

Enables camera motion on the onion skin layers.

Maximum Number ofPrevious Panels

This value corresponds to the number of previous panels displayed in the Onion
Skin preview. The default value is 3.

Maximum Number of
Next Panels

This value corresponds to the number of next panels displayed in the Onion Skin
preview. The default value is 3.

Light Table Opacity(%)

While using the light table in the Stage view, this value corresponds to thepercentage of transparency applied to all other layers except the currently selected
one.

Point of View
Lets you set the zoom behaviour in the Stage view.
lZoom LevellPoint of View

Relative to Project Resolution: Makes the zoom information and settings
dependent on the project resolution.
Relative to View: Makes the zoom information and settings adjust relative
to the size of the Stage view on your screen.

Lets you determine at which level the current position of the Stage view (zoom,

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Preferences Dialog Reference

Parameter

Description

pan and rotation) is remembered when you are flipping through panels.
lProject: One global point of view for the entire project.

l

Scene: One point of view per scene.

lPanel: One point of view per panel.

Choose the behaviour of Storyboard Pro when you use the Reset View commandin the Stage view. These options only affect your project if you are working inPanel Point of View mode.
llReset View Modelll

Reset View to Drawing area: Resets the view to include the original
drawing area.
Reset View to Camera Overview: Resets the view to include an overview
of the camera movement in the panel.
Reset View to Camera Start: Resets the view to frame the in position ofyour camera.
Reset View to Camera End: Resets the view to frame the out position ofyour camera.
Reset View to Current Panel Overview: Resets the view to include allcamera move information in the frame.

Grids
Proportion Grid
Horizontal Divisions

Sets the number of horizontal divisions for the proportion grid.

Proportion Grid
Vertical Divisions

Sets the number of vertical divisions for the proportion grid.

World Grid Size

Displays a reference grid that remains the same size when you scale objects. Thisis useful when you want a reference point when creating elements in yourdrawings.

Safe Areas

Action Safe Area (%)

When using the safe area mode in the Camera or Stage view, this value
corresponds to the percentage of the screen defined as the Action Safe Area

Action Safe Area

When using the safe area mode in the Camera or Stage view, this option allows

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Storyboard Pro 20 Preferences Guide

Parameter

Description

Mask Colour andOpacity (%)

you to define the colour used for the Action Safe Area mask and its opacity.

Title Safe Area (%)

When using the safe area mode in the Camera or Stage view, this value
corresponds to the percentage of the screen defined as Title Safe Area.

Title Safe Area Mask
Colour and Opacity(%)

When using the safe area mode in the Camera or Stage view, this option allows
you to define the colour used for the Title Safe Area mask and its opacity.

Keyframes and Control Points

Default Tension

Default Continuity

The default value set to control how sharply the path bends as it passes througha control point or keyframe. A Tension of -1 increases the curves on both sides of
the keyframe. A Tension of +1 sharpens the curve on both sides of the keyframe.
The default value set to control the smoothness of a transition between thesegments joined by a point. A Contuinity of -1 sharpens the transition on bothsides of the keyframe. A Contuinity of +1 rounds the transition creating two
gentle curves on both sides of the keyframe.

Default Bias

The default value set to control the slope of the path so that it flows towards one
side of the motion point or the other. A Bias of -1 favours the left side of the
keyframe. A Bias of +1 favours the right side of the keyframe.

Camera by Panel
Compatibility Mode
(Requires Relaunch)

Creates camera keyframes at the beginning and the end of new panels. Lets you
work with Storyboard Pro 1.6 keyframes settings.

Allow Advanced
Camera Operations(Requires Relaunch)

Camera Scale
Displayed as Focal
LengthHides some of the options that are usually available in the Camera tool properties
view.
This option is enabled by default. Before you can select this option, you mustselect the Camera by Panel Compatibility Mode option.

Lets you manipulate the camera scale in term of camera focal length instead ofcamera field of view.

41Preferences Dialog Reference

Tools Preferences

Parameter

Description

GeneralUse Rotation Lever
with Transformation
Tools

Displays a handle for use with the Select, Cutter and Transform tools. The handle
lets you easily manipulate a stroke.

Drawing

Select Tool Bounding
Box is Movable

Lets you move the contents of a bounding box without having to position the
cursor over a specific stroke. This applies to the following tools: Select, Select by
Colour, and Cutter.

Synchronize Eraser
and Brush

Syncs the brush and eraser, so they are the same size. Be default, this option isdeselected.

Warn When
Flattening Drawings

A warning displays when drawings will be flattened in a project. Flattens all thebrush or pencil line strokes of all the vector drawings in your project. This meansthat all overlapping strokes will no longer be editable as single strokes, but only
as whole, drawn objects.

Brush Size Cursor

When this option is enabled, the brush tool displays the brush size as a circle
around the cursor.

Stroke Texture
Quality

Specifies a texture quality value between very low and very high for the brushstroke, or accepts the default value of low.

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Storyboard Pro 20 Preferences Guide

Parameter

Description

Transform
Transform Tool Uses
Drawing Pivot(Requires Relaunch)

Places the Layer Transformation tool’s pivot at the centre of the selected layer’s
frame. When deselected, the Last Frame Transformation and First Frame
Transformation tools’ pivot is at the centre of the selected layer’s bounding box.

43

Preferences Dialog Reference

Import/Export Preferences

Parameter

Description

Import Images

Auto Premultiply
Import Images by
Alpha Channel

Premultiplies the channels with the alpha value of the layer, resulting in an
opaque layer. This is helpful when creating layers used by other effects, or incertain compositing situations. Use this option if you are importing asemitransparent image. Deselect this option if you are importing a PSD image.

Ask Before Creating
Panels When Using
Automatic Insertion

When using the Storyboard > Import Images as Scenes command, if the element
you will create upon import does not already exist in your project, you areprompted to create the element.

Ask Before Removing
Existing Layer when
Using Automatic
Insertion

When using the Storyboard > Import Images as Scenes command, if the element
you will create upon import does already exist in your project, you are prompted
to remove the original element or keep it.

Display Vectorize

Opens the Vectorize Options dialog box when importing bitmap images.

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Storyboard Pro 20 Preferences Guide

Parameter

Description

Option Dialog
Import SoundUse Default Sound
Import Settings and
Do Not Show Dialog

Prevents or allows the opening of the import sound file settings dialog box whenimporting a sound file. When selected, the settings dialog will not open, anddefault settings will be used. When deselected, the settings dialog box will open
every time, and allow you to adjust settings every time.

Burn-In

Font

Lets you select the font in which you want the timecode to print when using theExport > Movie command. This menu lists all the fonts available on your system.

Position

Sets the position rule of the timecode of your animatic: Top Left, Top Centre, Top
Right, Bottom Left, Bottom Centre, Bottom Right.

ColourBy default the timecode will print in black on your animatic. Click the colour
swatch to open the Select Colour dialog box and select the colour of your choice.

Draw Box Behind

Places a colour rectangle behind the timecode. This can be useful when you havea colourful or high-contrast animatic and you cannot easily find a font colour thatstands out against the images.

Height (%)

Sets the height (in percentage) of the timecode font size.
The text to burn into the animatic. This field uses variables so that information
about the current panel, scene, sequence and act can be burnt into each exported
frame. Those variables are as follows:

Print Valuel%a: Act namel%q: Sequence namel%s: Scene namel%p: Panel nameFor example, the default value is "Scene %s - Panel %p" which, when exporting aframe in panel 3 of scene 7, would result in the text "Scene 7 - Panel 3".

Background Colour

Click the colour swatch and choose a colour from the Select Colour dialog box

45Preferences Dialog Reference

Parameter

Descriptionthat opens. This is the colour of the box that appears behind the timecode when
the Draw Box Behind Time Code option is selected.
Default Panel Time
Code Start TimeDefines the default starting timecode for each panel when selecting the Print
Panel Time Code option in the Export Movie dialog box.

Export to Bitmap
Limit Size Allowed for
Bitmap Export

Imposes a size limit when exporting bitmaps. When this option is selected, you
can define the size limit in the two fields below.

Maximum Width

When the Limit Size Allowed for Bitmap Export option is selected, use this field
to set the maximum width (in pixels) the exported image can have.

Maximum Height

When the Limit Size Allowed for Bitmap Export option is selected, use this field
to set the maximum height (in pixels) the exported image can have.

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Storyboard Pro 20 Preferences Guide

Pitch Mode Preferences
While working in Pitch Mode, there are some preferences that can optimize the display.

Parameter

Description

MemoryWhile working in Pitch Mode, you can turn off the auto-save feature to preventthe system from continuing to save.
Disable auto-save while in
Pitch Mode Workspace

NOTE
This preference is only available when the Auto-save preference isenabled in the Advanced tab.

Control Panel
Display Playback Tools

Displays the Playback toolbar in the Control Panel view.

Display View Tools

Displays the View toolbar in the Control Panel view.

Display Sound Tools

Displays the Voice Annotation tools in the Control Panel view.

Display Drawing Tools

Displays the Drawing and Comments tools in the Control Panel view.

47

Preferences Dialog Reference

Playback Preferences

Parameter

Description

Cached Playback
You can select the following options from the drop-down menu:lPlayback ModelDisabled: Default state. Keeps the Playback view hidden in the Windows
menu and the Auto Update Playback Cache button unavailable in the
Playback toolbar.
Playback view: Makes the Playback view available in the software. You
must close and relaunch the software as an additional step. The Playbackview is then accessible from the Windows menu. Use the Playback view48

Storyboard Pro 20 Preferences Guide

Parameter

Description

to play high quality playbacks of your animatics.
l[Blackmagic Design playback device]:If you have one of these devices
connected to or installed in your computer, this option appears and can beselected from the drop-down menu. Selecting it allows you to preview realtime playbacks of your Storyboard Pro projects on a separate referencemonitor through the Black Magic Design playback device.

Monitor Frequency

This option is enabled if a Blackmagic Design playback device is selected in the
Playback Mode drop-down menu. Select either Project Frame Rate, 50Hz or 60Hz
depending on what refresh rate you prefer and the technical specs of yourreference monitor.

Audio Output Device

If you have a Blackmagic Design playback device connected to or installed in yourcomputer, this option can be selected from this drop-down menu. This means
you want the sound from your high quality animatic playbacks to be heard fromspeakers or headphones connected to the Blackmagic device. Otherwise, theaudio for high quality playback comes from the Default System Device (yourcomputer).

Audio

Overlays - Captions
Display Text Captions

Enables text from the Panel view to appear in the Playback view.

Caption Field

Type in the name of the Panel view caption field (Dialog, Action Notes, etc.)
whose text content you wish to display during playback in the Playback view.

Position

Sets the position of the Text Captions in the Playback view.

Overlays - Overlay Format
Sets the font for any overlay content:
l

Font
l

1st field: A drop-down list that allows for the selection of any typeface(Times New Roman, Helvetica, etc.) and font weight (bold, medium, light,
book, etc.) that is available on your computer.
2nd field: Sets the font size. Type in a number or use the up and downarrows to increase or decrease the currently set size.

49

Preferences Dialog Reference

Parameter

Description

Text Colour

Sets the text colour for any overlay content. To select a new colour, click on thecolour swatch to bring up the Select Colour dialog.

Background Colour

Checking this option allows for a background colour to be displayed behind theoverlay content. To select a new colour, click on the colour swatch to bring up theSelect Colour dialog.

Overlays - Timecodes

Project Timecode

Secondary TimecodeTurns on the display of the current time location of the project in the Playbackview. It is always displayed at the bottom centre of the Playback view and above
any other information.
Turns on the display of the current panel, scene or sequence's timecode in the
Playback view, depending on which Mode is selected.
It is always displayed at the bottom centre of the Playback view.
Sets the units of time for the Secondary Timecode. Resets to 0 from the start ofeach panel, scene or sequence, depending on which Mode is selected.

Secondary Timecode
Units

l

l

Timecode: Uses the format HH:MM:SS:FF, where HH = hours, MM =minutes, SS = seconds and FF = frames.
Frames: Uses the frame number in a given panel, scene or sequence.

Sets the period for the Secondary Timecode:
l

Mode

l

l

Per Panel: Tracks the time of each panel in the project. Resets to 0 at thestart of each new panel.
Per Scene: Tracks the time of each scene in the project. Resets to 0 at thestart of each new scene.
Per Sequence: Tracks the time of each sequence in the project. Resets to
0 at the start of each new sequence.

Overlays - Project Info

Display Project Info

Turns on the display of the project's current location in the playback, in relation to
its acts, sequences, scenes and panels. It is always displayed at the bottom centreof the Playback view.

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Storyboard Pro 20 Preferences Guide

Parameter

Description

Allows you to enter which Project Info to display:

Display PatternlAct: %alSequence: %ql

Scene: %slPanel: %p

These simple codes will automatically generate the current number of the given
storyboard unit.
Type in additional informational text, as well as information separators, for clarity.
For example %p displays the current panel number, but without the word "Panel"in front the number lacks meaning.
Use hyphens, dashes, spaces, commas, semicolons or any other punctuations orsymbols needed to separate or make the units and numbers more clear.
You can use any nomenclature you choose. For example, %a does not have to be
an Act. You could type in Part or Episode instead.

Cached FilesPath

At the end of the Path field, click the Browse button to navigate to and select a
new location to house the cached files used for real time playback in the Playbackview.
By default, the cached files are stored in a temporary directory.
The available space of the selected location is displayed after the Path field.

Clear All

Clears all local cached files from the selected location.

Clear Current Project

Clears all cached files for the current project from the selected location.

51

Preferences Dialog Reference

Advanced Preferences

Parameter

Description

MemoryLevels of Undo
(Requires Relaunch)

Determines the number of actions retained by the Undo list. By default, 50
actions are stored in the list. You can alter the number if you want to.

Panels in Cache

When you work with Storyboard Pro, the OpenGL drawings are loaded in thecache to optimize the display and playback. You can increase or decrease thenumber of drawings loaded in your cache. The default value is 20.

Auto-save (minutes)

By default the Auto-save preference is disabled, so it will never auto-save yourwork. You can enable the Auto-save preference by using the slider to select theinterval of time (in minutes) at which your work will be automatically saved.

Drawing

Delay Before Drawing
Vectorized Strokes

When you draw in Storyboard Pro, the strokes are vectorized as you go. Whenyou release the drawing tool, the lines are vectorized. When you quickly sketch a52

Storyboard Pro 20 Preferences Guide

Parameter(ms)

Delay Before
Updating Thumbnails(ms)

Description

numerous series of lines, it may happen that the vectorization process interfereswith your drawing action. To avoid this, you can delay the vectorization process
by increasing the delay value.
When you modify a drawing, the thumbnail displayed in the Thumbnails andTimeline views are updated. By default, the update process is delayed so it does
not slow down the application while you draw. The lower the number ofmilliseconds, the faster the updates and vice versa.

OpenGL

Realistic Preview
While Drawing

Gives you a live preview of shapes in Draw Behind mode, which is for painting
behind existing art. When using this mode, strokes appear instantly under yourwork while drawing with the Draw Behind mode.

Enable Mipmapping
on Bitmap Layers

Generates antialiased mipmap textures. Deselect this option to increase
performance when working on bitmap layers with non-standard graphics cards.
Mipmapping can cause some issues with lower-end video cards.

Smooth Textures on
Vector Layers

Improves the appearance of vector brush strokes that use bitmaps for the colour
or opacity, such as a vector drawing layer, vector brush with texture applied.

Premultiply alpha inBitmap Layers

Support Desktop
Effects

Enables better compatibility with Windows 7, Windows Vista, and macOS
effects. This prevents graphics compositing problems from occurring when the
Full Scene Antialiasing option is selected

Full Scene Antialiasing

Enable (Requires
Relaunch)

Lets you see smooth lines as you draw, as well as an antialiased drawing area.
You can change this value to fit the current level used in the Stage view. By
default, this option is deselected.

Number of Samples(Requires Relaunch)

Lets you enter the number of samples used for the antialiasing process. The
number of samples is equivalent to the number of times a pixel will be enlarged to
calculate the antialiasing. This is called supersampling. The higher the number ofsamples, the better the antialiasing quality, but the longer it will take to calculate.
The default value is 4.

53

Preferences Dialog Reference

Parameter

Description

Optimized Playback
Use Optimized
Desktop

Asynchronous

Allows drawings to be loaded in the background while playing back a panel. Thisway, playback is continuous. You can specify the number of concurrent drawings

Drawing Loading

loaded at the same time. This should be set according to a machine’s number ofcores.

Preload Drawings

Defines the number of drawings or panels to load during playback.

Number of Threads(Requires Relaunch)

Number of Frames toPreload

Storyboard Pro looks ahead for the number of frames, and checks to see how
many drawings are used. Each layer on each panel is a drawing. If you have many
short panels, then you will have more drawings than if you had one long panel.

Number of Panels to
Preload

Storyboard Pro looks ahead for the specified number of panels to determine thenumber of drawings in those panels. Keep in mind that each layer on each panel
is a drawing. If you have long panels, then it will want to look ahead several
panels, instead of the specified number of frames.

Render effects using
GPU (OpenCL)

When applying a blur effect on a bitmap layer, by default, Storyboard Pro uses
your computer's graphics processing unit (GPU) to generate the blurred image
faster. This however may not work as expected on some video cards. If you
encounter this issue, you can disable this option. Blurring operations will take a
bit longer but will always produce the same result.

GPU54