Toon Boom
Storyboard Pro 22

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 22 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 w hole or in part is strictly prohibited.
The content of this document is covered by a specific limited w arranty and exclusions and limit of liability
under the applicable License Agreement as supplemented by the special terms and conditions for
Adobe® Flash® File Format (SW F). For details, refer to the License Agreement and to those special terms andconditions.

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 ow ners.

Publication Date
09-26-2022
Copyright © 2022 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

2

Storyboard Pro 22 Preferences Guide

3

About Preferences

About Preferences
The Preferences dialog box allow s you to adjust preferences to suit your w orkflow and your production's
needs.

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

Global UI

4

Storyboard Pro 22 Preferences Guidel

Camera

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 follow ing:ll

W indows:l

In the top menu, select Edit > Preferences.

l

Press Ctrl + U.

macOS:l

In the top menu, select Storyboard Pro 22 > Preferences.

l

Press ⌘ + U.

5

Migrating Preferences

Migrating Preferences
W hen launching Storyboard Pro for the first time after upgrading from one major release to another major
release, you w ill 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 softw are, the follow ing prompt displays:

2. Click Yes.

6

Storyboard Pro 22 Preferences Guide

7

Accessing the Preferences Dialog

Accessing the Preferences Dialog
You can access the Preferences dialog from the Edit menu on W indow s, or from the Storyboard Pro 22 menu
on macOS.

How to open the Preferences dialog box
1. Do one of the follow ing:ll

W indows:l

In the top menu, select Edit > Preferences.

l

Press Ctrl + U.

macOS:l

In the top menu, select Storyboard Pro 22 > Preferences.

l

Press ⌘ + U.

8

Storyboard Pro 22 Preferences Guide9

Sw itching Betw een Preference Sets

Switching Between Preference Sets
Storyboard Pro comes preloaded w ith 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 w hichpreference set to use in Preferences dialog.
A large part of the default settings in the different preference sets are the same. The follow ing table describes
w hich 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

Scene Name >Increment name by

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

NamingAdvanced

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Storyboard Pro 22 Preferences Guide

NOTES
l

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

l

Sw itching betw een 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 w ill no longer be affected w hen
you sw itch 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 follow ing to open the Preferences dialog:ll

W indows:l

In the top menu, select Edit > Preferences.

l

Press Ctrl + U.

macOS:l

In the top menu, select Storyboard Pro 22 > Preferences.

l

Press ⌘ + U.

2. In the top-left corner of the Preferences dialog, open the Preference Set drop-dow n and select thepreset you w ant to use.
Preferences w ill 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 w ith project collaborators so that you all use the same preferences.

NOTE
W hen 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 follow ing to open the Keyboard Shortcuts dialog:ll

W indows:l

In the top menu, select Edit > Preferences.

l

Press Ctrl + U.

macOS:l

In the top menu, select Storyboard Pro 22 > Preferences.

l

Press ⌘ + U.

2. Near the top of the dialog, right of the Preference Set: drop-dow n, click on the Save... button.
A save dialog appears.
3. Brow se to the location w here you w ant 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 w ith
the file name you gave it.

12

Storyboard Pro 22 Preferences Guide

13

Importing Preferences

Importing Preferences
You can import a preference file exported from Storyboard Pro.

NOTES
l

To export preferences into a file, see Exporting Preferences on page 12.

l

W hen you import a preference file, it w ill override all your preferences for the currently
selected preference set.

How to import a keyboard shortcut configuration file
1. Do one of the follow ing to open the Keyboard Shortcuts dialog:ll

W indows:l

In the top menu, select Edit > Preferences.

l

Press Ctrl + U.

macOS:l

In the top menu, select Storyboard Pro 22 > Preferences.

l

Press ⌘ + U.

2. At the right of the Preference Set: drop-dow n, click on the Load... button.
An open dialog appears.
3. Brow se to the directory w here your preference file is located.
4. Select the preference file you w ant to import.
5. Click on Open.
The settings in the selected preference file are loaded into the Preferences dialog, overw riting yourcurrent preferences.

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Storyboard Pro 22 Preferences Guide

15

Resetting Preferences

Resetting Preferences
You can reset the preferences in Storyboard Pro to their default settings.

IMPORTANTThis w ill permanently undo all the changes you made to your Storyboard Pro preferences.

How to reset your keyboard shortcuts configuration
1. Do one of the follow ing to open the Keyboard Shortcuts dialog:l

W indows: In the top menu, select Edit > Keyboard Shortcuts.

lmacOS: In the top menu, select Storyboard Pro 22 > 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 w ant 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.

16

Storyboard Pro 22 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 w ith numerous other options
and sw itches 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 follow ing location:l

W indows: C:\Users\[username]\AppData\Roaming\Toon Boom Animation\Toon Boom Storyboard
Pro\full-20100-pref

NOTE
On W indow s, 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 dow n the Alt key.

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Storyboard Pro 22 Preferences Guide

19

Preferences Dialog Reference

Preferences Dialog Reference
The follow ing 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 w ell as a description of the preference. Refer to this section if you w ant toknow more about w hat a specific preference does or if you w ant to get familiarized w ith all of the preferencesin 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 22 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 w hich 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

W hen you move scenes around, the Rename Scene dialog box opens
prompting you to rename the scenes. This option is enabled by default.
W hen you deselect this option, existing scenes keep their original nameand new scenes are automatically named w ithout the Rename Scene
dialog box opening.

W arn w hen Deleting Audio
Tracks

Display a confirmation prompt w hen attempting to delete an audio track.

21

Preferences Dialog Reference

Parameter

Forbid Draw ing on Panel
Thumbnails

Description

By default, this preference is enabled, preventing you from draw ings on
the panels in the Thumbnails view . Turn off this option if you w ant to use
all the Draw ing tools directly in the Thumbnails view .

By default, w hen 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 shorter
Preserve project length w hen
adding transitions

Automatically Create New
Sequenceby the length of the transition.
W ith this option enabled, w hen a transition is added, both scenes that are
joined by the transition are extended by half the length of the transition,
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 w ithout sequences.
Select this option so new projects are automatically created w ith asequence.

W hen any change is made to the w orkspace, such as adding, moving or
removing a view or a toolbar, the change is automatically saved to thecurrent w orkspace.
Automatically Save
W orkspace

NOTE
If you disable this option, you can save your w orkspace manuallyby selecting W indows > W orkspace > Save W orkspace from the
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

W hen Auto Tracking Mode is enabled, any change made to a panel w ill
activate tracking changes for that panel. W ith this option enabled,changes can be made to a panel's captions w ithout automaticallyenabling tracking changes for that panel. Any other changes made to thepanel or its content w ill still cause the panel to be tracked for changes.

Terminology Style

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Storyboard Pro 22 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 w hen using Storyboard Pro inJapanese, as the terminology for both production styles are thesame.

ScenesBreak Scene w hen
performing "Split Current
Scene" command

By default this option is disabled, this means that w hen using theStoryboard > Split Current Scene command, the current scene w ill be
split in tw o before the selected panel. W hen enabled, the scene w ill 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 w ill 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 w hile navigating betw een panels.

Enable Brush Preset Layer
Selection Lock

Keeps layer selection to layer specified in selected brush preset.

LayersNone: Sets the default alignment used w hen creating a layer.

Default Layer Alignment

Faces Camera: The layer is oriented to face the camera, so it rotatesaround its pivot point to alw ays face the camera, but does not move w ith
the camera. Use this option w hen you plan to position a 2D layer in 3D
space, w here 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 alw ays moves w ith 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 w hich textures w ill be reduced w hen 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 w hen closing it.

3D Features

Enable 3D Functionalities(Requires Relaunch)

By default, new ly created scenes are set to the 2D mode, so your project
is not encumbered w ith unnecessary features if you plan to w ork in 2D for
more than a few scenes. You can convert a scene to 3D, so you can moveand 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 w ill also allow
a camera to be moved in 3D space using the Camera tool.

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Storyboard Pro 22 Preferences Guide

Project Settings Preferences
The follow ing settings are applied to new projects created w ith Storyboard Pro.

NOTE
If you make any changes to these settings, those changes w ill not apply to your current project.
They w ill 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 new ly created panel (in seconds).

Disable Project Name
Length Limitation

For compatibility w ith 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 w ith the follow ing 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 w hen the draw ing is not zoomed in or scaled up. For example, at
100%, zooming in or scaling up textured brush strokes w ill make them lose
texture quality. If set to 200%, textured brush strokes can be zoomed in or scaled
up until they're tw ice their original size w ithout losing picture quality.

Bitmap Layers

W idthThe default w idth of the canvas w hen creating a bitmap draw ing layer. The
percentage is relative to the w idth of the project. Its default value, 200%, makes
the w idth of the canvas tw ice the w idth of the stage.

Height

The default height of the canvas w hen creating a bitmap draw ing layer. The
percentage is relative to the height of the project. Its default value, 200%, makes
the height of the canvas tw ice the height of the stage.

Pixel Density

Determines the amount of pixels to store in textured brush strokes for each pixelthat displays w hen the draw ing is not zoomed in or scaled up. For example, at
100%, zooming in or scaling up textured brush strokes w ill make them lose
texture quality. If set to 200%, textured brush strokes can be zoomed in or scaled
up until they're tw ice their original size w ithout losing picture quality.

3D Models

Scale Factor

The default scale factor to apply to a 3D model w hen it is imported into yourproject. You can enter a decimal value betw een 0 and 1 to make new ly 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 22 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, w hen adding a new sequence,
the increment is 1.

By default, w hen copying a sequence, the copy retains the same numbering as
the original but w ith an added suffix. For example, the copy of sequence 2 w ould
be named 2_A.
Incremental Naming on Copy
W hen this option is selected, the copy of the sequence w ill be named using thenext available sequence number follow ing the established increment rule. For
example, the copy of sequence 2, w ould be called sequence 3.

Minimum Number ofCharacters

Determines the minimum number of characters the scene names w ill containw hen using leading zeros.

Resolution Suffix

Lets you set the suffix pattern to use w hen a suffix is added to a new scene w hen
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

dow n menu:•

None: Suffix appears immediately follow ing 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 w hich type of suffix to use:•

Auto: Uses an upper case alphabetical suffix. Once the suffix reaches Z, it
w ill 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 low er case alphabetical suffix. For example: 12_a, 12_b, and so on.

Panel

Automatically Add Leading
Zeros

Minimum Number ofCharacters

W hen 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 w ill be added before its
name to make sure it uses the right amount of digits.
For example, by default, the panels in a scene w ith three panels w ould be named
1, 2 and 3. If you enable this preference and set the Minimum Number ofCharacters to 3, those panels w ould be named 001, 002 and 003. How ever,panel #10 w ould be named 010, and panel #100 w ould be named 100.

If the Automatically Add Leading Zeros preference is enabled, this preference isused to set the amount of digits to use w hen 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 to10, panels in a given scene w ill be named 10, 20, 30, etc.

Increment name by

The purpose of this option is to preserve panel numbers w hen inserting a panel
betw een tw o existing panels. W hen this option is disabled, if you create a panel
betw een tw o existing panels, the new panel w ill be named based on the numberof the previous panel + 1, and subsequent panels w ill be renamed to keep their
numbers in sequence. How ever, w hen this option is enabled, panels inserted
betw een tw o existing panels w ill be named using the number that is the average

28

Storyboard Pro 22 Preferences Guide

Parameter

Descriptionof the previous and next panels, rounded dow n. For example, if you create a panel
betw een panel 10 and panel 20, this panel w ill be named 15. If you create
another panel betw een panel 10 and 20, this panel w ill be named 12.

By default, panel names are named using numbers. This preference allow s you toselect a different naming rule, most of w hich use letters instead:l

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

l

A ... Z, AA ... ZZ, AAA ... ZZZ, AAAA ... : This is a positional letter-based
notation, w hich means it w orks 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.

l

A ... Z, ZA ... ZZ, ZAA ... ZZZ, ZAAA ... : This notation uses tw o different
logics: After the first time the panel names cycle through the w holealphabet, 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, w hile 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 w hole 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. How ever, w hen more thanone Z is present at the beginning of the panel's name, they are notated bya number follow ed 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 w hole 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 thealphabet.

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 w ell as the Panel name field in the Panel view
become active.

Lets you set the suffix pattern to use w hen a suffix is added to a new scene w hen
the name is already in use.
You can choose the punctuation mark preceding the suffix from the first dropdow n menu:

Resolution Suffix•

None: Suffix appears immediately follow ing 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 w hich type of suffix to use:•

Auto: Uses an upper case alphabetical suffix. Once the suffix reaches Z, it
w ill 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 low er case alphabetical suffix. For example: 12_a, 12_b, and so on.

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

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Storyboard Pro 22 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 isrestarted or until the affected view is closed and reopened.

Click a colour sw atch to open the Select Colour dialog box from w hich you can set
a new colour.

31Preferences Dialog Reference

Global UI Preferences

Parameter

Description

Time Display Units

Allow s you to select the w ay the time is displayed in the ruler at the top of theTimeline view :Time Display Units inTimeline Ruler

Time Display Units inThumbnail PanelslTimecode: Displays the time in the HH:MM:SS:FF format, w here HH
means hours, MM means minutes, SS means seconds and FF means
frames.

l

Frames: Displays the time in frames only.

lFeet + Frames: Displays the time in feet and frames. A foot corresponds
to one vertical foot of animation exposure sheet, w hich amounts to 16
frames.

Allow s you to select the w ay the length of each panel is displays above thethumbnails in the Thumbnail view :32

Storyboard Pro 22 Preferences Guide

Parameter

DescriptionlTimecode: Displays the time in the HH:MM:SS:FF format, w here HH
means hours, MM means minutes, SS means seconds and FF means
frames.

l

Frames: Displays the time in frames only.

lFeet + Frames: Displays the time in feet and frames. A foot corresponds
to one vertical foot of animation exposure sheet, w hich amounts to 16
frames.

Allow s you to select the w ay the duration of panels and scenes is displayed inexported PDF documents:

Time Display Units inExported PDF
Documents

Time Display Units inTimeline View
OverlayslTimecode: Displays the time in the HH:MM:SS:FF format, w here HH
means hours, MM means minutes, SS means seconds and FF means
frames.

l

Frames: Displays the time in frames only.

lFeet + Frames: Displays the time in feet and frames. A foot corresponds
to one vertical foot of animation exposure sheet, w hich amounts to 16
frames.

W hen adjusting the in and out point of a panel, sound clip or video clip, or w hen
moving a clip, the amount of time by w hich you're offsetting the selection isdisplayed temporarily until you release the mouse button. This option allow s you
to select the w ay the time offset is displayed:

33

Preferences Dialog Reference

Parameter

DescriptionlTimecode: Displays the time in the HH:MM:SS:FF format, w here HH
means hours, MM means minutes, SS means seconds and FF means
frames.

l

Frames: Displays the time in frames only.

lFeet + Frames: Displays the time in feet and frames. A foot corresponds
to one vertical foot of animation exposure sheet, w hich 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

W hen enabled, the Tools toolbar w ill display each tool in its ow n 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 w ill be hidden from the Tools toolbar by default. You cancustomize w hich tools appear in the Tools toolbar by right-clicking on it andselecting Customize.

34

Storyboard Pro 22 Preferences Guide

Parameter

Description

In Storyboard Pro, some keyboard shortcuts, menus or toolbar buttons areintended for specific view s in your w orkspace. To use keyboard shortcuts or otherfunctionalities on a specific view , this view must be focused on. For example, theCentre on Selection shortcut w ill find the selected element in the Timeline or
Camera view , depending on w hich one is focused on. Storyboard Pro draw s a redrectangle around the currently focused on view .
By default, to set the focus on a view , you must click on its tab or on anything

Focus on MouseEnter

inside the view itself. The Focus on Mouse Enter preference w ill make Harmony
automatically focus on the view the mouse cursor is over, making it sw itch thefocus on a view and use keyboard shortcuts on it.

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

button at the

top-left corner of some view s.

Compact Information
Style

Use Dark Stylesheet(Requires relaunch)

Shortens the information in the Panel, Thumbnail and Storyboard view s.

Application loads a dark skin for the User Interface.

Touch Interface

Enables manipulating view s such as the Camera and Draw ing view s using thefollow ing gestures:Support Gesturesl

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

35

Preferences Dialog Reference

Parameter

Descriptionl

To zoom in, drag your tw o fingers aw ay from each other.

l

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

l

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

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Storyboard Pro 22 Preferences Guide

Parameter

Description

Invert Scroll Direction

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

Touch Sensitivity

Control touch sensitivity. On macOS, higher numbers give a slow er response topans. On W indow s, higher numbers favour scale/rotates over pans.

Language

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

By default, this is set to Autodetect, w hich means that Storyboard Pro w ill launchin the language of your operating system, if it is one of the supported languages,
and w ill otherw ise launch in English.

Tablet Support

Use Qt W intab
Tablet Support(Requires relaunch)

If you are using a tablet other than W acom, deselect this option (and relaunch) if
you are having issues w ith 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 draw ings displayed in the onion skins. The
options are as follow s:Onion Skin Render
Style

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

Storyboard Pro 22 Preferences Guide

Parameter

Description

are before the current frame, or in solid green if they are after the current frame.
Coloured Outline: Draw ings 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
the current 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 w ill be more transparent. This option is disabled w hen 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(%)

W hile 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 .
lRelative to Project Resolution: Makes the zoom information and settings
dependent on the project resolution.

lRelative to View: Makes the zoom information and settings adjust relative
to the size of the Stage view on your screen.

Zoom Level

Point of View

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

39

Preferences Dialog Reference

Parameter

Description

pan and rotation) is remembered w hen 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 w hen you use the Reset View commandin the Stage view . These options only affect your project if you are w orking inPanel Point of View mode.
lReset View to Drawing area: Resets the view to include the original
draw ing area.

l

Reset View to Camera Overview: Resets the view to include an overview
of the camera movement in the panel.

lReset View to Camera Start: Resets the view to frame the in position ofyour camera.

lReset View to Camera End: Resets the view to frame the out position ofyour camera.

lReset View to Current Panel Overview: Resets the view to include allcamera move information in the frame.

Reset View Mode

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.

W orld Grid Size

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

Safe Areas

Action Safe Area (%)

W hen 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

W hen using the safe area mode in the Camera or Stage view , this option allow s

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Storyboard Pro 22 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 (%)

W hen 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(%)

W hen using the safe area mode in the Camera or Stage view , this option allow s
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 betw een 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 tw ogentle curves on both sides of the keyframe.

Default Bias

The default value set to control the slope of the path so that it flow s tow ards 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
w ork w ith 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 Leverw ith Transformation
Tools

Displays a handle for use w ith 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 w ithout having to position the
cursor over a specific stroke. This applies to the follow ing 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.

W arn W hen
Flattening Draw ings

A w arning displays w hen draw ings w ill be flattened in a project. Flattens all thebrush or pencil line strokes of all the vector draw ings in your project. This meansthat all overlapping strokes w ill no longer be editable as single strokes, but only
as w hole, draw n objects.

Brush Size Cursor

W hen 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 betw een very low and very high for the brushstroke, or accepts the default value of low .

42

Storyboard Pro 22 Preferences Guide

Parameter

Description

Transform

Transform Tool Uses
Draw ing Pivot(Requires Relaunch)

Places the Layer Transformation tool’s pivot at the centre of the selected layer’s
frame. W hen 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 w ith the alpha value of the layer, resulting in an
opaque layer. This is helpful w hen 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 W hen Using
Automatic Insertion

W hen using the Storyboard > Import Images as Scenes command, if theelement you w ill create upon import does not already exist in your project, youare prompted to create the element.

Ask Before Removing
Existing Layer w hen
Using Automatic
Insertion

W hen using the Storyboard > Import Images as Scenes command, if the element
you w ill 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 w hen importing bitmap images.

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Storyboard Pro 22 Preferences Guide

Parameter

Description

Option Dialog

Import SoundUse Default Sound
Import Settings and
Do Not Show Dialog

Prevents or allow s the opening of the import sound file settings dialog box w hen
importing a sound file. W hen selected, the settings dialog w ill not open, anddefault settings w ill be used. W hen deselected, the settings dialog box w ill open
every time, and allow you to adjust settings every time.

Burn- In

Font

Lets you select the font in w hich you w ant the timecode to print w hen 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 w ill print in black on your animatic. Click the colour
sw atch 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 w hen 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 follow s:

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

Background Colour

Click the colour sw atch 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 w hen
the Draw Box Behind Time Code option is selected.

Default Panel Time
Code Start TimeDefines the default starting timecode for each panel w hen selecting the Print
Panel Time Code option in the Export Movie dialog box.

Export to Bitmap

Limit Size Allow ed
for Bitmap Export

Imposes a size limit w hen exporting bitmaps. W hen this option is selected, you
can define the size limit in the tw o fields below .

Maximum W idth

W hen the Limit Size Allow ed for Bitmap Export option is selected, use this field
to set the maximum w idth (in pixels) the exported image can have.

Maximum Height

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

46

Storyboard Pro 22 Preferences Guide

Pitch Mode Preferences
W hile w orking in Pitch Mode, there are some preferences that can optimize the display.

Parameter

Description

MemoryW hile w orking in Pitch Mode, you can turn off the auto-save feature to preventthe system from continuing to save.
Disable auto-save w hile in
Pitch Mode W orkspace

NOTE
This preference is only available w hen the Auto-save preference is enabledin 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 Draw ing Tools

Displays the Draw ing and Comments tools in the Control Panel view .

47

Preferences Dialog Reference

Playback Preferences

Parameter

Description

Cached Playback

You can select the follow ing options from the drop-dow n menu:lDisabled: Default state. Keeps the Playback view hidden in the W indow s
menu and the Auto Update Playback Cache button unavailable in the
Playback toolbar.

lPlayback view: Makes the Playback view available in the softw are. You
must close and relaunch the softw are as an additional step. The Playbackview is then accessible from the W indow s menu. Use the Playback view

Playback Mode48

Storyboard Pro 22 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-dow n menu. Selecting it allow s you to preview
real time playbacks of your Storyboard Pro projects on a separate
reference monitor 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-dow n menu. Select either Project Frame Rate, 50Hz or 60Hz
depending on w hat refresh rate you prefer and the technical specs of yourreference monitor.

Audio Output Device

This drop-dow n allow s you to select the audio output device used to play soundfrom Storyboard Pro. The drop-dow n lists the Default System Device and allother available devices on the system.

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.)
w hose text content you w ish 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

1st field: A drop-dow n list that allow s for the selection of any typeface(Times New Roman, Helvetica, etc.) and font w eight (bold, medium, light,
book, etc.) that is available on your computer.

l

2nd field: Sets the font size. Type in a number or use the up and dow narrow s to increase or decrease the currently set size.

Font

Text Colour

Sets the text colour for any overlay content. To select a new colour, click on the49Preferences Dialog Reference

Parameter

Description

colour sw atch to bring up the Select Colour dialog.

Background Colour

Checking this option allow s for a background colour to be displayed behind theoverlay content. To select a new colour, click on the colour sw atch 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 alw ays 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 w hich Mode is selected.
It is alw ays 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 w hich Mode is selected.
Secondary TimecodelTimecode: Uses the format HH:MM:SS:FF, w here HH = hours, MM =minutes, SS = seconds and FF = frames.

lFrames: Uses the frame number in a given panel, scene or sequence.

Units

Sets the period for the Secondary Timecode:

Mode

l

Per Panel: Tracks the time of each panel in the project. Resets to 0 at thestart of each new panel.

l

Per Scene: Tracks the time of each scene in the project. Resets to 0 at thestart of each new scene.

l

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 alw ays displayed at the bottom centreof the Playback view .

Display Pattern

Allow s you to enter w hich Project Info to display:50

Storyboard Pro 22 Preferences Guide

Parameter

DescriptionlAct: %alSequence: %ql

Scene: %slPanel: %p

These simple codes w ill automatically generate the current number of the given
storyboard unit.
Type in additional informational text, as w ell as information separators, for clarity.
For example %p displays the current panel number, but w ithout the w ord "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 FilesAt 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 PlaybackPathview .
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 w ant to.

Panels in Cache

W hen you w ork w ith Storyboard Pro, the OpenGL draw ings are loaded in thecache to optimize the display and playback. You can increase or decrease thenumber of draw ings loaded in your cache. The default value is 20.

Auto-save (minutes)

By default the Auto-save preference is disabled, so it w ill never auto-save yourw ork. You can enable the Auto-save preference by using the slider to select theinterval of time (in minutes) at w hich your w ork w ill be automatically saved.

52

Storyboard Pro 22 Preferences Guide

Parameter

Description

Drawing

Delay Before
Updating Thumbnails(ms)

W hen you modify a draw ing, the thumbnail displayed in the Thumbnails andTimeline view s are updated. By default, the update process is delayed so it does
not slow dow n the application w hile you draw . The low er the number ofmilliseconds, the faster the updates and vice versa.

OpenGL

Realistic Preview
W hile Draw ing

Gives you a live preview of shapes in Draw Behind mode, w hich is for painting
behind existing art. W hen using this mode, strokes appear instantly under yourw ork w hile draw ing w ith the Draw Behind mode.

Enable Mipmapping
on Bitmap Layers

Generates antialiased mipmap textures. Deselect this option to increase
performance w hen w orking on bitmap layers w ith non-standard graphics cards.
Mipmapping can cause some issues w ith low er-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 draw ing layer, vector brush w ith texture applied.

Premultiply alpha inBitmap Layers

Full Scene Antialiasing

Enable (Requires
Relaunch)

Lets you see smooth lines as you draw , as w ell as an antialiased draw ing 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 w ill be enlarged
to calculate the antialiasing. This is called supersampling. The higher the numberof samples, the better the antialiasing quality, but the longer it w ill take tocalculate. The default value is 4.

Optimized Playback

Use Optimized
Desktop53

Preferences Dialog Reference

Parameter

Description

Asynchronous
Draw ing Loading

Allow s draw ings to be loaded in the background w hile playing back a panel. Thisw ay, playback is continuous. You can specify the number of concurrent draw ings
loaded at the same time. This should be set according to a machine’s number ofcores.

Preload Draw ings

Defines the number of draw ings 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 draw ings are used. Each layer on each panel is a draw ing. If you have many
short panels, then you w ill have more draw ings 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 draw ings in those panels. Keep in mind that each layer on each panel
is a draw ing. If you have long panels, then it w ill w ant to look ahead several
panels, instead of the specified number of frames.

Render effects using
GPU (OpenCL)

W hen 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 how ever may not w ork as expected on some video cards. If you
encounter this issue, you can disable this option. Blurring operations w ill take a
bit longer but w ill alw ays produce the same result.

GPU54