Toon Boom Storyboard Pro 4.2 Getting Started 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 guide is covered by a specific limited warranty and exclusions and limit of liability under theapplicable 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.
The content of this guide is the property of Toon Boom Animation Inc. and is copyrighted.
Any reproduction in whole or in part is strictly prohibited.
Trademarks
Toon Boom® is a registered trademark and 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
12/9/2019
Copyright © 2015 Toon Boom Animation Inc. All rights reserved.

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Toon Boom Storyboard Pro 4.2 Getting Started Guide

Contents
Toon Boom Storyboard Pro 4.2 Getting Started Guide

1

Contents

3

Chapter 1: Introduction

5

Chapter 2: Interface

7

Stage View

8

Panel View

8

Storyboard View

9Tool Properties View

10Interface Navigation

10

Chapter 3: Script and Panels

13

Importing a Script

13

Adding Text to Panel Captions

13

Creating Panels

14

Creating Scenes

15

Creating Sequences

15

Reordering Panels

15

Chapter 3: Layers

17

Adding Layers

17

Deleting Layers

17

Hiding and Showing Layers

18

Locking and Unlocking Layers

18

Chapter 4: How to Draw

21

Drawing on a Vector Layer

21

Using a Vector Brush or Pencil

22

Using a Textured Brush

22

Drawing on a Bitmap Layer

23

Chapter 5: How to Paint

25

Chapter 6: How to Create Templates

27

Creating a Template from the Stage View

27

Creating a Template from the Thumbnails View

28

Creating a Template from the Timeline View

29

Chapter 7: How to Work in the 3D Space

33

Viewing Objects from the Top and Side

33

Converting Your Scene to 3D

34

Resetting Your Scene to 2D

34

3

Contents

Positioning Elements in 3D Space

35

Previewing the Panel with the Camera View

35

Importing 3D Objects to the Library36

Chapter 8: How to Create an Animatic

39

Timeline View

39

Setting the Panel Duration

40

Animating Layers

40

Animating the Camera

41

Adding Sound

45

Creating a Transition

46

Chapter 9: How to Export

49

Exporting a PDF

49

Exporting a Movie

51

Exporting to Toon Boom52

Exporting to FBX

53

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Toon Boom Storyboard Pro 4.2 Getting Started Guide

Chapter 1: Introduction
Storyboard Pro is a complete storyboarding software for animated features and TV series, 2D/3D, live action
production, video games, or events with advanced features for all your project’s needs.
In the Getting Started Guide, you will learn about the main features covering the basic concepts of Toon Boom
Storyboard Pro, which will quickly bring you up to speed. Refer to the complete Toon Boom Storyboard Pro
documentation available online at docs.toonboom.com to learn about all the tools and options, as well as advanced
techniques.
This guide is divided as follow:•

Interface on page 7•

Script and Panels on page 13•

Layers on page 17•

How to Draw on page 21•

How to Paint on page 25•

How to Create Templates on page 27•

How to Work in the 3D Space on page 33•

How to Create an Animatic on page 39•

How to Export on page 49

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Toon Boom Storyboard Pro 4.2 Getting Started Guide

Chapter 2: Interface
It is important that you become familiar with the main elements of the user interface. This will help you to start using
Storyboard Pro. You can learn more about the highlights described here, and how to use them in a production
context, throughout this guide.
When you start Storyboard Pro for the first time, the default workspace is displayed. It contains all of the mainelements.

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Chapter 2: Interface

Stage View

The Stage view is the centre of operations in Storyboard Pro. In this view, you can build, draw, paint, animate thecamera, create layer paths, and see your results.

Panel View
The Panel view displays the different captions which are related to the current panel, as well as other useful
information.

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Toon Boom Storyboard Pro 4.2 Getting Started Guide

Storyboard View
The Storyboard view is where you import or type your script. It also displays valuable information about yourstoryboard project. The Storyboard view is divided into two areas: Project information and Script caption.

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Chapter 2: Interface

Tool Properties View
The Tool Properties view contains the most common options and operations related to the currently selected tool.
As soon as you select a tool from the Tools toolbar, the Tool Properties view is updated.

Interface Navigation
Storyboard Pro supports Zoom In, Zoom Out, Rotate, Pan and Reset View Position for easy interface navigation.
•

Zoom In: Zooms into the view. Press [2] or select View > Zoom In.

•

Zoom Out: Zooms out of the view. Press [1] or select View > Zoom Out.

•

Zoom In and Zoom Out: Hold down [Spacebar] and your middle mouse button while moving the mouse up
or down.

•

Reset Zoom: Resets the view’s zoom to its default position. Press [Shift]+[Z] or select View > Reset
Zoom.

•

Pan the view: Hold down the keyboard shortcut [Spacebar] and drag your mouse in the direction you wantto pan the view.

•

Reset Pan: Resets the view’s pan to its default position. Press [Shift]+[N] or select View > Reset Pan.

•

Reset View: Resets the view to its default position. Press [Shift]+[M] or select View > Reset View.

•

Reset View to Default Drawing Area: Resets the Stage view to show the default drawing area, which isthe space situated inside the default camera frame (before the camera is modified).
Select View > Reset Stage View To > Default Drawing Area.

•

Reset View to Current Panel: Resets the Stage view to show the current panel in its entirety. SelectView > Reset Stage View To > Current Panel Overview.

•

Reset View to Camera Overview: Resets the Stage view to show an overview of the Camera frames. If
a Camera movement was created in the selected panel, it will show the entire space within the camera
movement. Select View > Reset Stage View To > Camera Overview.

NOTE: This option is only available when the Point of View Mode is set to the Scene or Panel Level. Select View >Point of View Mode > Scene Level or Project Level.

•

Reset View to Start Camera: Resets the Stage view to focus on the starting camera position of thecamera movement on the current panel.
Select View > Reset Stage View To > Start Camera Frame.

10Toon Boom Storyboard Pro 4.2 Getting Started Guide

NOTE: This option is only available when the Point of View Mode is set to the Scene or Panel Level. Select View >Point of View Mode > Scene Level or Project Level.

•

Reset View to End Camera: Resets the Stage view to focus on the ending camera position of the camera
movement on the current panel.
Select View > Reset Stage View To > End Camera Frame.

NOTE: This option is only available when the Point of View Mode is set to the Scene or Panel Level. Select View >Point of View Mode > Scene Level or Project Level.

•

Reset Rotation: Resets the view’s rotation to its default position. Press [Shift]+[X] or select View > Reset
Rotation.

•

Rotate CW: Rotates the Stage view clockwise, like an animation table. Press [V] or select View > Rotate
View CW.

•

Rotate CCW: Rotates the Stage view counter-clockwise, like an animation table. Press [C] or select View >Rotate View CCW.

•

Toggle Full Screen: Maximizes the application on your screen space. Press [Ctrl]+[Shift]+[F] (Windows) or[⌘ ]+[Shift]+[F] (Mac OS X) once to make the application go full screen, click again to resolve to normal
view. You can also select View > Toggle Full Screen.

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Toon Boom Storyboard Pro 4.2 Getting Started Guide

Chapter 3: Script and Panels
A complete storyboard is not only made of drawing panels, but also includes valuable written directions andinformation, such as action notes, dialogue, and more. In Storyboard Pro, the editing of these text fields, called
captions, is as easy as a drag and drop. You can also reorder, rearrange and modify your panels and scenes very
easily, without having to go back to the photocopy machine, scissors, and tape.

Importing a Script
If your script is in *.txt or *.rtf file format, you can use the Import Caption command to import it into the Script
caption.
To use the Import Caption command to import your script:
1. In the Storyboard view, click the Caption Menu

button and select Import Caption.

The Import Caption browser opens.
2. Select your *.txt or *.rtf file and click Open.
The script appears in the Script caption field.

Adding Text to Panel Captions
The quickest and easiest way to add text to your caption fields is to drag and drop it. For example, if you imported
your script into the Storyboard view’s Script caption field, you can select the text you need and drop it in the desired
panel’s caption field.
To drag and drop text from your imported script:
1. (Optional) Switch to the Vertical workspace by selecting Windows > Workspace > Workspace > Vertical.
2. In the Thumbnails view, select the panel to which you want to add text to a caption.
3. In the Storyboard view:‣

In the Vertical workspace, the Storyboard view is on the right side of the screen, under the Panel view.
Click the Storyboard tab to switch to this view.

‣

If the Storyboard view is not displayed in your workspace, select Windows > Storyboard.
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Chapter 3: Script and Panels

4. In the Script caption field, highlight the part of the text you want to drag and drop.

NOTE: You can drag and drop text from any caption field to another; it does not absolutely have to be from the
Script caption.

5. In the Script caption, click and drag the selected text and drop it in the destination caption of your panel.

6. Repeat this until you have copied all the necessary text into your project’s caption fields.

NOTE: You can also copy and paste text from external applications such as Microsoft sWord or from a PDF files.

Creating Panels
When you are creating a panel, the new panel is added after the current panel.
To create panels:
1. In the Thumbnails view, select the panel to which you want to add a panel.

2. Do one of the following:‣

In the Storyboard toolbar, click the Create Panel‣

Select Storyboard > Create Panel.

‣

Press [P].

button.

A new panel is added to the storyboard, and is part of the same scene as the current panel.

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Toon Boom Storyboard Pro 4.2 Getting Started Guide

Creating Scenes
To create a scene:‣ In the Storyboard toolbar, click the New Scene

button or select Storyboard > New > New Scene.

A new scene, containing one blank panel, is added after the current scene.

Creating Sequences
By default, when you start building your storyboard using the New Scene button or command, the scenes that are
created are not part of a sequence. If you want to start adding sequences to your project, you must use the New
Sequence button for every new scene beginning a new sequence. This will add a new scene to your project andshow the sequence markers in the Thumbnails and Timeline views.
To create a new sequence:‣ In the Storyboard toolbar, click the New Sequence

button or select Storyboard > New > New

Sequence.

A new scene is added to your project and is now the starting point of a new sequence. If this is the first
sequence you add to a project, all scenes prior to it will be combined as a sequence as well. The sequencemarkers will also become visible in both the Thumbnails and Timeline views.

Reordering Panels
To reorder panels, drag and drop your selection where you see a blue straight line. You can drop your selection
between two scenes or in the middle of a scene. Dropping a panel in the middle of a scene will include it in thescene; it will not split it.

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Chapter 3: Script and Panels

Remember that if you select more than one panel to move, you must drag them by clicking the current panel in theselection. Clicking any other panel in the selection will deselect the rest.

You can drag and drop a selection to remove it from a scene. Just drag the selection out and drop it between two
scenes when you see a straight blue line appear.

You can drag and drop a selection so it joins another scene. Just drag the panel onto the edge of the scene youwant it to attach to, and drop it when you see a right-facing or left-facing bracket appear.

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Toon Boom Storyboard Pro 4.2 Getting Started Guide

Chapter 3: Layers
There are three types of layers you can use depending on the type of graphics and artwork you are aiming toachieve: bitmap, vector, and 3D.
Bitmap Layers: Allow you to create 2D graphics that are resolution independent. Bitmap graphics are made of
pixels on a grid that resemble tiny dots, which altogether make up the drawing you are creating or artwork you areimporting. Bitmap graphics impart a more natural and soft look to your work. The colour is defined on a pixel-by-pixel
basis.
Vector Layers: Allow you to create 2D graphics that are made of many individual, scalable objects. Each object iscreated by a mathematical equation rather than pixels, so they always display at the highest quality. Because they
are scalable, vector objects are resolution independent. You can increase and decrease the size of vector objects
and your lines remain crisp and sharp, which is ideal for cartoons! On vector layers, the colour is defined for thewhole stroke.
Vector objects can consist of lines, curves, and shapes that you can edit and transform using control handles.
Vector graphics are not restricted to rectangular shapes like bitmap graphics. You can place vector objects overother objects, and the object below will show through.
3D Layers: Allow you to import 3D objects into layers, creating a project that mixes 2D and 3D styles.

Adding Layers
You can add an unlimited number of layers to a panel.
To add a layer to a panel:
1. From the Thumbnails view, select the panel to which you want to add a new layer.
2. Do one of the following:‣

Select Layer > New Vector Layer or New Bitmap Layer.

‣

Click the New Vector Layer
Stage view, or Layers panel.

or New Bitmap Layerbutton in one of these areas: Layers toolbar,

Deleting Layers
You can delete layers you no longer need. This keeps your project clean and tidy.
To delete a layer from a panel:
1. Select a layer.
2. Do one of the following:‣

In the Layer toolbar, click the Delete Layerbutton.

‣From the Layers panel, click the Delete Layer

17

button.

Chapter 3: Layers

Hiding and Showing Layers
Working with many layers, it may be useful to hide certain layers.

To view layers in the Stage view:‣

In the Stage view, click the arrow button to expand the layer tabs.

To show or hide a layer:
1. Select the tab of the layer you want to show or hide.
2. Do one of the following:‣

Click the Show/Hide Layer

icon.

‣

Select Layer > Show/Hide Layers.

Locking and Unlocking Layers
You can lock the currently selected layer to protect any objects on it from being changed. Once locked, you can
unlock the layer to make changes to any objects on it.
To lock or unlock a layer:
1. Select the tab of the layer you want to lock or unlock.
2. Click the Lock icon, located directly under the layer name.

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Toon Boom Storyboard Pro 4.2 Getting Started Guide

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Toon Boom Storyboard Pro 4.2 Getting Started Guide

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Toon Boom Storyboard Pro 4.2 Getting Started Guide

Chapter 4: How to Draw
Once you start Storyboard Pro, you can start to draw in the currently selected panel and layer. But first, you must
decide on the style of drawing you are trying to achieve, and therefore, the type of layer you will be using: vector or
bitmap. Whichever you decide upon, the associated tools become available for that type of layer.
These are the general steps to start drawing in Storyboard Pro.
To draw:
1. In the Timeline or Thumbnails view, click a panel.
2. Select a vector or bitmap layer on which to draw.
3. In the Tools toolbar, select the Brush

tool or press [Alt]+[B].

4. In the Stage view, start drawing.
5. You can change the current colour by adjusting the sliders in the Colour view, or click a swatch to use that colour.

Drawing on a Vector Layer
Vector layers allow you to create 2D graphics that are made of many individual, scalable objects. Each object iscreated by a mathematical equation rather than pixels, so they always display at the highest quality. Because they
are scalable, vector objects are resolution independent. You can increase and decrease the size of vector objects
and your lines remain crisp and sharp, which is ideal for cartoons! On vector layers, the colour is defined for thewhole stroke.

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Chapter 4: How to Draw

You can place vector objects on top of other vector objects, but each object will still be able to be manipulated
independently.
When drawing on a vector layer, you will be using a brush, pencil, or textured brush.

Using a Vector Brush or Pencil

Vector brushes produce files that are very light, and are ideal for long projects because you do not have tocompromise on efficiency during playback. Also, you can modify the shape of the lines after you draw them using
the Contour Editor or Perspective tool. The strokes are stored as separate lines until the drawing is flattened.
•

Advantage: File sizes are light.

•

Disadvantage: Cannot get natural media-style textured drawings.

•

Recommended Use: For clean drawings, sketchy vector drawings, drawings you want to reuse fromdifferent distances (close, mid, far).

Using a Textured Brush

Textured brushes allow you to create lines that feel more like natural media, like working with a pencil on paper for
example. With this kind of stroke, you can still move the strokes around after you draw them. You cannot, use theContour Editor or Perspective tool on this kind of line.
•

Advantage: You can get a natural media feel, and still have the ability to modify the position of lines after
you draw them.

•

Disadvantage: File sizes can get heavy. Although some strokes can be flattened, they cannot be
flattened when you use different colours. Also, you can only have one colour/shade applied for the entire
length of the line.

•

Recommended Use: For textured drawings in which you can adjust the position of the lines later.

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Toon Boom Storyboard Pro 4.2 Getting Started Guide

Drawing on a Bitmap Layer

Bitmap layers allow you to create 2D graphics. The bitmap lines you create are made of pixels on a grid that
resemble tiny dots, which altogether make up the drawing you are creating or artwork you are importing. Bitmap
graphics impart a more natural and soft look to your work. The colour is defined on a pixel-by-pixel basis.
Drawing on a bitmap layer allows you to draw in a similar way to how you would in a bitmap tool like Photoshop or
Painter. Although you cannot modify the position of the lines after you draw them, you can draw and erase. Insteadof drawing lines, you are laying down the individual pixels. This gives you finer control over the brush itself, as wellas the shading and colour of the drawing. However, the strokes cannot be edited with the Contour Editor orPerspective tool. It is more efficient for storing texture information than a textured brush on a vector layer, so if you
are creating drawings with a lot of texture, this may be a better option.
•

Advantage: File sizes are not as heavy as when you use textured brushes on a vector layer, since eachstroke does not have to be remembered individually. Also, you have full artistic control over the style of thedrawing.

•

Disadvantage: You cannot modify the lines after you draw them. Simply draw and erase, like you would on
paper. Also, it can be difficult to reuse the drawing at multiple distances.

•

Recommended Use: When creating drawings with a lot of texture, for a natural media feel. Particularly
when you want a wide variety in colour and shading, this is where you will see the real advantage.

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Toon Boom Storyboard Pro 4.2 Getting Started Guide

Chapter 5: How to Paint
To paint drawings and select colours, you will use the Colour view. There is an active colour swatch at the top, thatindicates the current colour. You can modify the colour and opacity using the sliders beneath. If you are going tofrequently use a colour, then you can save this colour for reuse by creating a colour swatch out of it.

To paint a drawing:
1. In the Tools toolbar, select the Paint

tool, press [Alt] +[I] or select Tools > Paint.

2. In the Panel view, select the Tool Properties: Colour tab..

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Chapter 5: How to Paint

3. In the Colour view, select a colour from the palette.
4. In the Stage view, start painting on your drawing by clicking the area to be painted. Note that the area to be
painted must be closed.

NOTE: The Paint tool only paints vector drawings. To colour bitmap drawings, use the Draw Behind mode.

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Toon Boom Storyboard Pro 4.2 Getting Started Guide

Chapter 6: How to Create Templates
A template is an individual copy of the artwork stored in the library. This artwork can be reused in different scenes.
Once a template is stored in the library, you can access it from any project, as many times as needed.Dragging atemplate into your project copies the content in it. It does not link it to the original, which means you can modify thisindividual copy.

Creating a Template from the Stage View
From the Stage view, you can create a template from a panel’s layer or a selection of layers. Note that if a motion
was created on the selected layer, it will be included in the template.
To create a template from the Stage view:
1. In the Library view, select a folder to store your template.
2. In the Stage view, select one or more layer tabs and drag them to the right side of the Library view.

3. In the Rename dialog box, rename the new template. If you want to rename a template after it is created,right-click it and select Rename.
You can insert layers and panel templates into the Stage view.
To insert a template in the Stage view:
1. In the Thumbnails view, select the panel in which you want to insert the template.
2. In the Library view, select the template you want to insert.
3. Drag the selected template to the Stage view.

27

Chapter 6: How to Create Templates‣ If you drag a template of an entire panel into a selected panel, it will add all the content of the template into
the existing selected panel.

Creating a Template from the Thumbnails View
From the Thumbnails view, you can create a template from an entire panel. Note that if there is a layer or camera
motion in the selected panel, it will be included in the template.
To create a template from the Thumbnails view:
1. In the Library view, select a folder to store your template.
2. In the Thumbnails view, select a panel and drag it to the right side of the Library view.

3. In the Rename dialog box, rename the new template. If you want to rename a template after it is created,right-click it and select Rename.
4. Click OK.

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Toon Boom Storyboard Pro 4.2 Getting Started Guide

You can insert layers and panel templates into the Thumbnails view.
To insert a template in the Thumbnails view:
1. In the Thumbnails view, select the panel in which you want to insert the template.
2. In the Library view, select the template you want to insert.
3. Drag the selected template to the selected panel in the Thumbnails view.

Creating a Template from the Timeline View
From the Timeline view, you can create a template out of an entire panel or a sound clip. Note that if there is a layeror camera motion in the selected panel, it will be included in the template.
To create a template from the Timeline view:
1. In the Library view, select a folder to store your template.
1. In the Timeline view, select a panel or sound clip and drag it to the right side of the Library view.

29Chapter 6: How to Create Templates

2. In the Rename dialog box, rename the new template.
If you want to rename a template after it is created, right-click it and select Rename.
3. Click OK.

You can insert layers, panel, and sound clip templates into the Timeline view.
To insert a template in the Timeline view:
1. In the Timeline view, select the panel in which you want to insert the template.
1. In the Library view, select the template you want to insert.
2. Drag the selected template to the selected panel in the Timeline view.

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Toon Boom Storyboard Pro 4.2 Getting Started Guide‣

If you are inserting a sound clip template, drag the template into a sound layer in the Timeline view.

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Toon Boom Storyboard Pro 4.2 Getting Started Guide

Chapter 7: How to Work in the 3D Space
Storyboard Pro brings your animation into the third dimension by letting you import 3D objects into your scene. You
can place, manipulate, and modify 3D objects and add new depth to your storytelling.

Viewing Objects from the Top and SideThe Top and Side views are representations of your scene’s space viewed from the top and side. The views also
display the viewing area that the camera can see.
When you move your element along the Z-axis, notice that it seems the object becomes smaller or larger. This isbecause of the perspective effect. That is, the elements closer to the camera appear larger and elements that are
further away, appear smaller. Because of this, you may need to resize your elements once they are positioned.

The Stage view displays the NS/EW/FB offset positions, but you can also use the Side view and Top view windows
to reposition elements:•

Top View: Displays the EW and FB positions.

•Side View: Displays the NS and FB positions.

Changing an element’s position affects all the contents in that element.
Because these are 2D layers in your scene, they appear as lines in the Top and Side view windows (since you areviewing them from their sides). When you import 3D objects, you will see the full 3D object in the Top and Side viewwindows.

33

Chapter 7: How to Work in the 3D SpaceTo access the Top and Side views:‣

In the Panel view, click the View Menu

button and select Top View or Side View.

Converting Your Scene to 3D
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. Once your scene has been converted to 3D, you
can move and rotate 2D and 3D layers in 3D space. This means that even if you do not have any 3D objects inyour 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.

NOTE: Converting a scene to 3D applies only to the selected scene, not the entire project.

To enable the 3D option:
1. In the Thumbnails view, select the scene you want to convert to 3D.
2. Do one of the following:‣

In the Storyboard toolbar, click the Enable 3D

button.

‣Select Storyboard > Enable 3D for Current Scene.

3. Drag and drop a 3D object, that you have imported into the Library, to a panel or into the Stage view.

Resetting Your Scene to 2D
Storyboard Pro lets you reset your scene to 2D. When you do so, the following happens:•

Imported 3D models are removed.

•

3D camera moves are removed.

•

2D layers that have been moved and rotated in 3D are be set back to 2D, removing those transformations.

To reset a scene to 2D, do one of the following:‣

In the Storyboard toolbar, click the Reset Scene to 2D‣

Select Storyboard > Reset Scene to 2D.

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Toon Boom Storyboard Pro 4.2 Getting Started Guide

Positioning Elements in 3D Space
Because you will be placing these objects in 3D space, you should have the Top View and Side View windows
open.
•

Top View: Select Windows > Top View or right-click the tab area and select Top View.

•

Side View: Select Windows > Side View or right-click the tab area and select Side View.

To position a 2D element in 3D space:
1. Open your project library and drag one or more elements into your scene. By default, the elements appear in
the NS/EW/FB offset position of zero in the 3D space.
2. Click the First Frame Transformation
view.

button and select one of the elements in your scene from the StageA bounding box appears around the element and the layer appears highlighted in purple in the Top and Side
views.
3. Drag and place the object in the 3D space. Use the view that will allow you to move the element to the rightposition:‣

Stage View: Changes the EW and NS positions.

‣

Top View: Changes the EW and FB positions.

‣Side View: Changes the NS and FB positions.

As you drag the element around in 3D space, the position of the element automatically changes in the otherviews.

Previewing the Panel with the Camera View
In the Stage view, the perspective is from a fixed point in space, which is where the camera is placed by default.
If you switch to Camera view and preview the scene, the perspective is from the camera, so you can see exactly
what the camera captures as it moves from one keyframe to another.

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Chapter 7: How to Work in the 3D Space

Therefore, if you make changes to the camera position, especially if you change the camera’s focus, use theCamera view to preview the camera move accurately.
To display the Camera view:‣ Select Windows > Camera View or right-click the tab area and select Camera View.

Importing 3D Objects to the Library
When creating your animated project, you can import four types of 3D files by dragging them to the Timeline view.
The supported 3D file formats are: *.osb, *.3ds, *.obj and *.fbx. When you import a 3D model, it is automatically
added to the Library in the 3D Models folder according to its format. You can then reuse that 3D model easily
within your project file.

NOTE: It is recommended to use the .fbx format as it allows the textures to be packaged with the model.

When you import a 3D model into your library, each time you drag it into your scene, it continues to refer to theoriginal model (it does not make a copy of the 3D model). The 3D Models library is also local to your project file,
so you must import your 3D models in each project file.
To import a 3D object into the Library:
1. In the Library view, right-click on the 3D Models library folder, and select Import Files.

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Toon Boom Storyboard Pro 4.2 Getting Started Guide

The browser window opens.
2. Locate your 3D file and click Open.
The selected 3D file appears in the Library view in a folder labeled according to its format (for example,
OsbModels for *.osb files).
3. Select the subfolder that represents the format of the model you imported. All the 3D models that match thatformat appear in the Library tab.
4. Drag the 3D model to the Stage view.
The 3D model appears in its original size and is located at the zero NS/EW/FB position. The 3D model
appears in all three view windows.

NOTE: When deleting a 3D model from the 3D Models folder of the Library, every instances of the model used in the
project will be deleted at once. A warning message will prompt you to confirm or cancel the action.

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Toon Boom Storyboard Pro 4.2 Getting Started Guide

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Toon Boom Storyboard Pro 4.2 Getting Started Guide

Chapter 8: How to Create an Animatic
An animatic is the next step in the storyboarding process which involves adding sound, camera movements,
animation, and scene transitions.Storyboard Pro has all the tools necessary to synchronize your storyboard withsound, add camera and layer movements, and transitions before you export to the final video format.

Timeline View
The Timeline view is where you assemble the timing of your scene’s visuals and sounds. You can add sound tracklayers to this timeline, as well as edit audio files imported into the sound tracks. You can also add transitions andcontrol the playback of a selected panel or the entire storyboard from this view.
When setting up your animatic in Storyboard Pro, you will want to be in the Timeline view, so you can easily change
the duration of your panels, add sound and transitions, and play back your animation with a display of the time orframes.
To enable the Timeline view, do one of the following:‣

Select Windows > Timeline.

‣

In Workspace toolbar, select Timeline.

‣

Press [4].

1. The current timecode (time marker's position) is always displayed in the top-left corner of the Timeline view.
Under the current timecode, the total duration of the project is displayed. You can click and drag the timecode
to scroll through your project.
2. The names and beginnings of the different acts are displayed as little flags at the top of the Timeline view.
3. Sequences contained in your project are displayed as blue bars.
4. The different scenes of your project are represented by grey frames at the top and bottom of the panels.
5. The different panel blocks display a thumbnail at their centre.
6. Transitions are displayed as green rectangles between scenes.
7. Camera movements are displayed as grey bars in the Camera row and keyframes as darker grey diamondshapes.
8. The audio blocks are below the scenes.
9. The current sequence, scene, and panel names are displayed at the beginning of the panels' row. You canclick the names and drag the cursor left or right to scroll through your project.

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Chapter 8: How to Create an Animatic

10. The soundtracks names as well as Mute and Lock icons are displayed at the beginning of the Timelineview.
11. Sound options are available at the bottom of the Timeline view for easy access.

Setting the Panel Duration
A very accurate way of setting the duration of a panel is to use the Panel view. The Panel view will display,amongst other things, the exact Time Code information for the selected panel.

To set the panel duration in the Panel view:
1. In the Timeline or Thumbnail view, select a panel to adjust.
2. Go to the Panel view.
3. In the Duration field, use the up and down arrows or directly type a value to make the selected panel longer
or shorter.

Animating Layers
Animating a layer is very simple when you use the First Frame Transform and Last Frame Transform tools.
To set the first position for a layer’s animation:
1. In the Timeline view, select the panel with the layer you want to animate.
2. In the Stage view, select a layer to animate.

3. From the Tools toolbar or the Tools menu, select the First Frame Transform
4. Using the transformation handles, scale, rotate and move your layer.

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Toon Boom Storyboard Pro 4.2 Getting Started Guide

Animating the Camera
In order to create any animated camera for a scene, you will need at least two keyframes. Create these keyframes
before you change the position of your camera if you plan to move it. Below are four methods to add keyframes to
the Timeline view.
To add a keyframe at the current frame:
1. In the Timeline view, drag the red playhead to the frame on which you want add a keyframe.
2. From the Tools toolbar or the Tools menu, select the Camera

tool.

3. Do one of the following:‣

From the top menu, select Camera > Add Camera Keyframe at Current Frame.

‣

In the Tool Properties view, click the Add Keyframe

button.

A keyframe is added in the Timeline view at the exact position of the red playhead.

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Chapter 8: How to Create an Animatic

To position camera keyframes in a 2D project:
1. To display the Camera Status toolbar, select Edit > Preferences (Windows) or Storyboard Pro > Preferences (Mac OS X).
The Preferences dialog box opens.
2. Select the Camera tab.
3. In the Options section, select the Show Status Bar option.
4. Click OK.
5. From the Tools toolbar or the Tools menu, select the Camera

tool.

6. In the Stage view, click to select the camera keyframe you want to modify. If you have more than one keyframe within a scene, you will see more dots here. Use these dots to select the desired keyframe whenmoving the frame in Stage view. The order is ascending from left to right.

7. Use one of the following methods to modify the camera keyframe:‣

To position the selected keyframe along the Z axis, creating a truck in or truck out movement, drag the
top-left corner of the frame when you see the Truckicon. If you want to modify the Zoom level, use
the Field of View field in the Tool Properties view.

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Toon Boom Storyboard Pro 4.2 Getting Started Guide

When you release the mouse, the keyframe is set, and blue arrows appear to indicate the direction of thecamera movement. In this case, it would be zooming out from position A to position B.
‣

To rotate the selected keyframe, drag the top-left corner of the frame when you see the Rotate

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Chapter 8: How to Create an Animatic‣

To move the selected keyframe, drag the frame from the centre pivot point or the outer edge of thecamera frame when you see the Drag
icon.

‣

You can also nudge the selected keyframe by pressing [Up], [Down], [Left] and [Right] on the
keyboard.

At this point, if you wanted to, you could select the B position keyframe and move it to a new location. The scene,
when played back, will contain a camera that moves from position A to position B.

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Toon Boom Storyboard Pro 4.2 Getting Started Guide

Adding SoundYou can add new audio tracks to your project. To do so, you must work in the Timeline view.
To add an audio track:
1. Display the Timeline view.
2. Do one of the following:‣

Select Sound > New AudioTrack.

‣

In the Timeline view, right-click the area below the thumbnails and select New AudioTrack.

‣

In the Sound toolbar, click the New Audio Trackbutton.
Once you add a new audio track, you are ready to import a sound.

You can import sound clips (WAV, AIF, AIFF, or MP3) into an audio track at the first frame or at the current frame. If
the sound clip does not already exist in your project, Storyboard Pro copies the file from its present location to theaudio folder in your storyboard project folder. You must work in the Timeline view.

IMPORTANT: MP3 files are not recommended for long sequences, as it is a compressed file format. For optimal
results, use WAV or AIF sound files when working on a long sequence.

To import a sound clip:
1. In the Timeline view, select an audio track.
2. Do one of the following:‣

Select File > Import Sound Clips.

‣

Right-click the audio track and select Import Sound Clips.

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Chapter 8: How to Create an Animatic‣In the Sound toolbar, click Import Sound FilesThe Import Sound Clips dialog box opens.

button.

3. Select the sound clip you want to import by typing in the file path or using the Browse button to search forthe file you want to use.
4. In the Target Sound Track section, specify whether you want to create an audio track and import the clip
into it or import the clip into the selected audio track.
5. In the Target Frame section, indicate the frame at which the sound will begin.
6. If you selected the Current Sound Track option, specify the Import Rule:‣

Overwrite Existing Sound Clips: By default, when you import a sound, it will replace sounds thatexist in the target frames.

‣

Fill Next Available Frames: Import the sound clip into the first available empty frames after any
existing sound selection.

7. Select the Set as default and don’t show dialogue again option if you want to use the current settings thenext time you import sound and open a browse box to select a sound automatically.

Creating a Transition
It is simple to add a transition between scenes. Once it is created, you can customize it.
To create a transition between two scenes:
1. In the Timeline view, select a panel in the scene in which you want to add a transition.

2. Do one of the following:‣

From the Storyboard toolbar, click the New Transition‣

Select Storyboard > Add Transition.

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Toon Boom Storyboard Pro 4.2 Getting Started Guide‣

Right-click the scene thumbnails and select Add Transition.

A transition is inserted between shots. By default, the transition is a dissolve, although, it can easily bechanged to an edge or clock wipe by selecting the transition, and either double-clicking it or changing its typein the Panel view. You can also use the Panel view to change the duration of the transition.

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Toon Boom Storyboard Pro 4.2 Getting Started Guide48

Toon Boom Storyboard Pro 4.2 Getting Started Guide

Chapter 9: How to Export
Now that you have finished your storyboard or animatic, it is time to export it as images, PDF, or a movie file.
Depending on whether or not you plan to edit your movie in a third party software or export snapshots, Storyboard
Pro supports several export formats.

Exporting a PDF
You can export your storyboard project as a PDF file which you can later print or share electronically. This is where
you will find the way to set up your visuals to represent a classic storyboard on paper. An extensive number of
options, settings and customizing is possible while exporting to PDF.
To create a PDF:
1. Select File > Export > PDF.
The Export to PDF dialog box opens.

49Chapter 9: How to Export

2. In the Destination Path field, specify the location and name of the file that will contain the PDF.
3. In the PDF Export Parameters section, select a layout for the PDF file.
4. In the Export Range section, select whether to generate a file including the entire storyboard, specificshots, or the currently selected panel(s).
5. To view the file when it is ready, select the Open document after export option.

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Toon Boom Storyboard Pro 4.2 Getting Started Guide

Exporting a Movie
Once you have created your storyboard and animatic, you can export it as a movie file to share and play back easily
for an efficient timing reference. You can export your movie file in three different formats: QuickTime, SWF Movie(Flash), and as image sequences.
To export a QuickTime Movie:
1. Select File > Export > Movie.
The Export To Movie dialog box opens.

2. In the Destination Path, select a folder in which to save your movie. You can type in the exact path or use theBrowsebutton to browse to a specific folder on your system.
3. From the Export Movie Format panel:‣

From the Movie Format menu, select QuickTime Movie (*.mov).

‣From the Resolution menu, select the resolution: A quarter size, half size, or full size of the current
storyboard resolution.

4. Click Movie Options to modify some of the QuickTime movie settings.

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Chapter 9: How to Export

Exporting to Toon BoomThe following elements of your storyboard will be exported to the Toon Boom project:•

Layers•Layer motion•

Camera moves

To export to Toon Boom:
1. Select File > Export > Export to Toon Boom.
The Export to Toon Boom dialog box opens.

2. In the Destination Path, select a folder in which to save your storyboard project. You can type in the exact
path or use the Browse
button to browse to a specific folder on your system. You should create afolder for your exported project since Storyboard Pro will generate several files during the export.
3. In the Export Target section, select the Toon Boom animation software you want to export to:‣

Export to Animate/Animate Pro: Select this option to export to either Animate or Animate Pro.

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Toon Boom Storyboard Pro 4.2 Getting Started Guide‣

Export to Harmony: Enable this option to either export to Harmony Server or Harmony Stand-alone.
•

To determine if your export will be created for Harmony Server or Stand-alone, in the Format
menu, select the Offline option for a Stand-alone export or To Database for a Network format.

•

Depending on which Harmony version you have, select either 7.8 or 9.2 or higher.

4. From the Export Style section:‣

Select the Rendered Animatic option to export a storyboard to be rendered in bitmap images andcontained in an Animate / Animate Pro/Harmony scene. For each scene in your storyboard, an Animate /Animate Pro/Harmony scene will be created. You should use this option if you have 3D content, and want
to export to Animate,Animate Pro, or Harmony 9.2 and under. Also, use this option to export to Harmony if
you have made use of bitmap drawing layers.

‣

Select Original Scene to export your storyboard in a project where the vector drawings, layers andcamera settings are kept as is. For each shot scene in your storyboard, a Harmony/Animate scene iscreated.

5. Select the Open document/folder after export option to view the file when it is ready.

Exporting to FBX
You can export your storyboard project in FBX format, which allows you to store any motion data (from element
motion or Camera angles/zooms), as well as the 2D and 3D elements in your scene. Once exported to FBX, you can
open the storyboard elements in a third-party 3D application and continue to work on them.
You would only export these elements to FBX once you are finished with them in Storyboard Pro. Normally, you
would not bring these elements back into Storyboard Pro.
To export a storyboard to FBX format:
1. Select File > Export > FBX.
The Export to FBX dialog box opens.

2. In the Destination Path section, click the Browse
sequence.

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button and choose a folder in which to save your image

Chapter 9: How to Export

3. In the File Pattern field, type a name for the exported files.
4. To include the camera frame’s black border in the scene, select the Export Camera Frame option.
5. From the One Clip list, select one of the following:‣

Per Scene: Exports one clip per scene.

‣

Per Project: Exports one clip for the entire project.

‣

Per Sequence: Exports one clip per scene. This option is available only if your project contains
sequences.

6. In the Export Range section, select how many scenes to include in the exported files:‣

All: Includes all the scenes in your project.

‣

Current Scene: Includes only the scene you selected when you opened this dialog box.

‣

Current Sequence: Includes only the scenes from the sequence you selected when you opened this
dialog box. This option will only be visible if your project contains sequences.

7. Click OK.
Your objects are saved as an FBX file in the folder you specified.

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