Toon Boom
Storyboard Pro 24
Preferences Guide

TOON BOOM ANIMATION INC.

+1 514 278 8666

55 Mont-Royal Avenue West, Suite 1000
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
H2T 2S6

contact@toonboom.com
toonboom.com

Storyboard Pro 24 Preferences Guide

Legal Notices
Toon Boom Animation Inc.
55 avenue du Mont-Royal Ouest
Montréal Québec, Canada
H2T 2S6

Tel: +1 514 278 8666
Fax: +1 514 278 2666
toonboom.com

Disclaimer
The content of this document is the property of Toon Boom Animation Inc. and is copyrighted. Any
reproduction in whole or in part is strictly prohibited.
The content of this document is covered by a specific limited warranty and exclusions and limit of liability
under the applicable License Agreement as supplemented by the special terms and conditions for

Adobe®Flash® File Format (SWF). For details, refer to the License Agreement and to those special terms 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 owners.

Publication Date
07-25-2024
Copyright © 2024 Toon Boom Animation Inc. 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

28

Colours Preferences

34

Interface

36

Camera and Stage Preferences

42

Tools Preferences

46

Import/Export Preferences

48

Playback Preferences

51

Advanced Preferences

55

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Storyboard Pro 24 Preferences Guide

3

About Preferences

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

The Preferences dialog box is divided into the following tabs:lGenerallProject SettingslNaminglColourslInterfacel

Camera and Stage

l

Tools

l

Import/ExportlPlaybacklAdvanced

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Storyboard Pro 24 Preferences Guide

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

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

In the top menu, select Edit > Preferences.

l

Press Ctrl + U.

macOS:l

In the top menu, select Storyboard Pro 24 > Preferences.

l

Press ⌘ + U.

5

Migrating Preferences

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

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

2. Click Yes.

6

Storyboard Pro 24 Preferences Guide

7

Accessing the Preferences Dialog

Accessing the Preferences Dialog
You can access the Preferences dialog from the Edit menu on Windows, or from the Storyboard Pro 24 menu
on macOS.

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

In the top menu, select Edit > Preferences.

l

Press Ctrl + U.

macOS:l

In the top menu, select Storyboard Pro 24 > Preferences.

l

Press ⌘ + U.

8

Storyboard Pro 24 Preferences Guide

9

Switching Between Preference Sets

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

PreferenceStandard

Animatic

3D

Off

On

On

Terminology Style

Animation

Animation

Live Action

Disable project namelength limitation

Off

Off

On

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

NamingAdvanced

Preserve project length
when adding
transitions

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Storyboard Pro 24 Preferences Guide

NOTES
l

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

l

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

l

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

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

In the top menu, select Edit > Preferences.

l

Press Ctrl + U.

macOS:l

In the top menu, select Storyboard Pro 24 > Preferences.

l

Press ⌘ + U.

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

11

Exporting Preferences

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

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

In the top menu, select Edit > Preferences.

l

Press Ctrl + U.

macOS:l

In the top menu, select Storyboard Pro 24 > Preferences.

l

Press ⌘ + U.

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

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Storyboard Pro 24 Preferences Guide

13

Importing Preferences

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

l

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

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

In the top menu, select Edit > Preferences.

l

Press Ctrl + U.

macOS:l

In the top menu, select Storyboard Pro 24 > Preferences.

l

Press ⌘ + U.

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

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Storyboard Pro 24 Preferences Guide

15

Resetting Preferences

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

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

lmacOS: In the top menu, select Storyboard Pro 24 > Keyboard Shortcuts.

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

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Storyboard Pro 24 Preferences Guide

17

Preferences File Location

Preferences File Location
T-SBADV-003-001
After the first time you have launched Storyboard Pro, your preferences, along with numerous other options
and switches in the user interface, are stored in a hidden directory on your computer.
Depending on your operating system, you can find your preference files in the following location:lWindows: C:\Users\[username]\AppData\Roaming\Toon Boom Animation\Toon Boom Storyboard
Pro\full-2401-pref
NOTE
On Windows, the AppData folder is hidden. To display it in Explorer, in the top menu, open
the View pane and check the Hidden Items checkbox.

lmacOS: /Users/[username]/Library/Preferences/Toon Boom Animation/Toon Boom Storyboard Pro/full2401-pref
NOTE
On macOS, the Library folder is hidden. To display it in Finder, hold down the Alt key.

TIP
You can set a preferred path using the environment variable HARMONY_PREFERENCE_PATH to
specify a location where Harmony can read and write your preferences.

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Storyboard Pro 24 Preferences Guide

19

Preferences Dialog Reference

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

21

Project Settings Preferences

25

Naming Preferences

28

Colours Preferences

34

Interface

36

Camera and Stage Preferences

42

Tools Preferences

46

Import/Export Preferences

48

Playback Preferences

51

Advanced Preferences

55

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Storyboard Pro 24 Preferences Guide

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

Parameter

Description

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

Show Rename Dialog
Automatically

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

21

Preferences Dialog Reference

Parameter

Warn when Deleting Audio
TracksDescription

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

In Storyboard Pro, some keyboard shortcuts, menus or toolbar buttons
are intended for specific views in your workspace. To use keyboard
shortcuts or other functionalities on a specific view, this view must be
focused on. For example, the Centre on Selection shortcut will find theselected element in the Timeline or Camera view, depending on which
one is focused on. Storyboard Pro draws a red rectangle around thecurrently focused on view.

Focus on Mouse Enter

By default, to set the focus on a view, you must click on its tab or on
anything inside the view itself. The Focus on Mouse Enter preference will
make Harmony automatically focus on the view the mouse cursor is over,making it switch the focus on a view and use keyboard shortcuts on it.

NOTE
Some items in the top menu also have functionalities that are
specific to the focused on view, but moving the mouse cursor to the
top menu might leave the wrong view focused on. To circumvent
this problem, it might be necessary to become familiar withkeyboard shortcuts, contextual (right-click) menus and the view
menus available via the menu

button at the top-left corner ofsome views.

Preserve project length when
adding transitions

By default, when adding a transition, the length of scenes is not adjusted.
Since the transition causes the next scene to start playing before thecurrent scene finishes playing, this results in the project becoming shorterby the length of the transition.
With this option enabled, when 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.

Levels of Undo (Requires
relaunch)

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

Automatically Create New
Sequence

By default, new storyboard projects are created without sequences.
Select this option so new projects are automatically created with asequence.

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Storyboard Pro 24 Preferences Guide

Parameter

Description

When any change is made to the workspace, such as adding, moving or
removing a view or a toolbar, the change is automatically saved to thecurrent workspace.
Automatically Save
Workspace

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

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

Terminology Style

Live Action

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

Animation

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

ScenesBreak Scene when
performing "Split Current

By default this option is disabled, this means that when using theStoryboard > Split Current Scene command, the current scene will be

23Preferences Dialog Reference

Parameter

Description

Scene" command

split in two before the selected panel. When enabled, the scene will be
broken in three, isolating the selected panel in the middle. If you selectmultiple panels and use the Split Current Scene command, each selected
panel will break into a separate scene.

Track Scene Names in a Log
File

Tracks scene/shot names in a log file.

Enable Global Layer
Navigation

Maintains the layer selection while navigating between panels.

Enable Brush Preset Layer
Selection Lock

Keeps layer selection to layer specified in selected brush preset.

LayersOptimize Project
The resolution at which textures will be reduced when using the Reduce
Maximum Texture Resolution

Remove Unused Elements on
Close

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

Remove unused elements in a project when closing it.

3D Features

Enable 3D Functionalities(Requires Relaunch)

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

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Storyboard Pro 24 Preferences Guide

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

Parameter

Description

GeneralDefault Panel andClip Length

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

Disable Project Name
Length Limitation

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

Save New Project inSingle File Format(packed file)

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

25

Preferences Dialog Reference

Parameter

Default Field Chart

Description

Sets the field standard for the project.
None: Sets the default alignment used when creating a layer.

Default Layer
Alignment

Faces Camera: The layer is oriented to face the camera, so it rotates around its
pivot point to always face the camera, but does not move with the camera. Use
this option when you plan to position a 2D layer in 3D space, where that layer
belongs in the scene.
Pinned to Camera: The layer is oriented to the camera's perspective. The layer
always moves with the camera. The advantage of using this option is you cansimply draw on top of everything in the scene.
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—see Project Properties Dialog Box.

CameraCamera by Panel
Compatibility Mode
(Requires Relaunch)

When selected, a keyframe will be automatically created at the beginning andend of each newly created panel. This will allow you to create panels with camera
motions seamlessly.
Note that for this option to take effect, Storyboard Pro will need to be restarted.

Allow Advanced
Camera Operations

Only appears if Camera by Panel Compatibility Mode is checked.

Pixel Density

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

LayersDefault Canvas Size and Pixel Density for Bitmap Layers

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Storyboard Pro 24 Preferences Guide

Parameter

Description

Width

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

Height

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

Pixel Density

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

3D Models

Scale Factor

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

27

Preferences Dialog Reference

Naming Preferences

Parameter

Description

Scene Name
Automatically Add Leading
Zeros

Automatically adds a zero before the scene or sequence name.

Increment Name By

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

Incremental Naming on Copy

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

Minimum Number ofCharacters

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

Resolution Suffix

Lets you set the suffix pattern to use when a suffix is added to a new scene when
the name is already in use.
You can choose the punctuation mark preceding the suffix from the first drop-28

Storyboard Pro 24 Preferences Guide

Parameter

Description

down menu:•

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

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

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

You can choose which type of suffix to use:•

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

•

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

•

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

•

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

Sequence Name

Automatically Add Leading
Zeros

When creating a panel, this ensures that the panel's name uses a minimum
amount of digits, set by the Minimum Number of Characters preference. If thepanel's number doesn't require enough digits, zeroes will be added before its
name to make sure it uses the right amount of digits. For example, by default, thepanels in a scene with three panels would be named 1, 2 and 3. If you enable thispreference and set the Minimum Number of Characters to 3, those panels would
be named 001, 002 and 003. However, panel #10 would be named 010, andpanel #100 would be named 100.

Minimum Number ofCharacters

If the Automatically Add Leading Zeros preference is enabled, this preference isused to set the amount of digits to use when naming panels.
By default, panel names are incremented by 1. You can enable this option toincrement panel names by a specific amount. For example, if you set this option to10, panels in a given scene will be named 10, 20, 30, etc.

Increment name by

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

29

Preferences Dialog Reference

Parameter

Description

between panel 10 and panel 20, this panel will be named 15. If you create
another panel between panel 10 and 20, this panel will be named 12.
Lets you set the suffix pattern to use when a suffix is added to a new scene when
the name is already in use.
You can choose the punctuation mark preceding the suffix from the first dropdown menu:

Resolution Suffix•

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

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

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

You can choose which type of suffix to use:•

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

•

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

•

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

•

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

Incremental Naming on Copy

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

Reset Scene Name On New
Sequence

When checked, the scene name will reset to 1 when a new sequence is created. If
unchecked, the scene name will continue increment by 1.

Panel

Automatically Add Leading
Zeros

When creating a panel, this ensures that the panel's name uses a minimum
amount of digits, set by the Minimum Number of Characters preference. If thepanel's number doesn't require enough digits, zeroes will be added before its
name to make sure it uses the right amount of digits.
For example, by default, the panels in a scene with three panels would be named30

Storyboard Pro 24 Preferences Guide

Parameter

Description

1, 2 and 3. If you enable this preference and set the Minimum Number ofCharacters to 3, those panels would be named 001, 002 and 003. However,panel #10 would be named 010, and panel #100 would be named 100.
Minimum Number ofCharacters

If the Automatically Add Leading Zeros preference is enabled, this preference isused to set the amount of digits to use when naming panels.
By default, panel names are incremented by 1. You can enable this option toincrement panel names by a specific amount. For example, if you set this option to10, panels in a given scene will be named 10, 20, 30, etc.

Increment name by

The purpose of this option is to preserve panel numbers when inserting a panel
between two existing panels. When this option is disabled, if you create a panel
between two existing panels, the new panel will be named based on the numberof the previous panel + 1, and subsequent panels will be renamed to keep their
numbers in sequence. However, when this option is enabled, panels inserted
between two existing panels will be named using the number that is the averageof the previous and next panels, rounded down. For example, if you create a panel
between panel 10 and panel 20, this panel will be named 15. If you create
another panel between panel 10 and 20, this panel will be named 12.
By default, panel names are named using numbers. This preference allows you toselect a different naming rule, most of which use letters instead:llPanel Auto-increment Rulel

1, 2, 3... : Uses decimal numbers composed of Arabic numerals to namepanels.
A ... Z, AA ... ZZ, AAA ... ZZZ, AAAA ... : This is a positional letter-based
notation, which means it works similarly to decimal numbers, except it
uses letters instead of Arabic numerals, making the panel numbers usebase 26 instead of base 10. For example, panels 1 through 26 are named
using single letters from A to Z, after that comes AA, then AB, and so on
until AZ, and after that comes BA, BB, etc.
A ... Z, ZA ... ZZ, ZAA ... ZZZ, ZAAA ... : This notation uses two different
logics: After the first time the panel names cycle through the wholealphabet, a single Z is added at the beginning of the panel names, andsubsequent panels are named ZA to ZZ. Every letter after that first Z makeup a 26-based number in positional notation, just like the previous option.
Therefore, panels 1 through 26 are named using single letters from A to Z,
then after that comes ZA, ZB, and so on until ZZ, and after that comes
ZAA, ZAB, and so on until ZAZ, and after that comes ZBA, ZBB, etc.
In summary, the first Z is essentially an exceptional notation that means
26, while the other letters constitute a number in base 26 positional
notation.

31Preferences Dialog Reference

Parameter

Descriptionl

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

l

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

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

Resolution Suffix•

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

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

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

You can choose which type of suffix to use:•

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

•

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.

32

Storyboard Pro 24 Preferences Guide

Parameter

Description•

Display Total Numbers ofPanels in Panel Name

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

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

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Preferences Dialog Reference

Colours Preferences
You can select the colours for a lot of coloured elements in the user interface of Storyboard Pro.
NOTE
Some changes to colour preferences may not appear until Storyboard Pro is restarted or until theaffected view is closed and reopened.
Click a colour swatch to open the Select Colour dialog box from which you can set a new colour.

Parameter

Description

Timeline View Colours

The colours for elements in the Timeline.

Panel and Scene Colours

The colours used for elements of Panels and Scenes.

Layer Colours

The colours used for elements in the Layer panel.

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Storyboard Pro 24 Preferences Guide

Parameter

Description

Camera View and Stage
View Colours

The colours used for elements in the Camera and Stage View.

3D Bones

The colours and opacity level used for Bones in 3D elements.

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Preferences Dialog Reference

InterfaceParameter

Description

Time Display Units
Allows you to select the way the time is displayed in the ruler at the top of theTimeline view:
Time Display UnitslTimecode: Displays the time in the HH:MM:SS:FF format, where HH means
hours, MM means minutes, SS means seconds and FF means frames.

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Storyboard Pro 24 Preferences Guide

Parameter

Descriptionll

Frames: Displays the time in frames only.
Feet + Frames: Displays the time in feet and frames. A foot corresponds toone vertical foot of animation exposure sheet, which amounts to 16 frames.

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

l

l

l

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

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

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

Thumbnail View
Keep Current Panel
Centered

Keeps the current panel centered in the Thumbnail view.

37Preferences Dialog Reference

Parameter

Description

Forbid drawing on
panel thumbnails

By default, this preference is enabled, preventing you from drawings on the panelsin the Thumbnails view. Turn off this option if you want to use all the Drawing tools
directly in the Thumbnails view.

Display Next andPrevious Buttons

Displays the Previous and Next buttons in the Thumbnail view.

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

Flat Tools Toolbar

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

In Storyboard Pro, some keyboard shortcuts, menus or toolbar buttons are intended
for specific views in your workspace. To use keyboard shortcuts or otherfunctionalities on a specific view, this view must be focused on. For example, theCentre on Selection shortcut will find the selected element in the Timeline or
Camera view, depending on which one is focused on. Storyboard Pro draws a redrectangle around the currently focused on view.

Focus on MouseEnter

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

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

button at the top-left cornerof some views.

Compact
Information Style

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

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Parameter

Dark-themed
Interface (Requires
relaunch)

Description

Application loads a dark skin for the User Interface.

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

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

Support Gesturesl

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

l

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

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Preferences Dialog Reference

Parameter

Descriptionl

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

Invert Scroll
Direction

When 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 slower response topans. On Windows, higher numbers favour scale/rotates over pans.

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

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

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Storyboard Pro 24 Preferences Guide

Parameter

Description

Tablet Support
Use Qt Wintab
Tablet Support(Requires relaunch)

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

CameraCamera Scale displayed as
Focal Length

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

41Preferences Dialog Reference

Camera and Stage Preferences

Parameter

Description

Options
Show Status Bar

Display status bar in Camera view.

Show Zoom Slider

Display zoom slider in status bar.

Camera Frame Line
Thickness

Specifies the thickness of the camera frame in the camera view.

Onion Skin and Light Table

Onion Skin Render
Style

Select the render style used for drawings displayed in the onion skins. The
options are as follows:
Original Colours: Drawings displayed in the Onion Skin are rendered using their

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Storyboard Pro 24 Preferences Guide

Parameter

Description

real colours.
Coloured: Drawings displayed in the Onion Skin are displayed in solid red if they
are before the current frame, or in solid green if they are after the current frame.
Coloured Outline: Drawings displayed in the Onion Skin are displayed in red
outline if they are before the current frame and in green outline if they are after
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 will be more transparent. This option is disabled when the
Coloured Outline Onion Skin Render Style is selected.

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

Light Table Opacity (%)

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

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.

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

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

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Preferences Dialog Reference

Parameter

Description

Lets you determine at which level the current position of the Stage view (zoom,
pan and rotation) is remembered when you are flipping through panels.
Point of Viewl

Project: One global point of view for the entire project.

l

Scene: One point of view per scene.

lPanel: One point of view per panel.

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

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

Grids
Proportion Grid
Horizontal Divisions

Sets the number of horizontal divisions for the proportion grid.

Proportion Grid
Vertical Divisions

Sets the number of vertical divisions for the proportion grid.

World Grid Size

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

Safe Areas

Action Safe Area (%)

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

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Storyboard Pro 24 Preferences Guide

Parameter

Description

Action Safe Area
Mask Colour andOpacity (%)

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

Title Safe Area (%)

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

Title Safe Area Mask
Colour and Opacity(%)

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

45Preferences Dialog Reference

Tools Preferences

Parameter

Description

GeneralUse Rotation Lever
with Transformation
Tools

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

Drawing

Select Tool Bounding
Box is Movable

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

Synchronize Eraser
and Brush

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

Warn When
Flattening Drawings

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

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Storyboard Pro 24 Preferences Guide

Parameter

Brush Size Cursor

Description

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

Transform
Transform Tool Uses
Drawing Pivot

Places the Layer Transformation tool’s pivot at the centre of the selected layer’s
frame. When deselected, the Last Frame Transformation and First Frame(Requires Relaunch)

Transformation tools’ pivot is at the centre of the selected layer’s bounding box.

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Preferences Dialog Reference

Import/Export Preferences

Parameter

Description

Import Images

Auto Premultiply
Import Images by
Alpha Channel

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

Ask Before Creating
Panels When Using
Automatic Insertion

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

Ask Before Removing
Existing Layer when
Using Automatic
Insertion

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

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Parameter

Display Vectorize
Option Dialog

Description

Opens the Vectorize Options dialog box when importing bitmap images.

Import SoundUse Default Sound
Import Settings and
Do Not Show Dialog

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

Burn-In

Font

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

Position

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

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

Draw Box Behind

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

Height (%)

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

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

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Preferences Dialog Reference

Parameter

Description

Background Colour

Click the colour swatch and choose a colour from the Select Colour dialog box
that opens. This is the colour of the box that appears behind the timecode when
the Draw Box Behind Time Code option is selected.

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

Export to Bitmap
Limit Size Allowed
for Bitmap Export

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

Maximum Width

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

Maximum Height

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

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Playback Preferences

Parameter

Description

Audio

Audio Output Device

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

Cached Playback
You can select the following options from the drop-down menu:lPlayback Mode
(Requires Relaunch)llDisabled: Default state. Keeps the Playback view hidden in the Windows
menu and the Auto Update Playback Cache button unavailable in the
Playback toolbar.
Playback view: Makes the Playback view available in the software. You
must close and relaunch the software as an additional step. The Playbackview is then accessible from the Windows menu. Use the Playback viewto play high quality playbacks of your animatics.
[Blackmagic Design playback device]:If you have one of these devices

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Preferences Dialog Reference

Parameter

Description

connected to or installed in your computer, this option appears and can beselected from the drop-down menu. Selecting it allows you to preview
real time playbacks of your Storyboard Pro projects on a separate
reference monitor through the Black Magic Design playback device.

External Monitor
Frequency

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

Overlays - Captions
Display Text
Captions

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

Caption Field

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

Position

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

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

Font
l

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

Text Colour

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

Background Colour

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

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Parameter

Project Timecode

Secondary Timecode

Description

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

Secondary Timecode
Units

l

l

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

Sets the period for the Secondary Timecode:
l

Mode

l

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

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 always displayed at the bottom centreof the Playback view.
Allows you to enter which Project Info to display:

Display PatternlAct: %alSequence: %ql

Scene: %slPanel: %p

These simple codes will automatically generate the current number of the given
storyboard unit.
Type in additional informational text, as well as information separators, for clarity.

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Preferences Dialog Reference

Parameter

Description

For example %p displays the current panel number, but without the word "Panel"in front the number lacks meaning.
Use hyphens, dashes, spaces, commas, semicolons or any other punctuations orsymbols needed to separate or make the units and numbers more clear.
You can use any nomenclature you choose. For example, %a does not have to be
an Act. You could type in Part or Episode instead.
Cached FilesPath

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

Clear All

Clears all local cached files from the selected location.

Clear Current Project

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

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Advanced Preferences

Parameter

Description

Auto-saveAuto-save (minutes)

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

Disable Auto-save when in
Pitch Mode workspace

If checked, the project will not auto-save when working in the Pitch Modeworkspace.

Drawing

Delay Before
Updating Thumbnails

When you modify a drawing, the thumbnail displayed in the Thumbnails andTimeline views are updated. By default, the update process is delayed so it does55

Preferences Dialog Reference

Parameter(ms)

Description

not slow down the application while you draw. The lower the number ofmilliseconds, the faster the updates and vice versa.

Keyframes and Control Points

Default Tension

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.

Default Continuity

The default value set to control the smoothness of a transition between thesegments joined by a point. A Contuinity of -1 sharpens the transition on bothsides of the keyframe. A Contuinity of +1 rounds the transition creating two
gentle curves on both sides of the keyframe.

Default Bias

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

OpenGL

Realistic Preview
While Drawing

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

Enable Mipmapping
on Bitmap Layers

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

Smooth Textures on
Vector Layers

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

Premultiply alpha inBitmap Layers

Premultiplies alpha to colour channels for bitmap layers. This solves interpolation
issues for semi-transparent edges.

Full Scene Antialiasing

Enable (Requires
Relaunch)

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

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Parameter

Number of Samples(Requires Relaunch)

Antialias 3D Models
in OpenGL Views

Description

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

If checked, antialiasing will be enabled for 2d-3d interactions.

Playback Optimization and Cache
Use Optimized
Drawing

Will use the optimized drawings during playback.

Asynchronous
Drawing Loading

Allows drawings to be loaded in the background while playing back a panel. Thisway, playback is continuous. You can specify the number of concurrent drawings
loaded at the same time. This should be set according to a machine’s number ofcores.

Preload Drawings

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

Number of Threads(Requires Relaunch)

Lets you specify the number of parallel processes during the soft-render process.
A value of 1 disables the multi-threading process because it specifies that only
one rendering thread will be used during the process. The maximum number of
threads is 64. The recommended starting value is 2 threads per CPU core,
meaning that if you are using a 2 Quad Core CPU, the preferences should initiallybe set to 16 threads.

Number of Frames toPreload

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

Number of Panels to
Preload

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

Rendering

Render effects using

When applying a blur effect on a bitmap layer, by default, Storyboard Pro uses

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Preferences Dialog Reference

Parameter

GPU (OpenCL)

Description

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

58