About the User Interface

When you start Storyboard Pro for the first time, the default workspace is displayed. It contains all of the main elements you need for creating a storyboard.

Views

The Storyboard Pro user interface is mainly comprised of views, which are sections of the workspace with a specific purpose and a set of functionalities. Each view has a tab over it, and can be docked into the main application window or made to float over it, in its own window.

Stage & Camera Views

The Stage view is the main view in Storyboard Pro. It is used to view and edit the selected panel. You can draw on layers in the panel, manipulate elements in it as well as create and visualize camera movements.

The Camera view is a lot like the Stage view, and it is not necessary to use it if you only intend to work in 2D. However, if you intend to work with 3D models, to position elements at different distances from the camera or rotate layers in 3D, the difference becomes important: When working in 3D, the Stage view allows you to view the stage from any point of view in the 3D space, whereas the Camera view always previews the stage from the point of view of the camera lens, which means it accurately represents what will appear when you export your storyboard.

Layers Panel

The Layers panel displays in a section to the right of both the Stage and Camera views. It allows you to add, delete, duplicate, group, reorder, hide, unhide, lock or unlock layers, to enable or disable animation on layers, to change a layer's opacity and to select which layer to draw on, to manipulate or to animate.

Thumbnails View

The Thumbnails view displays all the panels in your storyboard, in chronological order, from left to right. Using this view, you can navigate through your storyboard, rearrange panels and scenes, and select which panel to display and edit in the Stage or Camera view.

Timeline View

The Timeline view is the view to use instead of the Thumbnails view when you want to make an animatic. An animatic is a video based on your storyboard, in which each panel is timed to appear for roughly the length of the action they represent, and in which the camera movements are animated, to serve as the basis for the timing in your movie. Just like the Thumbnails view, the Timeline view allows you to create and to manage panels and scenes. It also allows you, among other things, to decide how much time each scene and each panel takes in the animatic, to animate camera movements, to animate layers and to add sound clips, images and videos to your animatic.

Panel View

The Panel view displays the basic information about the currently selected panel. It also allows to view and edit captions in the current panel, as well as to add sketches or voice annotations to the panel.

Storyboard View

The Storyboard view displays basic information about your project. It also allows you to write, import, view and edit the script for your storyboard.

Tool Properties View

The Tool Properties view contains the options and operations available for the currently selected tool. When you select a tool in the Tools toolbar, the Tool Properties view updates to display its available options.

Toolbars

The Storyboard Pro interface contains toolbars that quicky give you you access many useful tools. You can add, move and remove toolbars in your workspace.

The most important toolbars in Storyboard Pro are the Tools toolbar, the Storyboard toolbar and the Playback toolbar.

Tools Toolbar

The Tools toolbar contains the main tools you need to work in Storyboard Pro. In the default workspace, this toolbar located on the left edge of the application window.

Storyboard Toolbar

The Storyboard toolbar contains all of the basic commands related to adding and deleting panels, scenes, and transitions, as well as switching between the 2D and 3D workspaces.

In the default workspace, this toolbar is located at the top of the interface.

Playback Toolbar

The Playback toolbar lets you play back your storyboard. When you create an animatic with transitions and sound, you can play it back in real time in the Stage view to check the timing.

In the default workspace, this toolbar is located at the top of the interface.

Top Menu

The top menu contains most of the commands available in Storyboard Pro. Depending on the view you're working in and the selected element, some commands are available and others not. The top menu is always located at the very top of the interface.

Here is a short introduction to the purpose of every menu in the top menu:

Menu Description

Storyboard Pro 20

Allows you to access the About dialog as well as the Preferences dialog. This menu is available on macOS only.

File

Contains items related to creating, saving, exporting and importing your projects.

Edit

Contains commands for cutting, copying and pasting selected panels or layers, for selecting panels or drawings and for grouping or ungrouping layers. On Windows, it is also the location of the Preferences menu.

View

Allows you to pan, zoom or rotate the current view, reset it to its default point of view, to enable or disable certain view modes such as the Onion Skin or the Light Table.

Play

Allows you to play and pause the animatic as well as to navigate the panels and scenes of your storyboard.

Storyboard

Allows you to manage your project's scenes, panels and sequences, to add transitions, markers, snapshots and to track the changes made to the project. It is also where the Project Properties dialog can be accessed.

Layer

Contains a wide set of commands to manage the drawing layers in the current panel, as well as effects you can apply on layers.

Camera

Contains a few commands to help manage the position and animation of the camera in a scene.

Clips Contains commands for editing and previewing video and sound clips.
Caption Allows you to add, remove, search through and set the format for captions.
Tools Allows you to select one of the tools in the Tools toolbar as well as to arrange, transform and convert the shapes and lines that compose your drawings.
Windows

Allows you to switch between workspaces, to manage workspaces, and to access the different views and toolbars available in Storyboard Pro.

Help

Allows you to access documentation, the Toon Boom forums, to opt in or out of the Customer Experience Improvement program and to check for updates. On Windows, it is also where you can access the About dialog.

Navigating the Interface

With the help of menu commands and keyboard shortcuts, some views let you navigate their content by zooming in, zooming out, panning and rotating them. You can also reset the zoom level, pan and rotation angle of these views as needed.

The navigation commands in the table below can be used in the following views, with some exceptions:

  • Stage
  • Camera
  • Timeline
  • Function Editor
  • Side and Top
TIP

Keyboard shortcuts can be customized. You can view, search for and change keyboard shortcuts for Storyboard Pro in the Keyboard Shortcuts dialog. To access the Keyboard shortcuts dialog:

  • Windows: In the top menu, select Edit > Keyboard Shortcuts.
  • macOS: In the top menu, select Storyboard Pro 20 > Keyboard Shortcuts.
Command Action Access Methods

Zoom In

Zooms in the view.

View > Zoom In

Press 2

Roll the mouse wheel up (except in the Timeline view)

Zoom Out

Zooms out the view.

View > Zoom Out

Press 1

Roll the mouse wheel down (except in the Timeline view)

Zoom In or Out

Zooms in or out of the view.

Roll the middle mouse button up or down.

Hold down the Spacebar and the middle mouse button while dragging the mouse up or down.

Pan

Moves the view horizontally or vertically.

Hold down the Spacebar and drag in the direction you want to pan the view.

Reset Pan

Resets the view’s pan to its default position.

View > Reset Pan

Press Shift + N

Reset View

Resets the view to its default position.

View > Reset View

Press Shift + M

The Reset View button at the bottom of the Stage and Camera views.

Reset Rotation

Resets the view’s rotation to its default position.

View > Reset Rotation

Press Shift + X

Reset Zoom

Resets the view’s zoom to its default position.

View > Reset Zoom

Press Shift + Z

Rotate View Rotates the view left or right. While holding Ctrl + Alt (Windows) or ⌘ + Alt (macOS), click and drag the rotating disc to rotate it clockwise or counterclockwise.
3D Rotate View Rotates the view in any direction. This is only available in the Stage view, if the scene is 3D-enabled. While holding Ctrl + Shift (Windows) or Shift + ⌘ (macOS), click and drag the stage to rotate it in any direction.

Rotate 30 CW

Rotates the Camera view 30 degrees clockwise, like an animation table.

View > Rotate View CW

Press V

Rotate 30 CCW

Rotates the Camera view 30 degrees counter-clockwise, like an animation table.

View > Rotate View CCW

Press C

Toggle Full Screen

Toggles between making the main application window full screen and restoring it to its original size.

View > Toggle Full Screen

Ctrl + Alt + Shift + F (Windows) or ⌘ + Alt + Shift + F (macOS)