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 print or share electronically. This is where you can set up your visuals to represent a classic storyboard on paper, or any other format you desire.

Exporting a Movie

Once you have created your storyboard and animatic, you can export it as a movie file to share it with project collaborators or import it in third party software. You can export a single file for your whole animatic, or one movie file for each scene or each sequence.

You can export movies in the following formats: 

  • QuickTime Movie (.mov)
  • Windows Media Video (.wmv) (Windows only)
  • Flash Movie (.swf)
  • Image sequence in Jpeg (.jpg), Portable Network Graphics (.png) or Targa (.tga) format.

Exporting to Toon Boom

Using Storyboard Pro, you can export your animatic as Harmony scene files. You can export the entire storyboard project or a selection of scenes. When the export is ready, you can open it in the destination software. When you first save this new scene, the exported file will be converted in the proper format depending on the software you used.The following elements of your storyboard will be exported: layers, layer motion and camera moves.

NOTE: Transitions in your project are not exported to Harmony.
  1. 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 a folder for your exported project since Storyboard Pro will generate several files during the export.
  1. In the Export Type section, select the Toon Boom animation software in which you want to export.
NOTE: To determine if your export will be created for Harmony Server or Harmony Stand Alone, in the Format menu, select the Offline option for a stand alone export or To Database for a server format. Depending on the Harmony version you have, select either 7.8 or 9.2 or higher.
  1. Select one of the following export types, depending on what you prefer to work with, then select the desired settings for that export type.
    • Rendered Animatic: storyboard to be rendered in bitmap images and exports to Animate/Animate Pro/Harmony scene. For each scene in your storyboard, an Animate/Animate Pro/Harmony scene will be created. Use this option if you have 3D content and want to export to Animate, Animate Pro, or Harmony 9.2 and earlier. And also to export to Harmony if you have bitmap drawing layers.
      • All Frames: Renders the full storyboard project.
      • One Frame Each: Renders only one frame for every chosen number of frames you specify. For example, if you choose to render every 5 frames, then a new image will appear every fifth frame, with each image being held for 5 frames to maintain the timing.
      • Resolution: Allows you to select the resolution of rendered frames relative to the project resolution between the following options: Full Size, Half Size or Quarter Size.
      • Generate One Scene: Allows you to select how to separate the project into Harmony scenes:
        • Per Scene: Generates one scene for each scene in your project.
        • Per Sequence: Generates one scene for each sequence in your project.
        • Per Act: Generates one scene for each act in your project.
      • Animatic on Top: If you generate scenes based on sequences or acts, this option becomes available. When enabled, the animatic is rendered and placed as the top layer and column in Harmony or Animate.
    • Select Original Scene to export your storyboard in a project where the vector drawings, layers and camera settings are kept as is. For each shot or scene in your storyboard, a Harmony/Animate scene is created.
    • Nest Panels in Symbols: Upon export to Harmony or Animate, the panel's content will be nested inside symbols. Instead of having several layers in your root timeline, you will have a single one. You will need to enter the symbol to edit its content.
    • Add a Camera Reference Layer: Adds a layer containing the different camera frames on top of the other layers to use as a reference in Harmony and Animate.
    • Apply Transformation on Drawings: Applies transformation on the first and last position of each panel. The in-between animation will be lost.
  • Select Original Scene to export your storyboard in a project where the vector drawings, layers and camera settings are kept as is. For each shot or scene in your storyboard, a Harmony/Animate scene is created.
  • Nest Panels in Symbols: Upon export to Harmony or Animate, the panel's content will be nested inside symbols. Instead of having several layers in your root timeline, you will have a single one. You will need to enter the symbol to edit its content.
  • Add a Camera Reference Layer: Adds a layer containing the different camera frames on top of the other layers to use as a reference in Harmony and Animate.
  • Apply Transformation on Drawings: Applies transformation on the first and last position of each panel. The in-between animation will be lost.
  1. If you selected Rendered Animatic as the Export Style, you can now select the additional information you want to overlay on the exported images. This information is added to each image and is specific to the panel. You have the following choices:
    • Export Range: Decide if you want to export the entire project (All), Selected Scenes, Current Scene, or the Current Act.
    • Sounds: Using the drop-down menu, choose how the soundtrack will be exported:
      • Keep Original Files: Keeps and uses all original sound files.
      • Process Soundtrack Individually: Creates one audio file per soundtrack.
      • Merge All Soundtracks: Creates a single audio file, gathering sounds from every soundtrack of your storyboard.
    • Burn-In:
      • Print Time Code: Prints the global timecode on each rendered image.
      • Print Scene Names and Panel Numbers: Prints the scene names and panel numbers for the current frame.
      • Print Additional Duration: Prints an additional duration on your video, defined by the Units and Repeat menu.
    • Camera Grids: Adds boundaries to the images that indicate what the camera includes or excludes.
      • Project Safety: Prints the safe area on your video.
      • 4:3 Safety: Prints the 4:3 safe area on each panel of your storyboard that has a camera movement.
      • 4:3 References: Prints the 4:3 area on each panel of your storyboard that has a camera movement.
  1. Select the Open document/folder after export option to view the file when it is ready.

Exporting to FBX

You can export your project's scenes, sequences or the entire project into animated Filmbox (.fbx) files. This can be useful if your project has 3D elements. The exported Filmbox (.fbx) file will contain all the 2D and 3D elements in your animatic as well as their animation. You can them import it in a third-party software and use it as a template to create the 3D animations for your production.