When it comes to importing images as video clips, you can import images of any type supported by Storyboard Pro into your video tracks. However, if you want to import video files, some considerations must be taken in regards to the format of the video.
One of the first things to consider when preparing a video clip for your project is that if you import video files with an audio track, that audio track will be ignored. Only the file's video stream will be added to your project. Hence, if you want to include your video's audio track into your project, you will need to export that video's audio track into a sound file, in Waveform (.wav) format or Audio Interchange File Format (.aiff), and import it as a sound clip into one of your project's audio tracks.
The other possible limitation to consider is that Storyboard Pro will decode video using the codecs available for your machine's operating system. By default, the following formats are supported:
| Operating System | Supported Containers | Supported Codecs |
|---|---|---|
| Windows |
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| macOS |
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- The containers and codecs in bold are supported on both operating systems.
- You may also be able to import video clips in other formats if you have additional codecs installed on your workstation.
This means that a video file that is imported into your project via one machine may be playable on that machine, but may not be playable if you open the same project on a different machine, should that video file require a codec that is only available on some machines. To avoid this, it is recommended to create your video clips as QuickTime Movie (.mov) or MPEG-4 (.mp4, .m4v) video files in H.264 format, since these containers and this codec are natively supported by both Windows and macOS.
In summary, when you create a video clip for a Storyboard Pro project, you can refer to this checklist to make sure it is compatible with your project and that it will be playable on the machine of other project collaborators:
- Export in QuickTime Movie (.mov) or MPEG-4 video (.mp4, .m4v) format.
- Export using the H.264 video codec.
- Exporting the soundtrack in the movie file is not necessary. To have the movie's soundtrack in your project, you must export it as an .aiff or .wav sound file, so that you can import it in an audio track in your project.