VIDEO

Storyboarding Explained.

Long before a film hits the screen, a storyboard artist brings the script to life, shot by shot. Explore the creative process behind storyboarding, the camera shots that make it work, and how to break into this pre-production role.

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Loose sketch illustration of a figure reclining on a sofa with a black cat perched on the armrest

What's a storyboard?

So, what is a storyboard? It's a series of drawings that visually tells the story of a screenplay or script. Storyboards vary in style, from detailed drawings to simple stick figures, but the one constant is that they need to deliver a clear visual plan that a production team can actually execute. "Some storyboards are super crude," Archer and Black Lightning storyboard artist Kevin Mellon says. "But as long as it's a storyboard that conveys information and emotion, it doesn't matter."
Inked comic storyboard panels of animal characters on a desk, alongside a pencil and bottle of ink

A good storyboard brings the storyline to life.

As visual representations of a script, storyboards help translate a story from script to screen. They're an important part of the pre-visualisation process for everything from Disney cartoons to live-action motion pictures. "Storyboards are a guide that allows the director to explain what's in their head to a hundred other people on set," Mellon explains.

But an artist who draws storyboards isn't simply executing a mandate. They need to be a storyteller first and foremost, coming up with creative ways to break down scenes shot by shot in compelling ways while working in all the relevant details. "Always do the dynamic or interesting thing in storyboards first," Mellon says. "Then we start Jenga with what's possible, pulling out shots that are too hard to get." Suggested special effects that go beyond the video production budget can be cut later. At the storyboarding stage, artists can explore creative options before practical production constraints are applied. Keep in mind that this process can vary by medium: animation storyboards, for instance, often begin as simple visual outlines that are fleshed out later by a writer and an artist working together.
Rough sketch and inked storyboard panel side by side, showing a figure reading on a sofa with a cat perched nearby

The storyboarding process: putting camera shots together.

"When it comes to storyboarding, you're not just telling the story," explains Archer art director Neal Holman. You're starting to envision what types of shots might be used at different moments to establish tone and character. A storyboard artist uses different camera angles and shot types to add action, drama and emotion to a scene, and a director will build their shot list from what's established in the storyboards. An establishing shot can set the scene, an extreme close-up can add emotional focus, and the framing of different characters can help underscore their relationships — these are all creative choices the storyboard artist makes first.

Learning how to storyboard starts with studying how professionals put shots together. Research and film theory will help you understand which shot types work well in which sequences, so it's worth starting simply with just a handful of shot types before building up a wider vocabulary.

Honing your skill with three types of shots.

Basic storyboarding can be distilled down to three types of shots: a single that focuses on one person, an over-the-shoulder shot that looks past one character to another, and a two-shot of both characters interacting. "You can bounce back and forth between them — those shots aren't hard," Mellon says. "Where the storytelling comes in is how you order those shots and when you zoom in or out to push emotion in those moments. How do you take the basic language of those three shots and put your own spin on it?"

Your first storyboard will be a learning experience in what works and what doesn't, and practice can help you understand what works and develop your approach to storyboarding. Once you've got a handle on the basics, try grabbing a screenplay for something you haven't seen and storyboarding a scene yourself. "After you get through a scene, play with it and watch how the pros did it — it's an interesting contrast," Holman suggests. "You can teach yourself a lot about how the pros work and how they think."

Advertising storyboards.

These storyboard examples aren't limited to film and TV. Award-winning animator and filmmaker Chris Dooley's storyboards for his live-action and animated work are a good example of how the same principles apply just as well to advertising and branded content.
Screenshot of a digital illustration tool showing a storyboard panel on the canvas with layers and a colour palette

Breaking into a storyboarding career.

Whether your goal is to become an animator, work on live-action feature films, or plot storyboards for opening credits, music videos or video marketing, building a strong portfolio can help demonstrate your storyboarding skills to potential employers and clients. "I hear it time and time again: I really want to do storyboards. Can I see some of your storyboards? I've never done them," Holman says. "If you want to do boards, start doing boards."

Once you've studied the type of work you want to do and started creating your own, add it to your portfolio, then look at the film credits for the types of projects you want to work on and try to make connections to get your work in front of those people. "If you can show a range — you can do an action show and a Bob's Burgers — I'm going to be even more impressed with you," Holman says. "People who come from drawing comic books can be great because they're so used to drawing good anatomy and focusing on composition in the frame."

"If you want to do boards, start doing boards."

Landing a storyboarding job can take time, but with script resources to work from, you can keep improving your work and building your portfolio as you search and network. See what other storyboard artists are doing on Behance to pick up tips on drawing storyboards and what to include in your own portfolio. AI tools can also offer another way to develop and explore storyboard ideas.
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Bring Storyboarding to Life with AI.

Adobe Firefly's generative AI tools give storyboard artists another way to move from script to visual sequence, without having to begin by drawing every panel manually.

Generate a storyboard from a script or prompt.

The Firefly AI storyboard generator can turn text prompts, scripts or reference images into storyboard panels that you can refine further. — without requiring you to draw the initial panels by hand, and no need to start from a blank page.

AI-generated image of three astronauts walking across a red Martian landscape, created with Adobe Firefly's AI storyboard generator from a text prompt
AI-generated image of a glowing igloo under a starry Milky Way sky in a surreal snowy landscape, created with Adobe Firefly's AI storyboard generator

Turn your script into scene visuals.

Use Firefly's Text to Image to generate a visual from a scene description or line of script, so you can see how a shot looks before committing it to the board.

Develop a consistent visual direction.

Build out a Firefly mood board alongside your storyboard to lock in character design, lighting and tone before you start drawing panels, to help establish a shared visual direction across your scenes.

Mood board of AI-generated desert dune scenes at sunset featuring a robed figure, created with Adobe Firefly
AI-generated image of a quad bike kicking up sand on a desert dune, shown with a Firefly comment suggesting darker lighting

Bring it into your existing workflow.

Once your storyboard is ready, export it and carry on refining and building out your production in Photoshop, Illustrator or Premiere, just as you would with a traditionally drawn board.

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Get started with Storyboarding.

  1. Open the Firefly web app. Head to firefly.adobe.com and sign in with your Adobe ID (or create one for free) to access the AI painting generator.
  2. Start with your input. Describe your scene in a text prompt, paste in a line from your script, or upload a reference image to guide the composition.
  3. Choose your style and settings. Pick a visual style and panel layout, then adjust framing, lighting and composition options to match your production's tone.
  4. Generate and refine. Generate your first version, then adjust the prompt or regenerate individual panels to get closer to what you had in mind.
  5. Export and bring it into your workflow. Export the result and bring it into your pre-production deck, or into Adobe Premiere, Photoshop or Illustrator to keep refining it.
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Questions? We have answers.

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Contributors

Kevin Mellon,

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