Top 10 Storyboard Softwares for Filmmakers in 2024
Storyboarding is a fundamental step in the filmmaking process, allowing filmmakers to visualize scenes, plan shots, and communicate their vision effectively to their team.
In this article, we'll explore the top 10 storyboard software options for filmmakers in 2024, focusing on their key features, benefits, and how they can revolutionize the storyboard creation process.
These storyboard softwares have AI image creation, full production tools, and ways for teams to work together. They're for everyone – from indie filmmakers on small budgets to big teams on major projects.
1. Boords
Boords stands out as the top storyboard software for filmmakers for its innovative AI storyboard generator. This feature simplifies the conversion of scripts into dynamic, AI-generated visuals, significantly streamlining the storyboard creation process. For filmmakers, this efficiency is invaluable, as it not only saves time but also reduces the reliance on advanced drawing skills. It enables a more effective translation of their creative vision into a visual format, enhancing the storytelling process.
Beyond storyboard creation, it includes features like automatic animatics conversion, complete with subtitles and sound, allowing for a more comprehensive visualization of the final product. This seamless integration of various stages of the storyboard process makes Boords an all-encompassing tool for filmmakers.
It’s also designed for collaboration and ease of use. Its interface is intuitive, making it accessible for both seasoned professionals and newcomers. The tool offers version control and project management features, facilitating smooth teamwork and project development.
Boords is more than a storyboard software. It's a comprehensive solution that addresses the needs of filmmakers at every stage of the creative process. From script to screen, Boords provides the tools necessary for effective storytelling, making it an indispensable asset in the world of film production.
The Shortcut to Effective Storyboards.
Boords is an easy-to-use storyboarding tool to plan creative projects.
Try Boords for free2. Studiobinder
Studiobinder stands out with its all-in-one production tools. It's not just for storyboarding, but also for call sheets, script breakdowns, and production calendars. This is a big deal for filmmakers. It's like a Swiss Army knife for film production, making everything more streamlined and efficient.
For filmmakers, this means a unified, streamlined platform that simplifies the complex film production process. It's like having a personal assistant that never sleeps, constantly organizing and coordinating every aspect of your project. This results in enhanced efficiency, saved time, and a smoother creative journey, allowing filmmakers to focus more on their art and less on logistics. In essence, Studiobinder is not just a tool, but a dedicated partner in the filmmaking process.
3. Krock.io
Krock.io is a storyboard software with a fixed pricing model, devoid of per-user fees. This model, a boon to filmmakers, particularly those in medium to large teams, brings predictability to budgeting, a key concern in the cost-sensitive world of film production.
More than just cost-effective, Krock.io's structure allows unlimited user access, projects, workspaces, and AI tokens, addressing the expansive collaboration and data management needs inherent in large-scale filmmaking, thus making it a compelling choice for filmmakers.
4. Storyboard Pro 22
Storyboard Pro offers a comprehensive solution for filmmakers, combining multiple tools into one efficient platform. This all-in-one storyboard solution integrates drawing, scripting, camera controls, animatic creation, and sound editing, streamlining the filmmaking process. By centralizing these functions, the software saves time and resources, allowing filmmakers to concentrate on creative storytelling. The integration of various elements into a single software eliminates the need for multiple programs, enhancing workflow efficiency.
Storyboard Pro's compatibility with Harmony adds to its appeal, ensuring seamless project transitions. Its extensive feature set, including scripting integration, advanced drawing tools, a built-in camera and multiplane system, timeline editing for animatics, sound editing capabilities, and 3D integration, addresses all aspects of storyboard creation.
This versatility makes Storyboard Pro an invaluable asset for filmmakers, whether they're working on 2D, 3D, live-action, gaming, or hybrid productions. Its global use by leading studios and recognition through industry awards underlines its status as a top choice for professionals in animation and filmmaking.
5. Wonder Unit
Wonder Unit's Storyboarder is a storyboard software that offers a cost-effective solution for filmmakers, particularly those working independently or in small teams. As a free and open-source platform, it removes financial obstacles, allowing these filmmakers to create storyboards without any monetary concerns.
This democratizes the process of storyboard creation, enabling a wider range of filmmakers to effectively visualize their ideas, regardless of their budget constraints. As a result, Storyboarder not only serves as a practical tool but also acts as a catalyst for promoting creativity and inclusivity within the film industry. By eliminating financial barriers, it potentially paves the way for a more diverse range of stories to be told.
6. Storyboard That
Storyboard That’s intuitive drag-and-drop functionality coupled with a vast library of scenes, characters, and shapes, allows users to swiftly construct visual mockups of scenes. This feature is akin to moving pieces on a game board, making it easy for users to assemble a collage of ideas and communicate shot composition and actions effectively.
The software serves as a visual thinking space, transforming abstract ideas into tangible visual narratives, and aiding in the planning of shots, sequences, and scenes. This streamlines the production process, making Storyboard That more than just software.
In educational contexts, Storyboard That enhances teaching experiences, aiding vocabulary teaching through visual activities, and facilitating character comparison in stories. It also serves as a valuable tool for organizing students' thoughts through interactive graphic organizers.
Professionals find Storyboard That versatile for various scenarios, including testing products with existing customers or potential focus groups. Despite some critiques about its artistic style, users appreciate its easy-to-use interface and extensive library, which aids in creating graphical customer journey stories and educational comic strips.
7. Plot
Plot’s key feature is the collaborative tool, which allows unlimited collaborators to review, comment, and edit storyboards irrespective of their expertise level.
The collaborative tool in Plot is more than just a sharing platform. It invites users to participate actively in the creative process, transforming storyboard creation from a solitary task to a communal effort. It not only speeds up the decision-making process but also enriches the final product by incorporating diverse viewpoints.
Plot also offers a free 14-day trial, allowing users to experience its features first-hand. It is mobile-ready, enabling users to review and comment on-the-go. It is trusted by several renowned brands, and is designed to create storyboards swiftly without any hassle.
Plot offers different pricing plans, catering to individuals and businesses, with options for unlimited collaborators. It's an ideal choice for freelancers, studios, in-house teams, students, and teachers.
8. Miro
Miro, a versatile online whiteboard, has emerged as an unexpected but effective tool for filmmakers to storyboard their projects. Its core strength lies in its collaborative feature, which transforms Miro into a digital meeting room. In this space, filmmakers can share, discuss, and refine their ideas in real-time, enabling a collective creative process that enhances the final product's quality.
Miro's platform allows for an unlimited number of participants to review, comment, and edit the storyboard, fostering a sense of unity and shared vision among the team. It's akin to an ever-evolving canvas, where each team member contributes to the overall narrative.
While Miro is not primarily a storyboard software, its intuitive storyboard creator and ready-made templates make it a viable choice for filmmakers. Users can create storyboards with diverse content, including images, videos, logos, icons, and embedded URLs. Additionally, Miro's storyboard creator provides a shared workspace for teams to capture, organize ideas, and understand customer needs at every stage of their journey.
9. Celtx
Celtx is an all-encompassing pre-production software, offering a rich set of storyboarding tools and features to its users. It allows the uploading of pre-made images and sketches to storyboard tiles, and provides a drawing tool for creating new images. Its vast library of categorized illustrations, including furniture and figures, facilitates the creation of polished storyboard tiles in a matter of minutes.
The software's standout feature is its navigation function, designed to bridge the gap between script and storyboard. This function enables users to move and reference their script and storyboard simultaneously, ensuring the storyboard frames align with the script's action. This coherence not only enhances storytelling capabilities but also prevents any disruption in the narrative flow.
Each storyboard frame in Celtx provides a structured space for adding essential filming details, such as frame, angle, focal length, camera movement, and equipment. These details are neatly attached to each storyboard tile, providing comprehensive information at a glance.
Celtx offers a 7-day free trial, followed by affordable monthly plans at $22.49. It is a comprehensive, professional-grade software that maintains a beginner-friendly approach.
10. Panelforge
PanelForge is specifically designed to streamline the storyboard creation process. This desktop software integrates an array of features, providing all the necessary tools to produce exceptional work.
The software includes a 2D drawing canvas, enabling users to sketch frames and design action sequences, which can be as simple or as detailed as required. This feature allows for a traditional storyboard aesthetic, presenting drawings as flat sketches.
PanelForge offers a Virtual 3D Stage, a powerful tool for designing characters in environments with a realistic sense of depth perspective. This feature enables users to create intricate storyboards, enhancing the visualization of both the narrative and the action sequences.
It also provides various options for exporting and sharing your work. Users can export their completed storyboards as videos, PDFs, PNGs, Animation caches, Edit XMLs, Project XMLs, and Autodesk files. This flexibility ensures that users have a myriad of ways to share their creations, making PanelForge an ideal solution for both individual artists and collaborative teams.
