Toon Boom Releases Storyboard 1.5 and Storyboard Pro 1.5
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The updated applications provide a digital approach to the process of storyboard creation.
A storyboard is essentially a graphical representation of separate stages of a large project. Its origin is credited to Walt Disney Studios, which began using storyboards for its cartoon development process in the 1930s. The use of storyboards is helpful to visualize scenes and resolve potential problems in the early stages of the creation of films, commercials, animations or Web sites, with their use also showing up increasingly as a brainstorming tool in a wide range of business environments.
The move to a digital workflow has increasingly placed the traditional approach of hand-drawing segments and sticking them to a wall outside the framework of current practices. Storyboard Pro is designed to let users begin with an idea and translate it into a visual story that will become a complete animated or live-action production, based on an entirely digital storyboard.
Storyboard Pro mimics the traditional storyboarding process, with navigation based on a graphic tablet and pen. The creation environment provides layers and a suite of vector drawing tools, as well as the ability to generate animatics. Independent motion per layer, dynamic camera moves and unlimited sound tracks ensure that the storyboard captures the intent of the story creators. Story composition can be previewed in real-time, complete with camera movements and synched with sound tracks. Extensive support for import and export formats is provided, including layered PSD files, SWF, MOV and PDF. The tracking of notes and audio comments is integrated into the review and approval process, traditionally a production bottleneck.
Both Storyboard and Storyboard Pro now support Mac OS X 10.5, as well as receiving a number of performance improvements. However, it’s the Pro version that’s the beneficiary of enhanced functionality. Enhanced pipeline integration makes it possible to import a script directly from Final Draft. There is also the possibility to control the background transparency of imported Photoshop PSD files, and several add-ons provide flexibility for Acrobat PDF layout customization. Drawing tools have also been enhanced, with better brush responsiveness using Wacom tablets and TabletPCs. Other improvempents include updated animatic editing, thanks to roll panels that change the median editing point without affecting global timing; the ability to split a panel at the current frame to insert extra panels within a scene; camera frame display while scrubbing through a panel; and camera mask display during playback.
Storyboard 1.5 can be purchased for $249.99 on the Toon Boom Studio site, with the Pro version priced at $899.99. Trial versions of both, for Mac and Windows, are also available.
