Storyboard Pro Timeline Cookbook

Keyboard shortcuts

• A — Previous Panel
• F — Next Panel
• , (comma) — Previous Frame
• . (period) — Next Frame

Panels vs Scenes vs Sequences

In animation, scenes refer to changes in camera position. In live action, changes in camera position are referred to as shots.

That said, going with the animation paradigm, the hierarchy in SBP is Sequence > Scene > Panel.

Panels are organized into Scenes, which can then be organized into Sequences. But sequences are probably not necessary since it's just as easy to make a new SBP project for each sequence. This keeps the file size smaller, and allows more people to work on the project at the same time.

There is one camera per Scene in SBP. That is, if you adjust the camera in one scene, it will not affect the other scenes around it.

Create a new Scene in the Timeline with right click > New Scene, or Storyboard toolbar > New Scene icon (plus sign above a square with a thick blue outline).

Panels

P is the panel shortcut to create a new Panel.

In order to create a new panel with the same background art as a previous panel:

• In the Stage pane select the layer containing background art > right click > Share drawing
• Select the panel in the Thumbnails pane.
• Right click > Duplicate selected panels
• In the new panel, delete or adjust the character art.
• With the share drawing option applied to the panes, any change to the background art in one pane will update the background art in all of the panes sharing that drawing.

Keyframes

Animating a transformation on a layer

• Click figure icon to the right of layer thumbnail in Stage View
• Change the icon to "running man" icon
• With the layer selected, now a channel is displayed in the Timeline for its keyframes.
• Insert a keyframe on the layer to maintain the current size & location at that frame.
• Select the Transform tool (a square with 9 control points).
• Move to a new frame and transform the layer to create a new keyframe. The values will transition smoothly between the two keyframes by default.

As of SBP 6 there is no support for animating transparency.

Ease in, ease out

• Select the Transform tool selected and a layer with keyframes selected in Stage View.
• 'Tool Properties tab > Keyframes group > Function Editor button (S-shaped bezier curve with two dots at its ends)

Creating a stop-motion keyframe

A "stop-motion," or "hold," keyframe is one where there is no transition in values between two keyframes. The translation, rotation, or scale value stays remains at what it was at the first keyframe until the 2nd keyframe is reached, then the value shifts abruptly to the new value.

• Apply two keyframes in the Timeline.
• With the Transform tool selected (square with 9 control points), Tool Properties tab > Keyframes panel > Open Function Editor button (an S-shaped bezier)
• Make sure the desired transform is selected under Functions, e.g. Angle_z if working on a rotation.
• Select the first keyframe in the transform.
• Click the Stop-motion keyframe button (red flat horizontal line with two dots at its ends)

Looping keyframes

For looping keyframes within one panel, the quickest thing is probably to copy and paste two keyframes in the Timeline.

To loop keyframes across multiple panels, use Spread Layer Motion

Spread layer motion

Spread layer motion is the mechanism for animating a transformation on a layer over multiple panels.

• In the Timeline click on the first panel (or panel group) of the series of panels over which the animated transform will occur.
• In the Camera View select the layer in the panel that will be animated. Make sure "animate" is toggled on (the yellow running figure icon).
• In the Timeline create a keyframe on the first frame of the panel. The first keyframe must be on the first frame.
• Go to the last frame of the panel. (The 2nd keyframe must be on the last frame of the panel.)
• Use the Transform Tool to move, scale or rotate the Layer, and another keyframe will be added in the Timeline.
• Delete or hide corresponding layers in following panels.
  • If desired, rename the layer in the first panel so it doesn't conflict with the naming of the layer on subsequent panels.
  • The corresponding layer (by name) on the subsequent panels can be deleted from those panels.
  • When Spread Layer Motion is applied a new layer with the same artwork as the source panel will be added to the following panels.
• Layer > Spread Layer Motion...
  • Choose the number of panels to spread the transformation over.
  • The keyframe will remain where it was, but the transform will take plane over multiple panels.
  • The layer being transformed shouldn't be visible in any panels beyond the first panel.

There is no way to tweak the transition after applying Spread Layer Motion. If the length of the panels are changed, the time of that segment of the transition will change with it. The ending keyframe on the first panel will no longer correspond to its initial value. The initial value will be found on the ending keyframe of the last panel in the transition.

Layer > Reset Transform will set the Layer back to wherever it was before the Transform Tool was used to manipulate it.

Using a video track as a BG layer

See Using a Video Track as a BG Layer in Storyboard Pro

Pans and trucks

• In the Timeline, place the playhead at the point where the camera movement starts.
• Tool Properties pane > Keyframe panel > New Keyframe button
• Move the playhead to the end of the camera movement.
• Use the Transform tool to move or scale the video track. This will create a new keyframe for the new position.

Adjusting the length of panels

The length of panels can only be changed one panel at a time. There is no mechanism to change the length of more than one panel at a time (as of SBP 6).

Transitions

• Storyboard > Add Transition (or hourglass icon in toolbar)
• Go to scene where the transition will start.
• Click transition to change the transition type.

Hiding content outside the frame

To hide visual elements that fall outside the frame while playing back in the timeline, click the Camera Mask button at the bottom left of the Stage/Camera View pane.

Adding non-default frames to exported PDF storyboards

See Snapshots

Walk cycles

The rule of thumb for walk cycles is to give 8 frames to each step in the cycle.

Troubleshooting sound

To play sound make sure the "sound" button is clicked in the Storyboard toolbar (at top).

Scrubbing: "Audio Scrubbing" button at bottom left of Timeline window.

Also, toggle audio tracks with speaker icon a left of each track.

Renaming scenes

To rename all scenes in the Timeline:

• Select the first scene, or a panel in the first scene, in the sequence.
• Storyboard > Rename scene
• Renaming Rule for Subsequent Scene: Either "Renumber Scene" or "Renumber Selected Scenes" if more than one scene is selected.
• Auto-generated scene numbers can be tweaked under Renumbered Scene Names

Notes

See also

• Storyboarding For Animation Class Notes
• Storyboard Pro Panel Editing Cookbook