What it does
Toon Boom Storyboard Pro combines drawing, panel arrangement, timing and audio for storyboards and animatics. It can turn rough thumbnail pages into panels or scenes and import layered PSD artwork. Windows and Mac editions use subscriptions, with a 14-day evaluation available.
From thumbnail sheet to timed sequence
Choose Storyboard > New > New Thumbnailing Page, then set rows, columns, spacing and reading order in Panel view. Draw inside each thumbnail’s boundary; all thumbnails share the page’s layers. Convert to Panels creates panels within a scene, or converts each thumbnail into a new scene. Duplicate the page first if you want to retain it.
Panel Timer records beats as you tap through dialogue or action. It can create panels or apply timing to a selection, with a review table for adjusting durations before committing. Optional recording brings the audio into the timeline.
Export for review
File > Export > Movie offers timecode and scene-number burn-ins, camera grids and caption overlays. Caption controls set size, position and maximum lines.
PSD imports preserve clipping relationships and editable layers, but blending modes on clipped layers are unsupported. Check imported artwork before presenting the timed sequence.
Strengths
- Thumbnail pages convert into panels or separate scenes
- Panel timing can be recorded and reviewed before applying it
- Movie overlays carry timecodes and caption information
Watch out for
- Thumbnail artwork outside its boundary can enter adjacent converted panels
- PSD blending modes on clipped layers are unsupported
Best for
- Preproduction teams making drawn animatics
- Storyboard artists timing dialogue and action
Sources
- Storyboard Pro timing, PSD import, subscriptions and trial (Oct 27, 2026)
- Storyboard Pro thumbnail-page creation (Oct 27, 2026)
- Storyboard Pro conversion of thumbnails into panels (Oct 27, 2026)
- Storyboard Pro movie export with review overlays (Oct 27, 2026)