From blank canvas to animated storyboard — a step-by-step tutorial using Apefx's storyboard editor and MultiShot Master.
Traditional storyboarding takes hours — sketching frames, drawing characters, illustrating camera angles. AI storyboarding takes minutes. With Apefx’s storyboard editor, you can go from a story concept to a fully visualized, animated storyboard in under 5 minutes. This tutorial walks through every step.
AI storyboarding is the process of using AI image and video generation to create visual shot sequences that tell a story. Instead of hand-drawing each frame, you describe scenes in text and let AI models generate the visuals. The key innovation is character consistency — the same characters appear recognizably across different shots, angles, and environments.
Apefx’s storyboard editor combines this with a node-based visual interface where you can arrange, reorder, and customize individual shots in a sequence. The MultiShot Master model (50 credits) is specifically designed to generate 9-shot narrative sequences with character consistency automatically.
Storyboards aren’t just for Hollywood films. They’re valuable anytime you need to plan visual content:
The traditional barrier was that creating storyboards required drawing skill or expensive illustrators. AI removes that barrier entirely.
Navigate to Apefx’s Storyboard Editor. You’ll see a blank canvas with a node-based interface. Each node represents one shot (frame) in your storyboard.
The editor supports:
Start by clicking “New Storyboard” and giving your project a name.
For each shot node, write a description of what happens in that scene. Focus on:
Here’s an example 6-shot storyboard for a short film scene:
Shot 1: Wide establishing shot — rain-soaked city street at night, neon signs reflected in puddles, the protagonist walks alone under a broken umbrella
Shot 2: Medium shot — protagonist stops in front of a glowing phone booth, face lit by its warm light against the cold blue surroundings
Shot 3: Close-up — protagonist’s hand picks up the receiver, water dripping from their sleeve
Shot 4: Over-the-shoulder — protagonist holds the phone, we see through the booth glass to the empty street beyond
Shot 5: Extreme close-up — protagonist’s eyes widen as they hear something on the phone
Shot 6: Wide shot — protagonist bursts out of the phone booth, running down the street, the broken umbrella abandoned on the sidewalk
Notice how each description paints a visual picture with specific camera angles and actions. The more specific you are, the better the AI can generate what you envision.
Set a global visual style that applies to all shots. Options include:
For most storyboards, the MultiShot Master model (50 credits for a 10-second, 9-shot sequence) is the best choice. It was designed specifically for multi-shot narrative coherence.
After setting the global style, refine individual shots:
The node-based interface lets you drag shots to reorder them, duplicate nodes for variations, and delete shots that don’t fit the narrative flow.
Hit “Generate All” to produce all shots simultaneously, or generate individual shots one at a time for more control. With MultiShot Master, the model generates all 9 shots as a coordinated batch, ensuring character and style consistency across the sequence.
Generation tips:
This is where AI storyboarding truly shines. Once you have static shots you’re happy with, animate them:
You don’t need to animate every shot. Static shots with one or two key animated moments often tell a more compelling story than full animation. Choose the shots with the most dramatic action or emotional impact.
For a complete overview of video model options, see our AI video generator rankings.
Real storyboards indicate camera movement. Use terms like: push in, pull back, pan left, tilt up, tracking shot, crane shot, handheld. These terms are understood by the AI models and will influence the generated imagery and animations.
A storyboard with all medium shots is boring. Mix wide establishing shots, medium dialogue shots, close-ups for emotion, and extreme close-ups for detail. The rhythm of shot types creates visual interest and narrative pacing.
Don’t just describe what’s in the frame — describe how it’s lit. “Harsh overhead fluorescent” says interrogation room. “Warm golden backlight” says romance. “Cold blue moonlight through blinds” says noir thriller. AI models respond strongly to lighting descriptions.
A typical storyboard workflow costs:
That’s about $1.04 in credits — a fraction of what traditional storyboard illustration would cost.
Export your storyboard as a PDF for client presentations, or as individual high-resolution images for production reference. Animated shots export as video files that can be imported into editing software like Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, or Final Cut Pro.
Build your first storyboard
50 free credits/month. Storyboard editor available on Creator plan ($12/mo).
Open Storyboard Editor →