Storyboard Animator

I've done extensive research and workflow testing, across iOS and desktop applications in hopes of making the iPad Pro my main storyboarding tool. The drag and drop from procreate is amazing, I wish more apps let you do that. The one feature I'd beg for is a visual timeline like an NLE. Even a basic timeline that let you see your shots in order and let you scrub to control playback would be a total game changer for story artists. As it is now you can reorder your shots and assign them a duration, which is nice, but if you look at storyboarder for desktop you will see how powerful it is to go sketch-> timeline.

After seeing my friend’s iPad Pro and Apple Pencil in action, I decided to venture into using a dummy stylus to make storyboards with my iPad 2 mini. I watched a few tutorials on how to draw figures and faces, and jumped in to using the Storyboard app. This app is incredibly simple and useful, and I’m amazed how quickly my boards are coming together. The straight line tool was hidden in the sub-pencil menu, and is incredibly useful, just keep in mind that turning it on breaks the eraser from functioning normally—it seems like nothing erases. This should be fixed to be enabled under an eraser sub-menu so they can function independent of each other. The functionality of having layers, quickly cloning boards, and giving run time to boards so they can play is truly useful. For the price, I give this app 5-stars. There are some things that would be nice: The pencil thickness slider at the smaller end, it ramps down very quickly and I often have to try a few times to get the desired thickness. It shouldn’t be linear but rather slowly ramp the smaller diameters. The ability to paste images would be nice. There should be opacity and feathering for strokes. A history of chosen colors at the top row of the swatches would be helpful, too. Overall, this app is great!

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I really wanted to like this app. The ability to organize your boards quickly and leave notes that can be exported and presented quickly and professionally into a PDF format was especially attractive to me. That said, this software’s propensity for losing work is unacceptable. I am a very patient person, and I have a better tolerance for minor bugs and glitches than most — however, spontaneously deleting a particularly difficult panel after I had spent an hour toying and problem solving to get the right emotion and angle was infuriating. I went through the settings and deactivated all touch and swipe actions hoping that perhaps it was human error and that the glitch could be resolved. Second redo of the board and the app started to bug out again. I tossed the drawing to my clipboard before closing the app thus saving my progress, but that’s two strikes and I’m not willing to chance a third. I ultimately exported remaining image sequence to a folder and imported the layers into a tried an true software package (Procreate). It may not be built explicitly for boarding, but I will take the inconvenience of toggling off Layers to losing my work any day. To the developer, maybe run a more extensive beta testing phase before releasing a software package I assume was intended for professional use — had I been working on a deadline this could have really shot me in the foot. I am NOT a happy customer.

It is really close to be great and to be really useful. It needs a filling tool, and maybe a pencil-like brush. Others features should be the ability to add sound, either to record from the microphone or upload an mp3. The ability to create your own color palette would be great. I have no idea who is behind this app, but its potential is really great. Maybe take a few inside from “storyboarder” app on Mac, and from boords, from the online service. I would pay $40-50 a year to see those added to your app!

(Updated Review of version 2.3.) I still maintain that this is the best storyboarding app on iOS, bar none. Dark Mode has been added, which makes working with the app easier on the eyes. Keyboard Shortcuts have been added as well, which is very useful if you’re jotting ideas down at a rapid fire clip. And the ability to re-size the canvas during Editing Mode is a great addition. I also found the iPhone version of the app to be an excellent port. The option to storyboard when I’m on the train or on a line is a liberating one. The iPhone version is just as functional as the iPad version (as it should be). Grateful for Keely’s ongoing care and attention to the app. I’ve written emails to him a couple of times and he seems open to feedback. This is one neat program and I woul happily pay for an upgraded version just to support development if asked.