How to Create a Storyboard for a Video

Q: What are the best practices for creating video for storyboards?

Keep it simple - Use basic sketches, stick figures, or shapes—your goal is clarity, not artwork. Focus on storytelling - Ensure each frame moves the story forward and clearly conveys your key message. Label shots clearly - Include scene numbers, character positions, props, and camera angles. Include notes and directions - Add dialogue, transitions, sound cues, or special effects under each frame. Plan timing and sequence - Consider pacing, shot length, and overall flow before production. Collaborate and iterate - Share your storyboard with your team or stakeholders for feedback and revisions. Use tools like Creately - Digital tools make it easy to link scenes, drag-and-drop elements, and quickly update changes.

Updated on: 15 December 2025 | 8 min read

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Free Storyboard Templates

Making a great video isn’t easy. Out of billions of marketing videos, only a few truly hit the mark. The secret? Planning—and not just your script. A good storyboard lets you see your video before you shoot it, tweak ideas, and create a final version that really works. This guide shows you how to make a storyboard the easy way—you can even start before your script, making the whole video process smoother and more creative.

First, let’s start with the basic question.

What Is a Video Storyboard?

A video storyboard is a visual plan for a video that outlines each scene or shot in sequence. It combines sketches, images, or frames with notes about actions, dialogue, camera angles, and transitions. Essentially, it’s a blueprint that helps filmmakers, marketers, and creators visualize the story, organize the flow, and communicate their vision to the team before filming begins.

How to Make a Storyboard for a Video in 5 Steps

Creating a video can feel overwhelming, but a storyboard makes it simple. It helps you visualize every scene, spot potential issues early, and share your vision with your team before filming a single frame. With Creately, you can quickly drag and drop shapes, link scenes, and use ready-made templates to plan your video effortlessly—even if you’re not an artist.

Step 1: Plan your video

Before you put pen to paper—or start dragging shapes in a storyboard—clarify the basics:

Objective: What’s the goal of your video? Promote your brand, explain a product, drive YouTube subscriptions, or boost engagement? Knowing this upfront makes every other step easier.
Key message: Your visuals need strong words. Decide on a clear, concise message that fits your brand and resonates with your audience. Tone and language matter.
Video length: Keep it short and sweet—under 3 minutes is ideal for most platforms. Make sure your key message fits naturally within your timeframe.
Promotional channels: Where will this video live? Social media, your website, or a video platform? The channel influences style, pacing, and format.

Step 2: Visualize your script

Now, start thinking about how your story will look on screen:

Identify key characters or props
Decide when and where each appears
Define the theme and setting
Map out the sequence of scenes

Tip: With Creately, you can easily link storyboard frames and drag-and-drop elements to quickly see how the story flows. You don’t need to be an artist—stick figures or simple shapes work fine, and Creately templates make it even faster.

Step 3: Add script and notes

Under each storyboard frame, jot down:

What’s happening in the scene
Any dialogue or voiceover
Camera angles, transitions, or special effects

This ensures everyone on your team knows exactly what’s intended for each shot.

Step 4: Collaborate with your team

Storyboards are a team sport. Share your work, get feedback, and make revisions. With Creately’s real-time collaboration, your team can comment, suggest changes, and help polish the video storyboard before production.

Step 5: Refine and finalize

Once your storyboard captures your vision, review it end-to-end. Make tweaks, check pacing, and ensure the message is clear. By the time you start filming, you’ll have a visual blueprint that saves time, reduces mistakes, and keeps your video on track.

Free Video Storyboard Templates

Now that you know how to create a storyboard for a video, here are some video storyboard templates to get started. Click on each example of storyboard for video to edit them online. You can create each video shot using comprehensive Creately shape libraries or using images imported from your computer or browsed through the built-in Google image search.

Once created, you can export the video storyboard template as an image, SVG or as a PDF file for printing.

A blank video storyboard template

exit full-screen — Blank video storyboard template

Video storyboard template with images

Storyboard template

Prototype Storyboard

Cinema Storyboard Template

More Storyboard Templates

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Creating a Storyboard

Lack of Clarity

Make sure your storyboard expresses each shot’s intended narrative and visual components in a straightforward manner. Do not assume that everyone will comprehend your goals or be overly ambiguous. To effectively communicate your thoughts, use labels, annotations, and sketches that are clear.

Overcomplicating Shots

It is good to be unique but make sure you avoid constructing photos that are extremely intricate or challenging to execute. Think about the tools, time, and funds you have at your disposal. To minimize disappointment during production, limit your shooting to what is feasible given your constraints.

Ignoring Pacing and time

When creating storyboards, it’s important to take into account the video’s pacing and time in addition to the visuals. Make sure the images’ flow and rhythm fit the intended atmosphere and message by paying close attention to these elements. This includes figuring out how long each shot should be and how to transition between them.

Neglecting Shot Continuity

To provide a seamless viewing experience, keep your shots consistent. Consider variables like actor positioning in different shots, lighting, camera angles, and props. Consistency issues might detract from your video’s overall quality and be annoying.

Forgetting the Audience’s Point of View

When developing the storyboard, keep your target audience in mind. Consider how they will view and understand the images. Take into account your audience’s comprehension, cultural background, and preferences. This will assist you in developing a storyboard that appeals to your audience and clearly conveys your point.

FAQs About Video Storyboards

When should I create a video storyboard?

It’s a good idea to create a video storyboard as early in the pre-production process as possible. This allows you to plan out the shots and make any necessary adjustments before filming begins. Storyboarding can also help you identify any potential issues with the script or the planned shots, allowing you to make changes before they become more difficult to address. Ideally, you should have a storyboard completed before you begin scouting locations or hiring actors, as this will give you a clear idea of what you need for the shoot. However, if you’re working on a tight deadline, you may need to create a storyboard during the pre-production stage to ensure that you have a clear plan for the shoot.

How detailed should a video storyboard be?

The level of detail in a video storyboard can vary depending on the needs of the project and the preferences of the cinematographer. However, in general, a storyboard should include enough detail to give a clear idea of what each shot will look like. This can include information about the camera angle, shot size, camera movement, and any important elements that need to be included in the frame. Some cinematographers may prefer to create more detailed storyboards that include information about lighting and sound design, while others may focus primarily on the visual composition of the shots. Ultimately, the level of detail should be sufficient to help guide the production process and ensure that the final video meets your creative vision.

What are the benefits of using a storyboard for my video?

A storyboard helps you turn your ideas into visual scenes, making it easier to see the flow of your video and ensure your concept is clear. It’s also a powerful communication tool, letting your team and stakeholders understand your vision, give feedback, and agree on the creative direction before production starts. Beyond that, it helps you plan timing, shot order, and resources like props and locations, and by spotting potential problems early, it saves time, money, and effort during filming.

What are the best practices for creating video for storyboards?

Keep it simple: Use basic sketches, stick figures, or shapes—your goal is clarity, not artwork.
Focus on storytelling: Ensure each frame moves the story forward and clearly conveys your key message.
Label shots clearly: Include scene numbers, character positions, props, and camera angles.
Include notes and directions: Add dialogue, transitions, sound cues, or special effects under each frame.
Plan timing and sequence: Consider pacing, shot length, and overall flow before production.
Collaborate and iterate: Share your storyboard with your team or stakeholders for feedback and revisions.
Use tools like Creately: Digital tools make it easy to link scenes, drag-and-drop elements, and quickly update changes.

What is the best tool to create video storyboards?

Creately is one of the best tools to create video storyboards, recommended by professionals for its ease of use and flexibility. With Creately, you can drag and drop shapes, use ready-made templates, import images, and link scenes to visualize your video clearly. It’s perfect for both beginners and experienced creators, allowing teams to collaborate in real time, add notes, and export storyboards as images, SVGs, or PDFs for sharing or printing.

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Author

Amanda Athuraliya Communications Specialist

Amanda Athuraliya is the communication specialist/content writer at Creately, online diagramming and collaboration tool. She is an avid reader, a budding writer and a passionate researcher who loves to write about all kinds of topics.

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