storyboard-creation
Storyboard Creation
Create visual storyboards with AI image generation via inference.sh CLI.
Quick Start
curl -fsSL https://cli.inference.sh | sh && infsh login
# Generate a storyboard panel
infsh app run falai/flux-dev-lora --input '{
"prompt": "storyboard panel, wide establishing shot of a modern city skyline at sunset, cinematic composition, slightly desaturated colors, film still style, 16:9 aspect ratio",
"width": 1248,
"height": 832
}'
# Stitch panels into a board
infsh app run infsh/stitch-images --input '{
"images": ["panel1.png", "panel2.png", "panel3.png"],
"direction": "horizontal"
}'
Shot Types
| Abbreviation | Name | Framing | When to Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| ECU | Extreme Close-Up | Eyes only, a detail | Intense emotion, revealing detail |
| CU | Close-Up | Face fills frame | Emotion, reaction, dialogue |
| MCU | Medium Close-Up | Head and shoulders | Interviews, conversations |
| MS | Medium Shot | Waist up | General dialogue, action |
| MLS | Medium Long Shot | Knees up | Walking, casual interaction |
| LS | Long Shot | Full body | Character in environment |
| WS | Wide Shot | Environment dominant | Establishing location, scale |
| EWS | Extreme Wide Shot | Vast landscape | Epic scope, isolation, transitions |
Generating Each Shot Type
# Close-Up — emotion focus
infsh app run falai/flux-dev-lora --input '{
"prompt": "close-up shot of a woman face showing concern, soft dramatic lighting from the left, shallow depth of field, cinematic film still, slightly desaturated",
"width": 1248,
"height": 832
}'
# Medium Shot — dialogue scene
infsh app run falai/flux-dev-lora --input '{
"prompt": "medium shot of two people talking across a table in a cafe, warm afternoon light through windows, natural composition, cinematic film still, 35mm lens look",
"width": 1248,
"height": 832
}'
# Wide Shot — establishing
infsh app run falai/flux-dev-lora --input '{
"prompt": "wide establishing shot of a futuristic laboratory interior, dramatic overhead lighting, long corridor with glass walls, sci-fi atmosphere, cinematic composition, anamorphic lens style",
"width": 1248,
"height": 832
}'
Camera Angles
| Angle | Effect | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
| Eye Level | Neutral, natural | Default for most scenes |
| High Angle | Subject looks small, vulnerable | Showing weakness, overview |
| Low Angle | Subject looks powerful, dominant | Authority, heroism, threat |
| Bird's Eye | God-like overview | Maps, establishing geography |
| Worm's Eye | Extreme power, awe | Architecture, towering figures |
| Dutch Angle | Unease, disorientation | Tension, madness, action |
| Over-the-Shoulder (OTS) | Viewer positioned with character | Conversations, POV |
Camera Movement
| Movement | Description | Emotion |
|---|---|---|
| Pan | Camera rotates horizontally (on tripod) | Scanning, following, revealing |
| Tilt | Camera rotates vertically (on tripod) | Revealing height, power |
| Dolly | Camera moves toward/away from subject | Intimacy (in), distance (out) |
| Truck | Camera moves laterally | Following alongside, revealing |
| Crane/Jib | Camera moves up or down vertically | Grand reveals, transitions |
| Zoom | Lens focal length changes (camera stays) | Focus shift, dramatic emphasis |
| Steadicam/Gimbal | Smooth handheld tracking | Immersion, following action |
| Handheld | Deliberate camera shake | Urgency, documentary feel, chaos |
| Static | Camera doesn't move | Stability, observation, tension |
In storyboards, indicate movement with arrows drawn on panels.
Continuity Rules
The 180-Degree Rule
Imagine a line (axis) between two characters in conversation. The camera must stay on ONE side of that line.
Character A Character B
●─────────────────●
/ \
/ CAMERA ZONE \
/ (stay on this side) \
📷 📷 📷
Camera 1 Camera 2 Camera 3
Crossing the line confuses the viewer about spatial relationships. Only cross intentionally (with a neutral shot in between or a visible camera move).
Match on Action
When cutting between two angles of the same action, the action must continue seamlessly:
Panel A: Hand reaches for door handle (medium shot)
Panel B: Hand grabs door handle (close-up)
↑ Action continues from same point
Eyeline Match
When a character looks at something, the next shot should show what they're looking at, from their approximate point of view.
Panel A: Character looks up and to the right
Panel B: The object they see, framed from slightly below-left
Screen Direction
If a character moves left-to-right in one shot, they should continue left-to-right in the next. Reversing direction implies they turned around.
Panel Layout
Standard Formats
| Layout | Panels | Use For |
|---|---|---|
| 2x3 (6 panels) | 6 per page | Detailed scenes, dialogue |
| 3x3 (9 panels) | 9 per page | Action sequences, montages |
| 2x2 (4 panels) | 4 per page | Key moments, presentations |
| Single | 1 per page | Hero shots, critical moments |
Panel Annotation Format
Each panel should include:
┌────────────────────────────────────┐
│ SCENE 3 — SHOT 2 │ ← Scene and shot number
│ │
│ [Generated image here] │ ← Visual
│ │
├────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Shot: MS, eye level │ ← Shot type and angle
│ Movement: Slow dolly in │ ← Camera movement
│ Duration: 4 sec │ ← Estimated duration
│ Action: Sarah opens the letter │ ← What happens
│ Dialogue: "This changes everything"│ ← Any spoken lines
│ SFX: Paper rustling, clock ticking │ ← Sound effects
│ Music: Tension builds │ ← Music cue
└────────────────────────────────────┘
Storyboard Workflow
Step 1: Shot List
Before generating images, write a shot list:
SCENE 1 — OFFICE, DAY
1.1 WS - Establishing shot of office building exterior, morning
1.2 MS - Sarah walks through office, carrying coffee
1.3 CU - Sarah's face, notices something on her desk
1.4 ECU - An envelope on the desk, unfamiliar handwriting
1.5 MS - Sarah picks up envelope, opens it
1.6 CU - Sarah's eyes widen as she reads
1.7 ECU - Key phrase on the letter (insert text)
Step 2: Generate Panels
Use consistent style across all panels:
# Establish a consistent style prompt suffix
STYLE="cinematic film still, slightly desaturated, warm color grade, 35mm lens, shallow depth of field"
# Panel 1.1 — Wide establishing
infsh app run falai/flux-dev-lora --input "{
\"prompt\": \"wide shot of a modern glass office building exterior, morning golden hour light, people entering, $STYLE\",
\"width\": 1248, \"height\": 832
}" --no-wait
# Panel 1.2 — Medium shot
infsh app run falai/flux-dev-lora --input "{
\"prompt\": \"medium shot of a professional woman walking through a modern open office, carrying coffee cup, morning light through windows, $STYLE\",
\"width\": 1248, \"height\": 832
}" --no-wait
# Panel 1.3 — Close-up
infsh app run falai/flux-dev-lora --input "{
\"prompt\": \"close-up of a woman face looking down at her desk with curious expression, soft office lighting, $STYLE\",
\"width\": 1248, \"height\": 832
}" --no-wait
Step 3: Assemble Board
# Stitch panels into rows
infsh app run infsh/stitch-images --input '{
"images": ["panel_1_1.png", "panel_1_2.png", "panel_1_3.png"],
"direction": "horizontal"
}'
infsh app run infsh/stitch-images --input '{
"images": ["panel_1_4.png", "panel_1_5.png", "panel_1_6.png"],
"direction": "horizontal"
}'
# Then stitch rows vertically for full page
infsh app run infsh/stitch-images --input '{
"images": ["row1.png", "row2.png"],
"direction": "vertical"
}'
Style Consistency Tips
- Use the same style suffix across all panels (lens, color grade, lighting)
- Use FLUX LoRA if you need consistent characters across panels
- Keep the same aspect ratio for all panels
- Generate more panels than you need and select the best
- If a panel doesn't match the style, regenerate with adjusted prompt
Common Mistakes
| Mistake | Problem | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Crossing the 180-degree line | Confuses spatial relationships | Stay on one side or use neutral shot |
| All same shot type | Visually boring, no rhythm | Vary between CU, MS, WS |
| No establishing shot | Viewer doesn't know where they are | Start scenes with WS or EWS |
| Too many shots per scene | Pacing drags | 5-8 shots per scene is typical |
| Inconsistent style between panels | Looks like different projects | Use same style prompt suffix |
| Missing annotations | Panels are ambiguous | Always note shot type, movement, action |
Related Skills
npx skills add inferencesh/skills@ai-image-generation
npx skills add inferencesh/skills@ai-video-generation
npx skills add inferencesh/skills@video-prompting-guide
npx skills add inferencesh/skills@prompt-engineering
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