Drawing Tool

Drawing Tool, the new quick sketch feature, allows you to take the Storyboards out of your head and quickly bring the idea to life. Sketches, freehand drawings, quick character designs, camera placements, shooting angles - you can now do it all with the MakeStoryboard Drawing Tool. The functionality is built-in, so you don't need to use any third-party services; everything is at hand.

Let's get acquainted with the broad functionality and examine step-by-step how to create a drawing sketch.

Selecting Drawing Tool

Select the Storyboard you want. Choose the desired slide, or create a new slide and point to the picture box. There are two options available to you: Upload Image and Drawing Tool. Select the Drawing Tool icon. You'll then see a drawing canvas and a toolbar. Let's take a closer look at them.

Drawing Canvas and its Functions

The drawing canvas is a field in which you can quickly sketch your idea. By default, the box comes out white, but you can change the background color and add toggle grid for easy drawing.

To do this, select the additional three dot menu at the bottom of the panel and click Toggle Grid or Set Background Color. In the background color menu, choose one of the suggested colors or insert the desired HTML or RGB color code.

Toolbar

Take a closer look at the toolbar, which includes the following:

• Pencil
• Fill Brush Pen
• Tone Pastel
• Eraser

When you select Pencil or Fill Brush Pen, you will be given a box where you can select the color you want for the sketch, as well as the desired line thickness. Move the slider left and right to get the line you want.

If you choose Tone Pastel, you can add a shadow to an existing sketch. Only a gray color is available here which you can layer to achieve the desired effect. Choose the thickness of the shadow marker to emphasize the necessary details in the drawing.

When you select Eraser, you can also use the line thickness field to select the optimal size for wiping out details or use the Clear All function. To do this, click on the corresponding icon at the bottom of the toolbar.

To return to normal mode, click the cursor icon at the bottom left of the toolbar.

Add Text 

Select the text icon on the right side of the toolbar. A new text template phrase and text formatting menu will automatically be added to your slide. Enter the text or phrase you want to add. 

From the formatting menu you can select:

• Font
• Si
• Color
• Location relative to center
• Layering
• Delete the text, if necessary.

You can also scale the text by clicking the zoom box in any corner and stretching the text to the desired size. You can rotate the text by clicking the + at the top of the zoom box.

Add Shapes and Lines

Select the shape icon on the right side of the toolbar. You will see a box where you can select a circle, square, triangle, or star by default. Let's look at adding a shape using a circle as an example.

Click on the circle icon in the toolbar. The corresponding shape will appear on the drawing canvas. Click one corner of the zoom box to stretch the circle to the desired size relative to the slide. 

In the shape formatting panel, choose a color of the shape from the choices or add a color by HTML or RGB. 

Select the shape's stroke, color, and thickness. 

Choose the position of the shape relative to the layer. Move the shape behind the drawing, previously added shapes or text, or place it in the foreground. Delete the shape, if needed.

You can also add a line or an arrow in this menu. Select the desired shape and stretch it accordingly. 

Select the thickness of the line/arrow, its color and position relative to the slide. Remove the line/arrow, if needed.

Upload Pictures / Add From Unsplash

Select the picture upload icon on the right side of the toolbar. Two options will become available to you: Upload Images from your computer or selecting pictures from the connected photo stock Unsplash. Select the first option to upload a picture from a folder. 

The second option will allow you to search and add to the Storyboard pictures from stock photos, where there are more than 1000000+ images available for you to use. You can search for a name, subject or category to find the desired image. After selecting a picture, it will be added to your slide. 

A small menu will be available at the bottom of the picture. To crop the desired object, select the image and then select the Crop option. You can use the option to load or add images in endless order for more creativeness.

Crop Images/Selective Cropping

Once you've completed the Crop option, your picture will open to full screen. Look carefully at the available options in the panel below. Select the square or circle to cut out objects from the picture. 

Select the third option for a selective cropping. This is needed to crop objects in a more detailed way. Use it to select the object you want to use. Click on the cropping icon at the bottom to confirm cropping. Click on the drag icon to select another item in the picture or to move the picture to either side. To do this, hold down the cursor and drag the picture to the desired location.

Next, you will return to the main slide, which will retain the element you cut out.

Saving / Canceling Edits

After making the necessary elements of the sketch, save the changes. To do this, click the Save button in the upper right corner. 

To undo the edits, press Undo. To redo a canceled edit, press Redo. 

To move on to making changes or drawing on the next slide, just select the forward or backward button on the toolbar below - Next Frame or Previous Frame. If necessary, save your edits again.

We really hope that our new feature allows you to spend your time storyboarding with less effort. The Makestoryboard team wants you to enjoy your storyboarding experience. The built-in Drawing Tool feature lets you make that dream a reality. 

And remember that the most important thing in sketch drawing is practice. Read our blog for tips on how to work quickly with Storyboard.

If you're interested in the new Drawing Tool module and would like to try it out, check out our plans or try free access to MakeStoryboard.