Storyboard

Storyboard Generator

Generate visual storyboards for video concepts using Gemini image generation.

Process

1. Gather context

Before generating, establish:

• Product/brand — what's being advertised
• Video angle — the story or concept (e.g. "dead time", "before/after", "day in the life")
• Target audience — who watches this
• Duration — determines number of frames (15s = 3-4 frames, 30s = 5-6 frames, 60s = 8-10 frames)
• Visual style — cinematic, minimalist, illustrated, iPhone-shot, etc.
• Platform — YouTube, X/Twitter, LinkedIn, TikTok (affects aspect ratio and pacing)

2. Write the frame descriptions

Plan each frame before generating:

• Frame number + timing (e.g. "Frame 1 (0-5s)")
• Visual description — what's on screen, camera angle, setting
• Text overlay — any words shown on screen
• Audio note — voiceover, music mood, sound effects

3. Generate storyboard grid

Use the image-from-gemini skill:

python3 ~/.claude/skills/image-from-gemini/scripts/generate.py \
  "<prompt>" \
  -o /tmp/<project>-storyboard.png

Prompt template:

A cinematic storyboard grid, <rows> rows x <cols> columns, <total> frames total,
for a <duration>-second video ad. <visual style>. Each frame has a small white
number in the corner (1-<total>) and a one-line caption below.

Frame 1: <detailed visual description>
Frame 2: <detailed visual description>
...

Style: <realistic/illustrated/minimalist>. Like frames from <reference style>.
<lighting and mood>.

Grid sizing guide:

• 3-4 frames: 1 row x 3-4 cols
• 5-6 frames: 2 rows x 3 cols
• 8-10 frames: 2-3 rows x 3-4 cols

4. Review and iterate

• Open the image for full-size review
• Discuss which frames work and which need adjustment
• Regenerate with updated descriptions if needed
• Use -i flag to pass previous storyboard as reference for consistency

5. Write the full script

After visual approval, produce a script document with:

• Frame-by-frame timing
• Voiceover lines (exact words)
• On-screen text
• Music/sound cues
• Camera directions

Save to the project's marketing folder.

Tips

• Be specific about camera angles: "over-the-shoulder", "close-up", "wide shot"
• Mention lighting: "morning light", "blue hour", "overhead fluorescent"
• Include props and wardrobe details for consistency across frames
• For product UI shots, describe the screen content explicitly
• Reference real film styles: "iPhone-shot indie commercial", "Apple product video", "Wes Anderson framing"
• Always include the product name and URL in the final CTA frame
• For phone screens, describe what the UI shows — Gemini renders text and UI elements well at this scale