Advanced Features
Power-user features for getting the most out of Storyboard.
Advanced Mode
Toggle Advanced Mode using the switch in the Story Setup panel header to unlock additional controls. This enables:
- Cinematography mode selection (Auto, Presets, Manual)
- Research settings
- Use Source Material toggle
- Auto-Generate Images control
- Auto-Save to Library toggle
See Project Settings for details on each setting.
Budget Mode
Budget Mode significantly reduces generation costs (~90% savings) by using cost-effective models.
How Budget Mode Works
| Aspect | Standard (Auto) | Budget |
|---|---|---|
| Image Model | Nano Banana Pro | SeedDream v4.5 |
| Video Model | Veo 3 | Kling 2.6 Pro |
When to Use Budget Mode
Ideal for:
- Concept testing and early iterations
- Learning the system
- Personal projects
- Quick previews before committing to premium models
Use Standard for:
- Final production
- Client deliverables
- Portfolio pieces
- Projects requiring highest quality
Upgrading Budget Content
You can selectively upgrade individual shots:
- Generate the entire storyboard in Budget Mode
- Identify key hero shots that need premium quality
- Use Swap Model on those specific shots to regenerate with a premium model
- Keep budget-quality shots for less critical moments
Cinematography System
Cinematography Presets
When cinematography mode is set to Presets, choose from four categories of curated settings:
- Camera Presets: Epic Wide, Hero Product, Intimate Close, Dutch Tilt, Overhead Flat
- Lens Presets: Macro Detail, Cinematic 85mm, Wide 16mm, Telephoto 200mm, Anamorphic
- Lighting Presets: Golden Hour, High Contrast, Soft Diffuse, Neon Glow, Moonlit, Studio Clean
- Motion Presets: Slow Push, Reveal Pullback, Orbit, Whip Pan, Static Locked, Handheld Subtle
Manual Cinematography
When mode is set to Manual, you have full control over seven parameters:
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| Camera Angle | Viewing angle (eye level, low angle, overhead, dutch, etc.) |
| Camera Motion | Movement type (dolly, pan, orbit, static, handheld, etc.) |
| Lens Style | Lens characteristics (wide-angle, telephoto, anamorphic, etc.) |
| Framing | Shot composition (close-up, medium, wide, centered, etc.) |
| Lighting | Lighting design description |
| Environment FX | Environmental effects (fog, rain, dust, haze, etc.) |
| Motion Intensity | Amount of movement (none, low, medium, high) |
Per-Shot Cinematography Override
Individual shots can override the project-level cinematography settings. Each shot has a cinematographyOverride field that allows setting a different mode (auto, presets, or manual) with its own values for that specific shot.
Research Mode
When enabled, the Research worker in the pipeline searches the web via Tavily for visual references and factual information.
Research Settings
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Enable Research | Turn on/off web research |
| Depth | Basic (5 results) or Advanced (8 results) |
| Topics | Optional specific research topics |
Automatic Research Triggers
Research runs automatically (even without being enabled) if your concept contains keywords like: "realtime", "real-time", "current events", "latest", "trending", "news", "today", "actual", "recent".
Subject Registry and Consistency
The Subject Registry is a powerful system for maintaining visual consistency across shots.
How It Works
- During storyboard generation, the Story Bible worker identifies subjects (characters, products, objects)
- After the first hero frame is generated for a shot containing a subject, the system detects and registers it
- The registry stores frozen traits -- visual descriptions extracted from the actual generated image
- Subsequent shots use the frozen traits and hero frame reference for consistent rendering
Subject Types
| Type | Example |
|---|---|
| Character | People, animated figures |
| Product | Physical products, packaging |
| Object | Key props, items |
| Creature | Animals, fantastical beings |
| Vehicle | Cars, ships, aircraft |
| Other | Anything else needing consistency |
Orphan Cleanup
When shots are deleted, the system checks if any subjects in the registry no longer appear in any remaining shot. Orphaned subjects are automatically removed from the registry.
Narrative Tree (Infinite Canvas)
Shots support non-linear narrative branching for exploring story alternatives.
Branch Types
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Forward | Continue the story forward from this shot |
| Backward | Add a prequel shot before this one |
| Alternate | Create an alternative version or path |
Narrative Context
Each branched shot includes narrative context to maintain story coherence:
- Protagonist: Description, emotional state, and action
- Setting: Location, time of day, and atmosphere
- Mood: Overall mood and intensity (0-100)
- Narrative Progression: What happened before, what's happening now, what comes after
Narrative Tree View
The NarrativeTreeView component provides a visual tree visualization of branching story paths. You can:
- Navigate the tree to see all branches
- Select any node to view its shot
- Export a specific timeline path
- Prune branches by removing nodes
Video Extensions
Extend any completed shot's video beyond its original duration.
Extension Chain
Extensions are tracked as a chain on each shot:
- Each extension records the parent video URL, result URL, model, resolution, and status
- Multiple extensions can be chained on a single shot
- Individual extensions can be removed from the chain
Extension Models
| Model | Label |
|---|---|
| Veo 3.1 Extend | Best Quality |
| Wan 2.1 Extend | Fast |
Sharing Storyboards
Share your storyboards with others using the Share dialog.
Share Options
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Share Link | Generate a shareable link with a unique token |
| Public | Toggle public visibility (viewable by anyone) |
| Revoke | Revoke a previously shared link |
The share dialog provides a copyable URL and shows the current share status.
Send to Movie Editor
Once your shots have generated videos, send the entire storyboard to the Movie Editor for final composition:
- Click Send to Movie Editor in the storyboard interface
- All completed shots with video are assembled into a Movie Editor timeline
- Fine-tune transitions, timing, and final output
Cloud Persistence
Auto-Save
Storyboards auto-save to the cloud when changes are detected:
- Save status indicator shows: saving, saved, or error
- Each storyboard has a unique cloud ID
- Local storage provides offline caching
Storyboard Management
| Action | Description |
|---|---|
| Save | Manual save to cloud (Supabase) |
| Rename | Change name and description |
| Duplicate | Full deep copy with new IDs |
| Delete | Soft delete (sets is_active to false) |
| Categorize | Assign a category for organization |
Data Format
Storyboards use the DualityStoryDocument format (v2.0), which includes:
- Project settings
- Scenes and shots
- Output references (hero frames, videos, audio)
- Timestamps
The system handles automatic migration from the legacy v1.0.0 format.
Performance Tips
| Tip | Impact |
|---|---|
| Write clear, concise concepts | Better first-generation results, fewer regenerations |
| Use Budget Mode for drafts | Significant cost savings during iteration |
| Upload quality references | Better subject consistency from the start |
| Enable Single Model Consistency | More visually coherent across shots |
| Review hero frames before video | Video generation is more expensive |