{"id":3015,"date":"2025-04-30T09:24:22","date_gmt":"2025-04-30T09:24:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/parrottcliff.com\/?p=3015"},"modified":"2026-04-24T14:51:16","modified_gmt":"2026-04-24T14:51:16","slug":"elementor-3015","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/parrottcliff.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/30\/elementor-3015\/","title":{"rendered":"Blender vs StoryBoard Pro!"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Blender vs Storyboard Pro<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Blender_v_SBPro\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Which is Better for Storyboarding? <\/b>\ud83e\udd4a<\/h4>

Today we\u2019re going \u00a0compare Blender<\/strong> with 2D storyboarding software like Toon Boom\u2019s Storyboard Pro<\/strong>, even though SB Pro can also handle 3D assets.<\/p>

Why this topic? During a recent \u201cFirst Credits\u201d mentorship using Storyboard Pro, a student asked: Would Blender be a better option for boards and animatics?<\/em> Great question \u2014 let\u2019s dig in.<\/p>

\"Blender_Environment\"<\/p>

1. Building Simple 3D Environments<\/strong><\/h3>

Pro<\/strong><\/h4>
One of the biggest pains in storyboarding is visualizing space. I usually draw a floor plan to keep track of where everything is. Blender lets you build<\/em> that floor plan in 3D \u2014 and project 2D background artwork onto simple 3D geometry like planes.<\/h6>

In our tunnel scene example here, I used basic planes for walls, floor, and ceiling. I got a little carried away adding columns and girders, but even simple builds are effective.<\/p>

With Grease Pencil<\/strong>, Blender\u2019s 2D tool, you can draw directly onto 3D surfaces. It takes some trial and error, but it works \u2014 and you can add lights, shadows, and colour to sell the space.<\/p>

Con<\/strong><\/h4>

There\u2019s a learning curve<\/strong> \u2014 even for basic modelling. For location-heavy shows (like Rick & Morty<\/em>), rough 2D sketches are often faster and more flexible than building environments in Blender.<\/p>

\"Blender_Characters\"<\/p>

2. Drawing Characters and Props<\/strong><\/h3>

Pro<\/strong><\/h4>

If you\u2019ve used SB Pro, Photoshop, or Flash, Blender\u2019s drawing tools will feel familiar. I used my Cintiq and had no problem sketching once I found my way around.<\/p>

Con<\/strong><\/h4>

The tools are clunky<\/em>. Drawing starts with creating a Grease Pencil object, drawing on a grid plane, using the layers for lines and fills. I\u2019ve seen beautiful work done with it, but I couldn\u2019t get the kind of line control I\u2019m used to. It felt more like working in an old version of MS Paint than Photoshop.<\/p>

Fills are unintuitive too \u2014 they rely on a weird dragging method that tries to follow outlines. SB Pro is far more efficient here.<\/p>

You can easily manage multiple scenes or environments in SB Pro but I think it would get very complicated doing that in one Blender file.<\/p>

\"Blender<\/p>

3. Character Posing<\/strong><\/h3>

Pro<\/strong><\/h4>

For action sequences, you can animate Grease Pencil objects through space and draw on the timeline. It\u2019s great for complex camera moves or blocking out action beats.<\/p>

Con<\/strong><\/h4>

Creating and managing poses is clunky<\/strong>. Unlike SB Pro\u2019s intuitive panel\/layers keyframe system, Grease Pencil\u2019s is hard to navigate. You can learn it, but it\u2019s not fast \u2014 especially under deadline.<\/p>

Also, Blender updates often \u2014 so YouTube tutorials can quickly become outdated. SB Pro, on the other hand, has kept its interface largely consistent from v4 to v24.<\/p>

4. Scene Planning<\/strong><\/h3>

Pro<\/strong><\/h4>

Blender shines in virtual production-style planning<\/strong>. For our tunnel scene test, I dropped in a camera for a wide shot, another for a close-up, and one for a mid-shot \u2014 and added subtle moves like push-ins and tilts. These dynamic touches were easy to implement.<\/p>

Con<\/strong><\/h4>

Blender\u2019s camera system is not built for storyboarding<\/strong>. You can only activate one camera at a time, so there\u2019s no way to overlap shots or do transitions like cross-dissolves. You have to export everything and do transitions in an editing system (though Blender does have a simple video editing tab).<\/p>

Managing dozens or hundreds of cameras in one Blender file would be a nightmare \u2014 especially with revisions, renaming shots, and inserts.<\/p>

\"Blender_Renders\"<\/p>

5. Rendering & Final Touches<\/strong><\/h3>

Pro<\/strong><\/h4>

Blender delivers gorgeous visuals. You can use real lights, shadows, and HDRs, plus Grease Pencil effects like glow, blur, noise, rim light, and more. I even imported a Houdini VDB explosion \u2014 saved hours and looked fantastic.<\/p>

Con<\/strong><\/h4>

Getting the right look takes trial and error, and render times can stack up. Many visual effects \u2014 dust clouds, fire, water \u2014 are much faster to sketch as 2D shorthand than to simulate and render.<\/p>

\"Blender_Test\"
Sir Mouse – Undercover Mouse Blender Test<\/figcaption><\/figure>

6. Conclusion \u2013 Blender is Previs, Not Storyboards<\/strong><\/h3>

Blender is powerful. But for storyboarding<\/strong>, it\u2019s overkill. It’s not efficient enough for the freelance storyboard artist<\/strong>who\u2019s paid per board and needs to work fast.<\/p>

Blender is more of a previs tool<\/strong> \u2014 great for visualizing complex shots with VFX, choreography, and camera moves after<\/em> storyboards are approved. Think of it as a lightweight virtual production pipeline.<\/p>

  • Learning curve<\/strong>: To use Blender effectively, you end up learning modelling, texturing, rigging, rendering… a lot of things you don\u2019t need for boarding.<\/li>
  • Workflow issues<\/strong>: Blender updates often and tools change frequently. SB Pro evolves slowly and keeps things consistent \u2014 I jumped from v4 to v24 with no trouble.<\/li>
  • Purpose-built<\/strong>: SB Pro is made for storytelling. One file can hold your script, notes, scenes, and be easily shared with directors or teams. It\u2019s industry standard \u2014 and no one\u2019s expecting a director to learn Blender just to give feedback.<\/li><\/ul>

    See for yourself the results of our Blender version of the animatic shot.\u00a0 Personally, I\u2019m thinking there\u2019s a hybrid workflow where poses are made in Photoshop then project the png\u2019s on a vertical plane in a Blender environment \u2013 best of both worlds.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    Blender vs Storyboard Pro Which is Better for Storyboarding? \ud83e\udd4a Today we\u2019re going \u00a0compare Blender with 2D storyboarding software like Toon Boom\u2019s Storyboard Pro, even though SB Pro can also handle 3D assets. Why this topic? During a recent \u201cFirst Credits\u201d mentorship using Storyboard Pro, a student asked: Would Blender be a better option for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3017,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,12,1,22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3015","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ai_tech","category-animation_industry","category-blog","category-projects"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/parrottcliff.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3015","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/parrottcliff.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/parrottcliff.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/parrottcliff.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/parrottcliff.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3015"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/parrottcliff.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3015\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3033,"href":"https:\/\/parrottcliff.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3015\/revisions\/3033"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/parrottcliff.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3017"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/parrottcliff.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3015"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/parrottcliff.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3015"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/parrottcliff.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3015"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}