Boarding basics: animatic, previs or clip

A board can move on three ways: as an animatic that times the panels, as previs that roughs out motion, or as generated clips that replace the panels with video. From 8 source pages, read 2026-09-25 to 2026-10-25; no maker pays to be listed.

Each answers a different question. An animatic checks length, previs checks staging, clips are the product.

Tools built for pre-production lean to animatics; tools built for finished video go straight to clips.

1Examples from the catalogue

make final edits, and generate vertical videos optimized for TikTok, Reels, Shorts

AI Drama Generator, front page

Generate video animatics and export for production

Boords, AI storyboard generator page

Chat your ideas, generate beautiful storyboards, and render full video—all in one seamless workspace

DirectStudio AI, home page

• Step 3
  Storyboards feed the final video generation of vertical episodesgenerate your dramaAI Drama Generator, front page / recorded 2026-09-25
• Produce
  Frames are turned into video animatics with audio to test pacing, exported as MP4Boords, AI storyboard generator page / recorded 2026-09-25
• Overview
  The storyboard is rendered to full video in the same workspaceDirectStudio AI, home page / recorded 2026-09-25
• Step 6
  When storyboards are ready, the video is edited online and the anime exportededit and exportElser AI, anime movie generator page / recorded 2026-09-25
• Step 3
  Storyboards export as an animatic video; the studio also generates video from scriptscustomize, export and shareFrameo.AI, AI storyboard generator page / recorded 2026-09-25
• Keep your cast consistent
  Up to 50 references, images, video or audio, keep the same character, product or visual style in every sceneHiggsfield, movie generator tool / recorded 2026-10-25
• FAQ
  Storyboards and videos keep characters consistent; a character or only its voice can be replacedwhat is KatalistKatalist, front page questions / recorded 2026-09-25
• Projects
  Each project connects its Storyboard to a Gen Space for video and a Timeline for editingLTX Studio blog, feature round-up / since 2026-01-22 / checked 2026-09-25

2A board that becomes video

Between the script and the video in “Animatic, previs or clip”, SceneMixer hands back the following, in its own words:

Typically 60–120 seconds, always 9:16 vertical, ending on a hook. SceneMixer's episode outlines are generated with that pacing, and setting a project to 9:16 makes every segment vertical (the default is 16:9).

SceneMixer, How to Make ReelShort-Style Dramas with AI — “How long is a ReelShort-style episode?” (read 2026-10-13)

Paste a scene or a short script and SceneMixer gives you a storyboard — numbered shots with framing and seconds — and then a moving version of each segment, which you can join into a rough cut of the scene.

SceneMixer, Using SceneMixer for Previs and Animatics Before a Live-Action Shoot (read 2026-10-13)

3Further basics

• when a board has to leave the tool
• a script that boards cleanly

The examples come from what vendors published on their own pages; the tools were not run.