AI storyboard
Storyboard with AI, frame by frame
Write your shot list and Root's image models draw each frame, using reference images to keep the same characters from one frame to the next. A frame that keeps your characters costs from $0.04, so a 12-frame board starts at $0.48. When the board is right, each frame becomes the first frame of a moving shot.
Updated
First month free on the Beginner plan, with 650 credits to try any model.
Shots made from a plan in Root
What a storyboard costs
The image models that take reference images, which are what keep a character the same in every frame. One frame at the model's standard size, and a board of 12 frames, if every frame works first time. 100 credits is $1.
| Image model | Reference images | One frame | 12 frames |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nano Banana Pro | Yes | $0.16 | $1.92 |
| Nano Banana | Yes | $0.05 | $0.60 |
| GPT Image 2 | Up to 8 | $0.25 | $3.00 |
| GPT Image 2.5 Flare | Up to 8 | $0.07 | $0.84 |
| GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst | Up to 8 | $0.07 | $0.84 |
| Seedream 5.0 Pro | Up to 10 | $0.06 | $0.72 |
| Seedream 5.0 Lite | Up to 14 | $0.05 | $0.60 |
| Seedream 4.5 | Up to 14 | $0.05 | $0.60 |
| Seedream 4.0 | Up to 14 | $0.04 | $0.48 |
| FLUX.2 [max] | Yes | $0.12 | $1.44 |
| FLUX.2 [pro] | Yes | $0.06 | $0.72 |
How to storyboard with AI in Root
- Write the shot list. One line per frame: who is in it, what happens, and the shot: wide, medium or close, and where the camera is.
- Make the references. Make a sheet for each character and a picture of each place. These go into every frame, so they come first.
- Draw the frames. Add an Image Gen node per frame, wire in the references it needs, and write the line from your shot list. Seedream 5.0 Lite, Seedream 4.5 and Seedream 4.0 take up to 14 references in one frame.
- Pick the takes. Run each frame two or three times and keep the one that tells the shot best. Every take is kept, so you can change your mind.
Frames that cut together
- Wire the same character and place references into every frame they appear in.
- Name the shot size and the camera in each prompt: “wide shot, low angle”, “close-up, over the shoulder”.
- Keep the words for light and time of day the same across a scene, so the frames match.
- For a widescreen film, the four Seedream models and both FLUX.2 models make frames in a cinema ratio (21:9).
- Need a title card or a sign the audience must read? Ideogram v3 is the image model for words and lettering.
From board to moving shots
Each frame is a still. Wire it into a Video Gen node's init input and it becomes the first frame of a shot. Here is the 12-frame board turned into 12 moving shots.
| Step | Model | How many | Each | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frames | Seedream 4.0 | 12 | $0.04 | $0.48 |
| Shots from the frames, 5 s, 720p, no sound | Kling 3.0 Omni | 12 | $0.49 | $5.88 |
| Board and shots | $6.36 |
Related guides
AI storyboard questions
How much does an AI storyboard cost?
On Root you pay per frame. A frame that keeps your characters costs from $0.04 (Seedream 4.0), so a 12-frame board starts at $0.48. Allow for a few takes of each frame.
Can AI keep the same character in every frame?
Yes, with reference images. Make a sheet of the character first and wire it into every frame. Every model in the table above takes references; Seedream 5.0 Lite, Seedream 4.5 and Seedream 4.0 take the most, up to 14 in one frame.
What is the best AI storyboard generator?
One that keeps your cast the same and turns frames into shots without leaving the project. The 11 image models in the table above draw the frames, from $0.04 a frame, and Root's video models turn each frame into a moving shot.
Can I turn a storyboard into an animatic?
Yes. Put the frames on Root's timeline in order, hold each from 0.2 to 30 seconds, and export for free. The AI previs guide covers the animatic, with test clips and a 3D layout.
Can I turn storyboard frames into video?
Yes. Wire a frame into a Video Gen node as the first frame and describe the movement. A 5-second shot from a frame with Kling 3.0 Omni is $0.49.
Can I make storyboard frames from ChatGPT or Claude?
Yes. These image models run in the Root app, by API, and from Claude and ChatGPT, so you can ask for a frame in a chat and it is saved to your Root project.
Can I try AI storyboarding for free?
For a month, yes. The first month of Root's Beginner plan is free and comes with 650 credits, enough for 162 storyboard frames with Seedream 4.0. After that the plan is $9 a month, and you can cancel whenever you like.
Try Root free for a month
The first month of the Beginner plan is free and comes with 650 credits to spend on any model. After that it's $9 a month, and you can cancel whenever you like.