# Storyboard view

The Compose-mode bottom panel's default view. Every shot in the project rendered as a card – thumbnail, name, duration. Shots group by scene; scenes collapse to keep the layout scannable on big projects.

![Compose mode with the Storyboard tab active at the bottom, showing scene-grouped shot thumbnails](/files/mdbtPS3vrvqDkcIgzolF)

## What it does

The storyboard answers a different question than the [Sequence Timeline](/compose/timeline.md). The timeline tells you "what plays in what order over time"; the storyboard tells you "what shots exist in this project, grouped by where they live". For early-stage layout, the storyboard is the right view – you're not yet thinking about the cut, you're thinking about coverage.

## How to use it

Each shot card shows:

* **Thumbnail** – the framing visible in the shot's camera.
* **Name** – set in [Shot details](/compose/shot-details.md).
* **Duration** – how long the shot runs in the sequence.
* **Ellipsis (⋯) menu** – duplicate, delete, edit details.

Scenes group their shots together with a header showing the scene name and shot count. Click the header to collapse the scene; useful when a project has many scenes and you want to focus on one.

### Reordering

Drag a shot card to reorder within its scene group.

### Adding a shot

Add a shot via the camera **+** icon below the viewport (see [Shots](/compose/shots.md)). The new shot snapshots the current viewport framing and joins the active scene.

### Deleting a shot

Click a card's ellipsis (⋯) menu → **Delete**. Confirms before removing. A deleted shot can be recovered with `Cmd+Z` immediately, but not after the next significant action.

## Storyboard vs Sequence

```mermaid
flowchart LR
    A[Storyboard view] -->|shows| B[Every shot, grouped by scene]
    A -->|optimized for| C[Coverage and layout]
    D[Sequence Timeline] -->|shows| E[Shots laid out in time]
    D -->|optimized for| F[The cut]
```

The two views show the same shots but optimize for different work. Use the storyboard when you're authoring shots; use the sequence when you're cutting.

## When to reach for it

* **Early in a project**, when you're figuring out what shots you need.
* **When deleting or reorganizing shots** – the card layout makes accidental deletes less likely than the timeline's compact strip.
* **When sharing a project with someone** for review – the storyboard reads more naturally than the timeline at first glance.
* **When working on coverage**, where each shot is a distinct moment and you're checking that you've got all the angles.

## Common mistakes

* **Treating it as the cut.** The storyboard shows shots in their authored order, not their sequence order. Use the [Sequence Timeline](/compose/timeline.md) for what plays first.
* **Reordering when you mean re-sequencing.** Dragging a card in the storyboard moves it within its scene's authoring order; dragging in the timeline changes the playback order. Make sure you're in the right view for what you mean to change.

## Limits and known issues

* **No multi-select reordering.** Drag one shot card at a time.
* **Scene-collapse state is per-session.** When you collapse a scene group, the collapsed state doesn't persist across project reloads. Reopen the project and every scene shows expanded again.

## Related

* [Shots](/compose/shots.md)
* [Timeline](/compose/timeline.md)
* [Shot details](/compose/shot-details.md)
* [Projects and scenes](/overview/concepts/projects-and-scenes.md)


---

# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://help.intangible.ai/compose/storyboard-view.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.