How do I turn a storyboard into an animatic with AI?
Ask an agent connected to the FLORA MCP to lay your storyboard frames on a FLORA timeline, give each frame a duration, and render it. The agent writes the edit as a timeline document and FLORA renders an MP4. Our five-frame, 12.5-second animatic rendered for $0.04 with no frames redrawn.
Key takeaways
- An animatic is the storyboard played at the speed of the final film, so you can judge timing before paying for video.
- The agent builds the cut on a FLORA timeline: one image item per frame, each with a start frame and a length.
- Our five-frame animatic rendered to a 12.54-second, 1280 x 720, 24 fps MP4 for $0.04.
- No generation is needed: the timeline reuses the frames already on the canvas.
- Retiming a shot means changing one number in the timeline and rendering again.
At a glance
| What it does | Cuts storyboard frames into a timed video rough cut |
|---|---|
| Works in | Claude, ChatGPT, Claude Code, Cursor, Codex and other MCP clients |
| Tool | FLORA timeline (video editor), no generation model |
| Inputs | Storyboard frames with image links, and a duration per shot |
| Outputs | MP4 at the composition size and frame rate you set |
| Typical cost | $0.04 for a 12.5-second render |
| Typical time | Seconds to render once the timeline is saved |
What you need
- An agent with the FLORA MCP installed. Install steps are in the FLORA MCP docs.
- Storyboard frames on a FLORA canvas or at public links. If you only have a script, make the storyboard first.
- A rough length for each shot, in seconds.
Best for
- Checking the pacing of a spot before spending on video generation
- Showing a client the flow of a film with nothing but drawings
- Timing voiceover and music against picture early
- Deciding which shots deserve a generated video clip
Step by step
Step 1: List the frames and their timing
Give the agent the frames in order and how long each should hold. A 30-second spot rarely gives every shot the same length: establishing shots hold longer, inserts are short.
Make an animatic from the five storyboard frames on my FLORA canvas, in shot order. Hold shot 1 for 3 seconds, shot 2 for 2, shot 3 for 2.5, shot 4 for 2 and shot 5 for 3. 1280 x 720 at 24 fps.Step 2: Let the agent write the timeline
The agent reads the frame links from the canvas, then adds a timeline node with one image item per frame. Each item has a start frame and a length in frames, so 3 seconds at 24 fps is 72 frames. Ask it to read the saved timeline back before rendering.
Step 3: Render and watch it at full speed
The agent runs the timeline node, waits for the render and returns the MP4 link. Watch it straight through without pausing. A shot that feels long here will feel long in the final film.
Step 4: Retime, then render again
Change durations in plain words and the agent edits the same timeline. Add a music or voiceover track when you have one, so the cut follows the beat.
Shorten shot 3 to 1.5 seconds, hold shot 5 for 4 seconds, and render the animatic again.
What happened when we turned a storyboard into an animatic in FLORA?
On October 16, 2026, we cut the five pencil storyboard frames from our script-to-storyboard run into an animatic. The frames were already on the FLORA canvas as 1280 x 720 PNGs.
The agent called flora_add_to_canvas with one timeline node: 24 fps, 1280 x 720, one track, and five image items lasting 72, 48, 60, 48 and 72 frames (3, 2, 2.5, 2 and 3 seconds). Each item pointed at an image asset with the frame's media.flora.ai link, width, height and mime type. We left out item geometry, so FLORA fitted each frame to the composition. The agent then started the render with flora_run_canvas_nodes and read the finished run with flora_list_generations.
The render came back as a 12.54-second MP4, 1280 x 720 at 24 fps, and the run was charged $0.04. A frame strip taken every 2 seconds showed each shot in order, full frame, with no letterboxing or cropping.
What went wrong: the cut is hard cuts between still drawings with a silent audio track, so the pacing is hard to judge without sound. The fix is to add a temp music or voiceover track as an audio item on its own track before rendering. If a shot has a camera move, set the frame's top, left, width and height to crop in slightly, or animate that one frame into a short clip.
- Tool
- FLORA timeline (video editor)
- Tools called
- flora_add_to_canvas, flora_run_canvas_nodes, flora_list_generations
- Cost
- $0.04 for the render
- Output
- 12.54 s, 1280 x 720, 24 fps MP4
| Shot | Holds for | Frames at 24 fps | Starts at frame |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1: baker at the oven | 3 s | 72 | 0 |
| 2: hand wipes the window | 2 s | 48 | 72 |
| 3: cyclist stops outside | 2.5 s | 60 | 120 |
| 4: bag across the counter | 2 s | 48 | 180 |
| 5: the street wakes up | 3 s | 72 | 228 |
Still animatic or animated shots: pros and cons
Pros
- Still frames on a timeline: renders in seconds for cents, with no generation spend.
- Still frames: retiming is free apart from the render.
- Animated shots: shows camera moves and action, closer to the final film.
- Animated shots: the clips can carry straight into the final edit.
Cons
- Still frames: no motion inside a shot, so a camera move has to be imagined or faked with a crop.
- Animated shots: each clip is a paid video generation that takes minutes, so lock the timing first.
- Both: no sound unless you add an audio track to the timeline.
What is the difference between a storyboard and an animatic?
A storyboard is the frames side by side. An animatic plays them in time, each frame held for as long as its shot will last, often with temp sound. It answers a question a storyboard cannot: does the film feel the right length?
Can I add music or voiceover to the animatic?
Yes. The FLORA timeline takes audio items on their own track, from an audio file link or a generated voiceover. Put picture and sound on separate tracks so you can retime one without the other.
When should I swap stills for video clips?
Once the timing holds. Animate the approved frames one shot at a time with an image-to-video model, then replace each still on the timeline with its clip. The edit stays the same; only the media changes.
Frequently asked questions
How much does an animatic cost to render in FLORA?
Our 12.5-second, five-frame animatic was charged $0.04 for the render. No image or video generation was needed because the frames already existed.
Do I need video editing software?
No. The agent builds the edit on a FLORA timeline and renders the MP4. You can open the same timeline in FLORA's editor to adjust it by hand.
What frame rate should an animatic use?
Use the frame rate of the final film, usually 24 fps, so the shot lengths carry over without conversion.