We have just started using storyboard pro for the production of a 52 episode kids TV series. We currently draw sketch storyboards in Storyboard Pro, organise them all on the timeline and then export using the Conform XML export and open that in Premiere Pro CC. This process works perfectly. We get each panel through as an image all timed up perfectly. Next our editor will do their edit moving panels around and adjusting the sound timing. During this process they will usually require a couple areas to be re-boarded. It would be great to be able to export from Premiere back to Storyboard Pro but this appears to be impossible.
I have exported an XML from Premiere. This imports into Storyboard Pro and actually brings through the timings for all of the panels but annoyingly all of the panels are blank. I have tried several methods to modify the xml but no matter what it always says the same thing.
** Warning – Sequence refers to an invalid panel (072ec2e63a0003af)
I know storyboard pro is trying to be smart and relink all of these clips to the drawings that are already in the timeline but because the XML is missing some critical data it can’t do that. If there was a way to just simply import the images used in the XML at the same time and just build a whole new timeline I would be perfectly happy with that. I think this would be the best solution but I have no way of making that happen as there doesn’t appear to be scripting access to your software. Can you possibly add this feature? Ideally I would like a proper implementation of a Premiere Pro import but this would do for now. It could even be a very simple EDL import as there would be a lot less data to parse.
So you know, I have also tried getting the editor to work within storyboard pro but the editing tools just aren’t there for this type of work.
a) There is only one timeline. A second timeline might be enough to make this work but as there’s only one there’s no way to quickly move edits around and try different things.
b) There is no bin for audio clips. This means the editor can not easily add clips, scrub through and select in and out points before bringing them into the timeline.
Please let me know if you can help in any way. We’re just working on our first storyboard now but things are going to ramp up soon and I would like to resolve this pipeline issue as soon as possible. Thanks.
Another workaround I could manage would be to import a full movie on the timeline that could be used as a reference so that the new panels would line up with the latest edit. These could then be re-exported back out to the edit.
Did you ever hear anything back on this? I just started on a new animated series and we are trying to work out all the kinks with the SBPro-Premiere-SBPro pipeline. Would love to know any tips or secrets you discovered over the length of your series.
Very sorry but I don’t believe we ever got this to work. We created the storyboard in SBPro and exported pretty well to Premiere but sending it back was impossible. From that point on the edit would be managed in Premiere and any additional storyboard frames had to be imported as patches manually. It was quite frustrating not to have a complete round-trip workflow.
Did your team ever solve this? I’m a Premiere animatic editor learning Storyboard Pro for the first time, and trying to understand how it would fit into the workflow.
Was there any solution offered by ToonBoom about this issue?
I have the same problem.
The .xml OUT of story board pro works fine.
Going the other way does not work - for me SB Pro just crashes.
I know the tutorials about conforming mentions that the premier edit must respect the limitations of SB Pro though aside from compatible file types, i’m having trouble finding out WHAT those limitations are.
At best the current work around it to import a .xml out of premier that has a series of blank jpegs that mark the time and duration of each scene. then to import a .mov of the locked
animatic into SB Pro and to re make the scenes, and re-names them. Its not great but when exporting the scenes out of SB Pro for a Harmony database it gives the animators what they need (an animatic and sound) (our scene planners genrally replace the camera that SB Pro makes, for one within Harmony as it produces a better result - so that i’m not concerned about).
Any documentation on this would be greatly appreciated.
Perhaps ToonBoom could organise a webinar for this?
Could you tell me which verison of Storyboard Pro and Premier you are using?
Is it possible to send us some example of Storyboard Pro project and result in Premier to support@toonboom.com for us to have a look?