Free printable
Storyboard template for video: free printable sheets for 16:9 and vertical 9:16
Short answer
A storyboard is a row of drawn panels, one per shot, with the action, the voice line, the on-screen text and the seconds written next to each. Download the six-panel sheet below (16:9 for YouTube and landscape, 9:16 for TikTok, Reels and Shorts, in US Letter or A4), write the seconds first, and check that they add up to your target runtime. The 9:16 sheet draws the combined safe box inside every frame, so you can see where text and faces can sit before you film.
Key takeaways
- Four sheets: 16:9 and 9:16, each in US Letter and A4, six panels per page. Print two pages for twelve shots.
- Every panel has a seconds box, so the runtime is arithmetic you can check, not a feeling.
- The 9:16 sheet marks the combined TikTok, Reels and Shorts safe box (15% top, 35% bottom, 11.1% left, 17.8% right) inside each frame.
- A filled-in 27-second example shows what to write in each field. Stick figures and boxes are enough; the sheet is a plan, not artwork.
Which storyboard template should I download?
Pick the shape of the video you will publish, then the paper you own. All four sheets have the same fields; only the frame shape, the page size and the safe box differ. If one video goes to YouTube and to Shorts, make the vertical version: you can crop a vertical plan to landscape more easily than the other way round (our suggestion, not a platform rule).
| Sheet | Frame | Layout | Use it for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16:9, US Letter or A4 | 16:9 landscape | 2 columns x 3 rows, notes beside each frame | YouTube videos, explainers, ads, music videos |
| 9:16, US Letter or A4 | 9:16 vertical with dashed safe box | 3 columns x 2 rows, notes beside each frame | TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts |
Each size comes as a PNG (below, with a download link) and as a vector PDF. The PDFs sit at the web addresses listed under the downloads. Print at 100% or "actual size"; "fit to page" shrinks the frames slightly and the 9:16 safe box with them. We have not test-printed the sheets on a physical printer, only checked the page size and margins in the files (see Limits).
https://koldflux.com/hub-media/storyboard-template/storyboard-template-16x9-letter.pdf
https://koldflux.com/hub-media/storyboard-template/storyboard-template-9x16-letter.pdf
https://koldflux.com/hub-media/storyboard-template/storyboard-template-16x9-a4.pdf
https://koldflux.com/hub-media/storyboard-template/storyboard-template-9x16-a4.pdf
What is a storyboard, and what is it for?
A storyboard is a visual plan of a video: a sequence of panels, each showing one shot, with notes underneath. Third-party guides (Wyzowl, Vyond, Boords, read October 25, 2026) describe it the same way and compare it to a comic strip with camera and sound notes.
It is for deciding before you film. Writing "3 s, close-up, text: Kettle doing this?" next to a rough box shows you in five minutes that the hook is too slow or that panel four is eight seconds of nothing. Fixing that on paper costs nothing; fixing it after the shoot costs a reshoot.
How do I make a storyboard for a video, step by step?
This is our method, built from the common steps in the guides above. Boords says advanced templates add a timing field; the seconds-first rule and the add-up check are our own addition. Step 3 is the one that saves most work.
- Write the one-line goal and the target runtime at the top (for example "27 seconds, show how to descale a kettle"). Fill the Project, Platform and Runtime fields.
- Break your script into shots. One new place, angle or action is one new shot, so one new panel. Do not try to fit two actions into one frame.
- Write the seconds for every panel before you draw anything. Add them up and compare with the target runtime; cut or merge panels until they match.
- Sketch each frame with boxes and stick figures. Mark where the subject sits and where text will go. On the 9:16 sheet, keep text and faces inside the dashed box.
- Fill the four lines: shot and angle, action, voice or dialogue, text on screen. Add the sound or music line on the vertical sheet.
- Read the board aloud against a timer. If a voice line cannot be spoken in its panel's seconds, shorten the line or lengthen the panel.
- Show it to one other person before you film and change what confuses them. Then shoot in the order that suits the location, not the panel order, and tick each panel off.
What does a filled-in storyboard look like?
Here is a complete 9:16 board for a fictional 27-second how-to, "How to descale a kettle", written and drawn by us for this page. It has six panels of 3, 4, 5, 8, 4 and 3 seconds. Panel 1 and panel 6 use the same angle so the before and after compare directly. Panel 4 is the longest because it is a timer shot with a voice line over it.
| Panel | Shot | Seconds | Voice line |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Close-up, kettle inside | 3 | That white crust is limescale. |
| 2 | Medium, countertop | 4 | Fill it halfway, half water, half vinegar. |
| 3 | Close-up, kettle on base | 5 | Heat it, then switch it off. |
| 4 | Static, timer overlay | 8 | Leave it for half an hour. |
| 5 | Over the shoulder | 4 | Rinse, boil plain water once, pour it away. |
| 6 | Close-up, clean plate | 3 | Same kettle, no crust. |
| Total | 27 |
The script and shots are an invented example to show the format. It is not cleaning advice; the on-screen "Check the manual" in panel 2 is there because a real video should tell viewers to follow their kettle maker's instructions.
How many panels and how many seconds should each panel get?
Panels are shots, so they are not equal in length: a hook can be 2 seconds and a demonstration 8. What you can calculate is the average. Divide the target runtime by the number of panels, then adjust the long and short ones around it.
| Target runtime | Panels | Average per panel | Sheets to print |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 s | 6 | 2.5 s | 1 |
| 30 s | 6 | 5 s | 1 |
| 30 s | 10 | 3 s | 2 |
| 60 s | 12 | 5 s | 2 |
| 180 s (Shorts maximum) | 24 | 7.5 s | 4 |
The averages are plain arithmetic (runtime divided by panels) and the panel counts are our suggestion for a first draft, not a rule. The 180 s row uses YouTube's published Shorts maximum of up to 3 minutes (YouTube Help, read October 25, 2026). We did not find an official recommended number of shots per second for any platform.
How is a vertical 9:16 storyboard different?
The frame is tall, and the apps cover part of it. On a 1080x1920 frame, the combined TikTok, Reels and Shorts safe box leaves 288 px (15%) free at the top, 672 px (35%) at the bottom, 120 px (11.1%) on the left and 192 px (17.8%) on the right. The vertical sheet draws exactly that box inside each frame, so you plan captions and faces before filming rather than discovering a hidden caption in the edit.
The numbers come from the platforms' own ad safe zone pages (TikTok Ads Help, Meta Ads Guide and Google Ads Help, read October 3, 2026) and apply to ads; organic layouts can differ a little, so treat the box as a conservative guide. For the per-platform numbers and transparent overlays for your editor, use the safe zone templates linked below.
Free tool:Safe zone calculator
What should I write in each panel field?
- Sec: whole seconds for this shot. Add them for the runtime.
- Shot / angle: shot size and viewpoint in a few words (close-up, medium, wide; over the shoulder, top-down, static). Keep it to the line.
- Action: what happens, in the order it happens. Use verbs ("pours", "tilts down"), not adjectives.
- Voice / dialogue: the exact words spoken in that panel. If it does not fit the lines, it will not fit the seconds.
- Text on screen: the exact caption or overlay. On the vertical sheet, check that it sits inside the dashed box and fits on one or two lines.
- Sound / music (vertical sheet): sound effects and where music starts or ends.
What is the difference between a storyboard, a shot list, a script and an animatic?
| Document | What it is | Use it when |
|---|---|---|
| Script | The spoken words and scene text | You know what to say but not what to show |
| Storyboard | Panels with shots, action, voice, text and seconds | You want to see the video before filming it |
| Shot list | A checklist of shots to capture, in shooting order | You are on location and need to tick shots off |
| Animatic | Storyboard panels edited with the voice and timing into a rough video | You want to test pacing and timing, not just layout |
Definitions follow the common usage in the third-party guides above. A storyboard sheet becomes a shot list when you re-order the panels by location; an animatic is made by photographing the panels and placing them on an editing timeline with the voice recorded over them, which we have not tested here.
Does this template work for music videos, explainers, ads, motion graphics, comics and UX flows?
It fits music videos, explainer videos, TV or social ads and motion graphics, because all of them are a sequence of timed shots: set the Sec box per shot and use the sound line for the track. Print as many pages as you need and number panels continuously.
It does not fit comic books (the page layout and panel sizes vary) or UX storyboards (these show a user's journey through screens, so the frames are screens and the notes are user goals and pain points). For long films with hundreds of shots, or teams that need comments and approvals, a dedicated storyboard app such as Boords, Storyboarder or StudioBinder will serve you better than a printed sheet. We have not compared these apps hands-on.
Do I need to be able to draw?
No. Boxes, stick figures and arrows show framing and movement, which is all a storyboard has to do. If you cannot draw a scene, take a phone photo of the location, print it small, and glue it into the frame, or write the shot in words and mark the subject with an X. Our example is stick-figure level on purpose.
Limits and how we checked
- Built by code: all four sheets and the example are generated from one layout function, so the printed PDF and the PNG share the same frames and margins.
- Tested by us on October 25, 2026: 14 automated checks pass (frame ratios exactly 16:9 and 9:16, six numbered panels per page, every note field fits inside its cell, the PDFs open and have the right page size, the safe box matches 15%, 35%, 11.1% and 17.8%). The log is shipped with the files.
- Not tested: printing on a physical printer, filling the PNGs in a drawing app, and the optional animatic workflow. Printer margins vary; the sheets keep 28 points (0.39 inch) free around the page.
- The safe box percentages come from platform ad guidance read October 3, 2026 and may change. The example video, its timings and its script are invented by us for the format; they are not tested instructions.
- We found no official platform guidance on storyboarding or shots per second, so the panel counts above are suggestions.
What should I do next?
| Situation | What to check |
|---|---|
| Seconds add up to more than the target | Merge two shots or cut the least useful panel; do not speed up the voice |
| A voice line is longer than its panel | Read it aloud with a timer; shorten the line or add seconds |
| Text sits outside the dashed box | Move it in, or shorten it; the app buttons will cover it |
| You will post one video on several platforms | Use the 9:16 sheet and the combined safe box |
| Storyboard done | Plan the posting dates next with the content calendar template |
Do it in your browser
Free Koldflux tool, no account needed.
Questions people ask
How many panels should a storyboard have?
For a short video, six to twelve. Six panels cover a 15 to 30 second clip at 2.5 to 5 seconds each on average; print a second sheet for longer videos. These counts are our suggestion, not a platform rule.
Can I print these storyboard templates?
Yes. They are free PNG and PDF files in US Letter and A4. Print at 100% (actual size), not "fit to page".
Is there a vertical storyboard template for TikTok, Reels and Shorts?
Yes. The 9:16 sheet has six vertical frames with the combined safe box drawn inside each: 15% top, 35% bottom, 11.1% left and 17.8% right.
What should a storyboard template include?
At least the frame, a panel number, the seconds, the shot and angle, the action, the voice or dialogue and the on-screen text. Our sheets have all of these, plus a sound line on the vertical sheet.
What is the difference between a storyboard and a shot list?
A storyboard shows each shot as a picture with notes so you can judge the video before filming. A shot list is a checklist of shots in shooting order. You can turn a storyboard into a shot list by reordering it by location.
Do I have to draw well to make a storyboard?
No. Boxes, stick figures and arrows are enough to show framing and movement.
Is a storyboard template in Word or Google Docs available?
We only provide PNG and PDF. Open the PNG in any editor and place it as a background image if you want to type into it; we have not tested that.
Related
Sources and how we checked
- YouTube Help: Shorts length (up to 3 minutes) (checked 2026-10-25)
- TikTok Auction In-Feed Ads: Safe zone files (TikTok Ads Help) (checked 2026-10-03)
- Sales Video Ad Specs on Instagram Reels (Meta Ads Guide) (checked 2026-10-03)
- About video ad specs: vertical Safe Zone overlay (Google Ads Help) (checked 2026-10-03)
- Wyzowl: What is a storyboard and how do you make one (third-party) (checked 2026-10-25)
- Vyond: What is a storyboard and how do you create one (third-party) (checked 2026-10-25)
- Boords: Free storyboard templates (third-party) (checked 2026-10-25)
The sheets and the example are generated by a script from one layout, then checked by 14 automated tests (frame ratios, panel numbers, field fit, PDF page size, safe box percentages). We read the top results for "storyboard" and "storyboard template" (Wyzowl, Vyond, Boords) on October 25, 2026: they explain the steps, and Boords offers templates (including a 9:16 aspect ratio and a timing field). None of the three pages mentions a safe zone (we searched the page text), and none works through a runtime check with seconds per panel. Platform numbers are from official help pages with the dates shown; everything else is labeled as our suggestion.