Turn any collection of images or video frames into a smooth, timed diaporama — instantly. StoryBoard Express generates slideshow animatics with transitions and configurable shot durations, entirely in your browser.
▶ Create your diaporama — freeA diaporama (from the Greek dia — through — and horama — spectacle) is a sequence of images displayed in order, each for a set duration, often with transitions between them. Originally referring to slide projector shows, the term now covers any timed image sequence — from family photo slideshows to professional film animatics.
In the film world, a diaporama made from storyboard panels is called an animatic: a rough video that lets you feel the timing and rhythm of a sequence before you shoot it.
In StoryBoard Express, creating a diaporama is simple: add your images or video frames to the storyboard canvas, set a global shot duration (or configure each panel individually), choose a fade length, and hit Slideshow · Animatic. Your diaporama plays instantly in the browser — or export it as a full-quality MP4 video to share.
The whole process takes under two minutes. No video editing software, no account, no cost.
StoryBoard Express goes further than a basic slideshow tool: it lets you extract frames from a video using AI cut detection, then immediately use those frames as your diaporama source. Drop a film clip, detect its cuts in seconds, and generate a diaporama of the key frames — useful for film analysis, pre-production planning, or content review.
You can also build a diaporama from AI-generated panels. Describe each shot in a text prompt, generate photorealistic frames with an AI image model, and add them to your storyboard sequence. The result is a concept animatic for a project you haven't yet filmed — ideal for pitching to clients or collaborators before production begins.
Duration is what makes or breaks a diaporama's pacing. As a starting point: 2–3 seconds per image works well for a fast-moving highlight reel, 4–6 seconds suits a standard photo slideshow where viewers need time to actually look at each image, and 6 seconds or more suits detail-heavy images — architecture, product shots, or storyboard panels with dense annotations. Mixed pacing works too: hold on an important image longer than the ones around it to give it visual weight, the same way an editor holds on a key shot in a finished film.
While StoryBoard Express is built around film and video workflows, the diaporama tool itself is format-agnostic: photographers use it to sequence a shoot into a client-facing slideshow, architects and interior designers use it to walk through a set of renders in order, and product teams use it to turn a set of screenshots into a quick walkthrough video. Anywhere a sequence of images needs to be shown in order, with control over timing, a diaporama does the job — no film production background required.
StoryBoard Express is entirely free — no subscription, no sign-up. Create as many diaporamas as you want, export them as MP4 or preview them inline, and share the result with your team. The app works offline as a PWA after the first load.
In practice: none, for most filmmaking purposes. A diaporama is timed images. An animatic is a diaporama made from storyboard panels, with shot descriptions. StoryBoard Express generates both — the same export engine powers both the family slideshow and the professional pre-production animatic.