Part of ✏️ MODULE 2: Planning & Scriptwriting with AI (Articles 6–9) in Crash Course: Starting an AI Video Generation Business from Scratch
AKA: Turning “I Kinda Have an Idea” into “Whoa, That Looks Awesome!”
Okay, pop quiz. Ever sat down with a brilliant idea for a video—like, Oscar-winning level genius in your head—but then tried to explain it to someone else and it came out like, “Uh… there’s a cat… and then… lasers?”
Yeah. Been there. 🙃
That’s where storyboarding and visual concepts come in. But let’s be real: drawing stick figures, hunting through Pinterest boards for “vibes,” or trying to sketch something when your drawing skills peaked in 4th grade? That’s a one-way ticket to creative burnout.
Enter: AI. Your new visual brainstorming buddy.
But wait—before we jump into tools and fancy features, let’s start with what really matters: why the heck this step matters in the first place.
🧠 Why Bother with Storyboards?
Let’s get something out of the way. No, storyboarding isn’t just for Pixar animators or ad agencies with million-dollar budgets. It’s for anyone who wants to…
- Save time in production
- Avoid “wait, what was this shot supposed to be again?” chaos
- Communicate ideas to clients, teammates, or your own tired brain
- Actually see what’s working before filming or animating
It’s like GPS for your video brain.
Even if your video is just a 30-second AI-generated tutorial about how to un-mute your Zoom mic (hey, we’ve all been there), having a visual roadmap makes everything smoother.
🎨 “But I Can’t Draw…” (Neither Can I, Honestly)
Good news! With AI, your “can’t draw to save my life” dilemma is irrelevant. The tools now are bananas. Like, actually bananas.
You give the AI a prompt—maybe something like:
“A person sitting at their laptop, looking stressed, surrounded by flying emails and coffee cups. Cinematic lighting. Slightly exaggerated cartoon style.”
…and BOOM. In 10 seconds, you’ve got visuals that look like someone with talent made them.
🛠️ Tools That’ll Make You Feel Like a Creative Superhero
Let’s get into the goods. Here are a few AI tools that’ll have you cranking out visuals like you’ve got a whole art department on speed dial.
- StoryboardHero
- Best for: Real storyboard layouts with text + visuals
- Why it rocks: You can describe a scene, and it’ll generate a matching image and a shot description.
- Real talk: It’s not perfect, but it saves HOURS. Especially when you’re juggling five ideas at once.
- Midjourney (via Discord)
- Best for: Mood boards, character designs, vibe checks
- Why it rocks: The creativity this tool spits out is wild. You give it a few descriptive phrases and the results are often better than what you imagined.
- Hot tip: Be specific. Saying “happy person” gives you something generic. Saying “Gen Z woman with pink hair drinking coffee on a rainy morning, cinematic lighting” = 🔥
- Pika Labs / Runway ML
- Best for: Motion storyboards or testing animation vibes
- Why it rocks: You can generate moving visuals from stills or prompts. It’s like a sneak peek into your final video.
- Heads up: It’s not Pixar yet. But it’s close enough to sell your vision.
- Canva + AI Text-to-Image
- Best for: Beginners who like drag-and-drop
- Why it rocks: Super user-friendly, and you can pair generated images with text boxes, arrows, and annotations. Great for pitching or showing to clients.
🧪 Let’s Try a Real Example, Shall We?
Say you’re making a short explainer video: “How to Use AI to Create Your First Product Demo.”
You could prompt something like:
Prompt: “A young entrepreneur standing confidently in front of a laptop, digital graphs floating behind them. Clean tech style. Bright daylight.”
Boom. You’ve got your opening scene visual.
Now continue the storyboard:
- Scene 2: Laptop screen showing AI text being typed
- Scene 3: Animation-style visuals of the AI creating a product demo
- Scene 4: Reaction shot—person looks amazed, maybe throws in a cheesy wink
See what we did? In less than five minutes, you’ve got your visual arc. And you haven’t even opened your editing software yet.
💡 Storyboarding Tips (No Fancy Art Degree Needed)
📌 Keep it rough, not perfect. You’re not building the Taj Mahal. Just communicating flow and vibe.
🧩 Think in transitions. How does one shot lead to the next? Smash cut? Fade in? Slide? Zoom?
🧠 Add emotion notes. “Excited energy here,” “slow and thoughtful tone,” “quirky moment”—these help the AI generate visuals that feel alive.
🎯 Match visual concept to your audience. Corporate client? Skip the meme-style stick figure throwing a laptop. Gen Z creator? Lean into playful, even absurd visuals.
🕺🏽 Have fun with it. Seriously. If you’re not smiling at least once while building your visuals, take a break and come back later.
🧍Anecdote Time: When I Pitched Using AI Art… And Got Laughed At
Quick story—because you need to know this stuff isn’t all roses.
A while back, I pitched a concept to a startup using AI-generated visuals. They loved the concept… until they saw the art.
“Uh, this guy’s hand has six fingers…” one said.
We laughed. It was creepy.
But here’s the thing—I was able to rapidly revise, regenerate the scene, and show them three new options in ten minutes. Try doing that with a traditional storyboard artist on a deadline.
By the end of the meeting, they were all asking which AI tools I used. 😏
Lesson? Don’t aim for perfection. Aim for clear communication. AI lets you move fast and fix later.
💬 But What If My Visuals Still Feel… Off?
Totally normal. AI isn’t perfect (yet), and honestly, neither are we. Sometimes the output feels “meh.” So what do you do?
Here’s your creative Band-Aid kit:
- Try a different prompt – Add style words like “flat illustration,” “cinematic,” or “90s retro.”
- Use analogies – “Make this scene look like a Wes Anderson movie.” Boom. Tone shift.
- Mash tools – Create art in Midjourney, clean it up in Canva, animate it in Runway. Frankenstein that baby.
- Crowdsource feedback – Show a friend. Ask: “Does this match the mood I’m going for?” You’ll be shocked how helpful one outside opinion can be.
❤️ Final Thoughts (and a Little Pep Talk)
Look, storyboarding with AI isn’t just about the visuals. It’s about making your ideas real. Giving shape to what’s in your head. Reducing that terrifying creative fog to something you can point to and say, “Yeah, that. That’s what I meant.”
You don’t have to be Da Vinci. You just have to start.
The tools will catch up with your imagination. And honestly? You’re going to get better with every storyboard you create—wonky fingers and all.
Whether it’s a three-frame sketch or a 20-scene masterpiece, use AI as your creative co-pilot. Let it take the pressure off. Let it fill the blank page. Let it surprise you.
And if all else fails? Just start with a cat and some lasers. Works every time. 😸
Bonus: Want Some Prompt Templates?
Let me know—I can drop a printable cheat sheet with killer storyboard prompt templates for Midjourney, Pika, and Canva. You’ll be churning out killer visuals faster than your brain can say “Wait, what was I trying to make again?”
Let’s make your ideas look as good as they sound.