Storyboarding app Previs Pro 3 adds animatics and a free edition
Previs Pro has released Previs Pro 3, the latest version of its intuitive storyboarding app for indie directors, cinematographers, VFX artists and animators.
The update adds a new toolset for creating animatics, an AI-assisted scene lighting system, and a new free edition of the app.
An intuitive tool for creating 3D storyboards for films, animations or VFX productions
First released in 2020, Previs Pro is intended to be an intuitive way to create storyboards for films, TV, animations or VFX projects, either on iPhones and iPads or desktop Macs.
Users can import scripts from screenwriting software Final Draft, then create matching storyboard images by moving characters and props around in a 3D set.
It comes with customizable readymade characters, of a range of ages and skin colors, plus a range of readymade full-body poses and facial expressions.
The software can also pose characters automatically to match a real-world reference image.
Props can be added from the built-in library, or users can import their own 3D assets, or generate models from text descriptions using Prop Gen, a generative AI toolset.
Users can then add lights, and set camera types and positions, while an augmented reality mode can be used for location scouting.
Storyboards can be exported in JPG, PNG or PDF format, in a range of layouts, or storyboard images can be exported directly to production-planning tools like StudioBinder and Celtx.
The app has been used on well-known shows including Our Flag Means Death and Riverdale.
Previs Pro 3: new toolsets for creating animatics and apply AI-generated lighting schemes
Key changes in Previs Pro 3 include the option to create simple animatics, animating cameras, actors, props and lighting, and exporting the animatic in MP4 format.
The update also introduces Light Grade, a new toolset for adjusting the lighting of a scene.
Users can apply presets representing common lighting scenarios and times of day, or use generative AI to create custom lighting set-ups matching natural-language descriptions.
New free edition for students and indie projects
Previs Pro has also introduced a new free version of the app.
Export is restricted to a single animatic per project, and exported 2D files are watermarked, but it looks like a workable option for students and indie projects.
Updated 22 September: The online FAQs for the free edition also mentioned restrictions to the accompanying asset library, but Previs Pro tells us that these relate to the old trial edition.
Price and system requirements
Previs Pro 3 is compatible with iOS 17.0+, iPadOS 17.0+ and macOS 17.0+. The free version watermarks 2D images, and is restricted to one exported animatic per project.
Subscriptions for the commercial version cost $39.99/month or $179.99/year.
Lifetime access costs $399.99, and includes all future updates to the software, although services processed in the cloud, like generative AI, may have usage-based costs in the future.
Read more about the new features in Previs Pro 3
Read more about Previs Pro on the product website
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