What’s new

Gutter Cutter is a free tool for roughing out a comic page: you draw the gaps between panels and download the layout to draw over.

Panel builder

• Drag across the page to cut it into panels, then move, tilt or widen a gutter and the panels on both sides change with it
• American and Manga panel styles, six page sizes and seven templates to start from
• Join two panels, run a panel off the edge of the page, round the corners, or add frames that sit on top of the grid
• Download PNG saves the page at 300 DPI with bleed, the panel borders on a transparent background
• No account is needed, and your layout is kept in your browser
• It is at Panel Builder, next to Guides at the top of the site

You can write, preview and download a script without an account, and a comic’s page turns open on a phone held sideways.

Editor

• A draft written without an account is saved in your browser as you type, and it previews, turns pages and downloads like a saved script
• Sign In, in the editor, keeps the draft on Storyboon without leaving the page
• In a comic, Alt+3 opens a list of SFX, CAPTION and the script’s names, and a pick types the name for you
• Clicking a name that is already on a line opens the same list to change who speaks
• The line you are on shows its # and ## marks as text, so they can be typed over or deleted
• On a phone, Cue opens the list of names, and the key row shows only on an empty line
• When a script is changed in another tab or on another device, the editor and the preview offer to reload it and keep your place

Page turns

• Page turns open on a phone held sideways, and a swipe turns the page
• An inset panel is drawn over the panel before it, where its note says to put it

Privacy

• A script’s address shows its title to you alone; for anyone else the page is not found

The phone keyboard fixes now work in more phone browsers.

Editor

• In Chrome on an iPhone, and in phone browsers that shrink the page for the keyboard, the bar of icons steps aside while the keyboard is open, as it already did in Safari and from the home screen

Fixes for the editor’s keys and bars on a phone.

Editor

• Scrolling to the top of a script no longer pulls the Page, Panel, Beat and Cue keys up the screen
• The bar of icons stays out of the way for as long as the keyboard is open, including while you scroll
• The keys and marks card opens over the four keys instead of behind them

Adding Storyboon to an iPhone home screen gives it the Storyboon icon and name.

Site

• The home screen shortcut shows the Storyboon mark instead of a picture of the page, and is named Storyboon

On a phone, the editor gives the keyboard more of the screen.

Editor

• While the keyboard is open, the bar of icons at the foot of the screen steps aside and the Page, Panel, Beat and Cue keys sit right on the keyboard. The icons come back when you close it
• Those four keys float over your script instead of sitting on a strip

Clicking outside the note you have open now closes it.

Notes

• Click anywhere outside the open note, in your notes panel or on a shared script, and it closes. On a phone, the panel goes back to the full list
• A note a reader is still writing stays open, so a stray click doesn’t lose it

Seen and cleared notes are marked with an icon instead of a line of text.

Notes

• A reader’s note you’ve seen shows a tick where your own tick sits. One you’ve cleared shows an archive box, since you can put it back
• Clearing a note uses the archive box too

You can mark a reader’s note as seen or clear it from your list, and the reader can see which of their notes you’ve read.

Notes

• Ticking a note marks it seen and folds it down to one line. Press it to open it again
• The × clears a note off your list. Cleared notes collect at the foot of their round, and you can put one back
• The count on the notes button shows only the notes you haven’t got to yet

Reading a shared script

• Your notes say when the writer has seen or cleared them, and those notes can no longer be changed or withdrawn. Come back to the page and it shows the latest
• Saving a note failed for some readers. It works now
• On smaller screens, the note you’re writing sits more quietly in the panel

Behind-the-scenes updates to keep the site and your scripts safe.

Site

• The framework and the libraries the site runs on are updated to their latest patched versions
• Tighter protection on the server’s private settings

The guides are easier for search engines and chat assistants to find.

Site

• Search engines hear about a guide as soon as it changes, instead of waiting for their next visit
• A plain list of the editors and guides at storyboon.com/llms.txt, for assistants that read one

Small corrections to the guides and the site’s fine print.

Guides

• The comic length guide now explains correctly why a two-page spread can’t start on an odd page: its two halves would print on the front and back of the same sheet
• Clearer wording in the panel descriptions and page layout guides, and links between the comic and screenplay guides

Site

• The footer links to Sahtu Press
• The cookie notice says what the cookies are for

The editor has a card of the keys and marks a comic script uses, and the guides cover panel descriptions and page layout.

Editor

• A question-mark button in the editor opens a card listing the keys (page, panel, beat, undo) and the marks a panel can start with, like TIER., SPLASH., INSET (BOTTOM, RIGHT). and BORDERLESS., plus (LINKED) for joined balloons. A screenplay gets the Fountain basics instead
• The comic you start from now uses side-by-side TIER. panels, an INSET and a linked balloon, so you can see them working before you write your own

Guides

• New: how to write comic panel descriptions
• New: comic page layout, covering splashes, spreads, crossing the fold, tiers and grids, insets, and borders and bleeds, each with the script and the pages it makes
• The other comic guides now cover the newer marks

Page turns fits both pages in any window shape.

Page turns

• The left and right pages always sit side by side in full. In a tall, narrow window they used to run off the right edge

Anyone you share a comic with can read it in page turns, and the pages look more like the drawn ones.

Page turns

• A shared comic opens in page turns too, from the button above the first page or the book icon beside the notes icon once you scroll
• BORDERLESS. panels have no border and a light shade, BLEED. panels run off the edge of the page, and BROKEN BORDER. panels have a dashed edge
• The page number sits at the bottom of each page, on the outside corner: bottom left on a left page, bottom right on a right page
• The pages sit on white with the same soft shadow as the preview, and the book icon in the nav fades in when it appears

The editor has its own undo and redo, so you can step back through what you wrote.

Editor

• Cmd+Z (Ctrl+Z on Windows) undoes, and Cmd+Shift+Z or Ctrl+Y redoes. Undo in the Edit menu and your phone’s undo work the same way
• Typing undoes a word or so at a time. A new line, a paste, a cut, or making a line a page, panel or beat each undo on their own
• Undo puts the cursor back where it was, and a comic stays formatted as it steps back

Page turns draws an inset the way it would sit on the page.

Page turns

• An INSET panel is a small box drawn over the panel before it, instead of a full row of its own. It goes where its note says: INSET (BOTTOM LEFT), INSET (TOP, WIDE) and so on, bottom right if the note doesn’t say. WIDE makes it a short wide strip and TALL a narrow tall one
• Add ACROSS. to an inset on a spread to centre it over the fold
• A spread’s page numbers read SPREAD beside them, rather than the side it starts on

Comic pages now know which side of the book they land on, and a spread counts as the two printed pages it is.

Comics

• Every page in the preview is marked LEFT or RIGHT. Page 1 is a right-hand page, as in a printed book, and a script that starts at a later page (# PAGE 22) takes its sides from there
• A [SPREAD] page takes two page numbers: a spread on page 16 is PAGES 16–17, and the next page is 18. Pages after a spread are numbered one higher than before, in the preview, the editor and the numbered download
• A spread that starts on a right page is flagged, since it would split across the page turn
• ACROSS. marks a panel that runs across the fold of a spread. Used on a single page, it’s flagged
• A SPLASH. that shares its page with other panels is flagged, and so is a SPLASH SPREAD. on a page that isn’t a spread. An INSET on a splash page is fine
• The comic you start from is laid out so it trips none of these

Editor

• Pasting a screenplay copied out of a PDF puts it back into plain script form: the margins, the broken paragraphs, and the page numbers, CONTINUED and (MORE) left over from print are cleaned up as it lands
• An unsaved comic you come back to opens formatted, where it used to come back as raw text with every # showing

Captions in the editor sit in a proper box.

Editor

• A caption’s words have room inside their box, and a caption that runs to two lines stays one box, with CAPTION on its first line

Each panel in page turns starts with what happens in it.

Page turns

• Panels no longer show their PANEL 1, PANEL 2 labels in page turns, since the layout already shows the order. They still show in the preview

Page turns draws a linked pair of balloons the way a letterer would join them.

Page turns

• A balloon marked (LINKED) sits right under the same speaker’s balloon before it, tied to it by a short connector, with the speaker’s name once under the pair

The sign-in code is easier to enter on a phone.

Signing in

• Your phone can fill in the emailed code for you: tap the code it suggests above the keyboard and all six digits go in, on the sign-in page and in the box that asks you to add an account when you save
• The sign-in pages fit a phone screen, where they used to shrink to fit content that ran off the edge

Signing in takes you back to the script you were writing.

Signing in

• After you sign in, you land in the editor on the script you last saved. Saves are kept with your account, so this works on a new phone or computer too
• If you haven’t written anything yet, you land on the front page to pick a format, as before

The panels in page turns read more like the preview, with less in the way.

Page turns

• Each panel shows its whole description again, in full and at normal strength
• There’s more room between a panel’s description and its balloons
• Panel types like TIER, WIDE and SPLASH aren’t tagged in page turns, since the layout already shows them. They still show in the preview
• The page numbers sit on each page and in the strip along the bottom, and no longer repeat in the bar at the top

The balloons in page turns say who is talking again.

Page turns

• Each balloon has the speaker’s name under it, with any note like (THOUGHT) or (OFF)
• A caption with a narrator, like CAPTION (MAI), shows their name under it
• Captions look the same as they do in the preview

Page turns now shows each panel’s words the way they would sit on the art, so you can see how they fit.

Page turns

• Dialogue sits in balloons. The first speaker in a panel is on the left and the next on the right, and each keeps their side
• Captions are boxed and centred, and sound effects float in the middle of the panel
• The words are lettered at the size they would be printed, and a panel whose words run past its edge is tinted
• The panel description takes one line, with the rest when you hover over it

Tiers can now sit one under another, so a page of four panels in two rows of two can be written.

Comics

• Number a tier to say which row a panel belongs to: two panels marked TIER 1. share the top row, and two marked TIER 2. share the row under it. The number counts within its page
• TIER. with no number works as before: panels marked with it one after another share a row
• If a tier’s number comes back after a different tier on the same page, the panel is flagged, since it starts a new row
• Page turns lays numbered tiers out side by side, the same as before

Switching between editing and the preview now takes you to the part of the script you were on.

Editor and preview

• In a comic, you land on the same page
• In a screenplay, you land on the same scene

Page turns is in reach from anywhere in a comic’s preview.

Page turns

• Once you scroll past the top of the preview, Page turns shows in the bar at the top, next to Edit. Back at the top, it sits where it was, at the end of the page and panel count
• Both buttons show an open book

Page turns and the preview now open where you left off in the other one.

Page turns

• Page turns opens on the opening with the page you were reading in the preview
• Closing it brings the preview to the page you were looking at in page turns

A comic’s preview can now show the script the way a reader meets it, two facing pages at a time.

Page turns

• Page turns, at the right end of the line that counts pages and panels, opens the comic one opening at a time: page 1 alone on the right, then each left and right page side by side, and a spread across the whole opening with the fold marked
• Each panel is a box with its description and numbered balloons. Every panel gets the same height, since the script can’t say how big a moment will be drawn
• A strip along the bottom shows every opening and takes you to any of them. The arrow keys step through, and Esc closes
• An opening with a spread that starts on a right page is tinted in the strip, so a spread that splits across the turn is easy to find
• On a computer only, since two pages side by side need the width

Comics

• TIER. puts panels side by side: consecutive TIER. panels share one row, and the next panel without it starts a new one
• A panel with more than 4 balloons is flagged. Sound effects don’t count toward the 4
• In the editor, a spread line no longer shows a second SPREAD tag beside your own [SPREAD]

Getting around

• Signed in, the editor and the preview show your picture where the Storyboon mark was, and it takes you to your profile, as it does everywhere else
• Someone reading a draft you shared sees your picture beside the title, linking to your profile. While your profile is private, they see the Storyboon mark instead, and your name doesn’t link anywhere

With the same script open in two places, one can no longer save over the other.

Saving

• If a script changes somewhere else while you have it open, in another tab or on another device, that tab stops saving and asks you to reload, so it can’t put the older text back
• Coming back to a tab with nothing unsaved in it loads the latest version on its own

Screenplays

• CUT TO BLACK:, FADE TO BLACK. and FADE OUT. now sit in the right margin as transitions, where they used to run flush left as action

Your script has always been plain text you own. Now you can take it with you before you ever make an account.

Download without an account

• The export menu now appears on a brand-new draft, signed in or not
• Download your script as its own file, plain or with the numbers written in, straight from the editor
• The account holds the copy that isn’t in your browser: reaching your script from another device, and sending it to your artist for notes

Fixes

• The Save button saves. It looked ready and did nothing; saving worked only through the keyboard shortcut. Sorry about that one.
• Writers who joined at the save prompt now have their @handle, so the mark in the corner takes you to your scripts. If yours was missing, it’s there now.
• Exporting an emptied script downloads an empty file instead of a blank page

Notes now live beside your script instead of covering it, so you can read, reply, and edit without losing your place.

On shared drafts

• Passages with notes are marked in the script
• Click a marked passage to open its note
• Select any passage to start a new note
• Notes open in a panel beside the script and stay there while you work
• Step through notes one at a time
• Withdraw replaces Delete. Withdrawing removes the note from your list, but the writer still sees it as withdrawn

In your own draft

• Click a note to jump straight to the passage it belongs to
• If that passage has changed since you shared the draft, you’ll be told instead of being taken somewhere misleading
• If the same passage now appears more than once, you’ll see that too
• Browse notes in the order they came back

On phones

• Opening a note keeps the script visible above it
• View all returns to the full list of notes

Printing shared drafts

Shared drafts now print one comic or screenplay page per sheet.

Printed copies include the Storyboon mark and the reader’s name, so it’s always clear who the copy belongs to. Notes and interface elements stay off the printed page, but note markers remain so you can still see which passages received feedback.

Shared links

Information about a shared link now sits beside the invitation to leave feedback instead of at the bottom of the page.

Dates are now formatted consistently throughout Storyboon, and the year is only shown when it’s needed.

Editor

• Comic dialogue cues are no longer bold
• *bold italic* now renders correctly
• Cmd+I wraps text in italics, and works cleanly alongside Cmd+B

Fixes

• Fixed opening notes from marked passages on phones
• Notes now size themselves to their content instead of always filling half the screen
• The “Select any passage to leave a note.” prompt disappears after your first note
• Fixed button labels that could remain visible after clicking
• The Notes button no longer shifts the toolbar when your first note arrives
• Comic covers now print on their own page instead of sharing one with page one
• Selecting a note no longer causes its card to move
• Note fields grow as you type
• Printed page and panel numbers are no longer covered by note markers

You can now send someone a draft, collect their feedback, and keep writing while they read.

Each reader gets their own private link to a frozen copy of the script. Their notes stay attached to that version, even if you keep revising the draft.

Sending a draft

• Send a reader their own link without leaving the editor
• See who has access
• Copy a link again if someone loses it
• Turn a link off at any time
• Links stay active for 30 days

Reading a draft

• No account required
• Select any passage to leave a note
• Notes save automatically
• Readers only see their own notes

Back in the editor

Notes arrive beside your draft, grouped by the copy they were left on. Mark them complete as you work through them.

Fixes

• Saves are rejected if they arrive incomplete instead of risking lost work
• Improved the reading experience on phones

Storyboon now works on phones.

The editor fits smaller screens, keeps the title and save status visible, and moves the main controls to the bottom where they’re easier to reach.

On phones

• Write comic scripts and screenplays
• Comic writers get quick keys for Page, Panel, Beat, and Cue
• Controls stay above the keyboard
• Preview, export, and print are all available from the bottom toolbar

Comics

• New scripts start with a title page
• Extra space under page headings improves readability

Everywhere

• Renaming a script also updates the document title
• New scripts are credited to you and dated automatically
• Contact details are left blank for you to fill in
• Fixed dark mode appearing on phones when it shouldn’t

Scripts now use Courier Prime instead of Courier New.

The page layout is unchanged, so page counts and printed output stay exactly the same.

Everywhere

• Courier Prime across the editor and preview
• Inter throughout the interface
• Lao titles keep their own typeface
• Faster page loads after a cleanup of old styles

Comic pages and panels are now numbered in the editor, and numbered exports are available when you need them.

Comics

• Page and panel numbers appear automatically
• Sound effects and captions match the printed layout
• Export numbered scripts for artists and letterers

Screenplays

• Export Fountain scene numbers using standard #1# syntax

Everywhere

• Bold text renders while you type
• Added guides for comic scripts and Fountain
• Unsaved drafts survive a closed tab
• Fixed a sign-in issue that could leave an unsaved draft behind

Numbering is generated from your script whenever it’s needed, so inserting a page, panel, or scene never leaves anything out of date.

Storyboon is now a plain-text editor for screenplays and comic scripts.

Choose a format, start typing, and the page formats itself as you write. Your files stay plain text from beginning to end.

Screenplays

• Write in Fountain
• Preview real US Letter pages
• Export .fountain or print to PDF

Comics

• Write in the Sahtu comic script format
• Quick keys insert pages, panels, and beats
• Export Markdown or print to PDF

Your work

• Start writing without an account
• Sign in with a six-digit email code
• Scripts are private by default
• Share a script by sending someone their own link
• Your files stay plain text, no matter how Storyboon evolves