Ad Storyboard
Turn any ad into a strategic storyboard in 30 seconds. Pro
What Ad Storyboard Does
Ad Storyboard is a hub-level feature available on the Pro hub. Upload a video (advertisement, recruitment film, EVP launch, onboarding content, or any employer brand video) and the tool extracts keyframes, transcribes the audio, and generates a captioned nine-frame storyboard with a creative description. The storyboard can be exported as PNG or PDF, or sent directly to The Evidence for strategic analysis.
This is designed for two situations: preparing creative analysis before a pitch, and reverse-engineering a competitor's recruitment films or EVP videos to understand the employer brand strategy behind their creative.
How It Works
Step 1: Upload a Video
Upload a video file in .mp4, .mov, or .webm format, up to 100MB. Enter the brand name (required). Five optional fields are also available: channel (e.g. TV, YouTube, Instagram), campaign name, product, country, and date. All fields carry through to PDF exports and the Proof handoff.
Step 2: Automatic Extraction
Two things happen simultaneously:
| Process | What Happens |
|---|---|
| Frame extraction | Dual capture: five anchor frames at fixed intervals plus scene detection using histogram differencing. Frames are merged, deduplicated, and capped at 25. |
| Audio transcription | Audio is extracted in the browser and sent to Whisper for transcription. Timestamped segments appear in the transcript panel. |
All frame extraction runs in your browser. Only the audio transcription and storyboard generation require API calls.
Step 3: Curate Frames
Toggle individual frames on or off. The anchor indicator (gold badge) shows which frames were captured at fixed intervals versus scene detection. A minimum of four frames must remain selected. Use the Reset button to restore the original selection.
Step 4: Generate Storyboard
Click Generate Storyboard. The AI selects nine frames from your curated set, arranges them in narrative order, writes a caption for each frame describing what the viewer sees and feels, generates a creative description of the overall visual language and production approach, and polishes the transcript.
The result is a 3x3 storyboard grid. Every caption and the creative description are editable inline: click directly on any text to modify it.
Visual-Led Ads
If the transcript contains fewer than 20 words, the tool automatically switches to visual-led mode. Captions prioritise on-screen text (supers), visual storytelling, and emotional progression rather than dialogue. No spoken content is invented.
Step 5: Export or Send to The Evidence
Three export options are available from the storyboard view:
| Export | Format | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Download PNG | 1740 x 1020 image | Slide decks and presentations. Frame grid only, no captions. |
| Download PDF | A4 PDF | Print and client sharing. Toggle checkboxes control whether captions, voiceover lines, and summary are included. Creative description and transcript appear on page 2 when enabled. |
| Send to The Evidence | Automatic handoff | Strategic analysis. Frames, captions, creative description, transcript, and brand context transfer to The Evidence. |
The Evidence Handoff
When you send to The Evidence, the following data transfers automatically:
| Data | What Happens in The Evidence |
|---|---|
| Creative description | Pre-populates the creative description field |
| 9 storyboard frames | Attached as creative uploads |
| Brand name and channel | Pre-fills brand name and industry fields |
| Product, country, campaign, date | Populated into brand description for richer context |
| All included frames | Stored for future use |
Because brand name is required, The Evidence always opens at Step 2 (Creative Input) with brand fields already filled.
The Evidence then runs its standard decode, producing the full strategic analysis: real problem, category convention, talent tension, position claimed, strategic direction, organising thought, and brand attitude, with a Strategic Confidence score.
Download Report
Once the decode is complete, the Download Report button in The Evidence produces a combined PDF. Page 1 contains the storyboard (if the handoff was used). Subsequent pages contain the decoded strategic analysis with confidence scoring. This works even without the storyboard handoff: if you run a standard decode, Download Report produces the strategic analysis only.
Supported Formats
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| File types | .mp4, .mov, .webm |
| Maximum size | 100MB |
| Resolution | Any. Frames are captured at source resolution. |
| Duration | Any length. Longer videos produce more frames for curation. |
Access
Ad Storyboard is Pro only. On the Lite hub, the card appears greyed out with a Pro badge and an upgrade prompt. The tool is not in the navigation bar of any tool page. Access it from the hub and return via the logo link.
Tip: For the sharpest decode, fill in all metadata fields before generating the storyboard. This context carries through to The Evidence and produces more specific strategic analysis.