Streamlining and simplifying the creation of content is always at the forefront of my mind. While this may sometimes be mistaken for laziness, I like to think of it as “optimizing.” I’ve only got so much time in the day, why would I waste it jumping through hoops and hurdles when I can simply jog around them?

When it comes to making comics, be they webcomics or print comics, the amount of steps one goes through to get to the finished product are many and varied. However, most comics begin with the same steps: Writing the script, editing the script, and storyboarding the layout and sketching rough panels. It’s a timely investment, often involving different mediums (scripting in your spiral bound notebook, editing on Microsoft Word, storyboarding in a sketchbook for example). Transferring these things from medium to medium takes time and, as I mentioned earlier, that’s time I’d rather not wait. Which is why I was quite excited to discover this little tool:

http://storyboardfountain.com/

Storyboard Fountain is a free, open-sourced screenwriting program that I’ve contemplated using for comicking purposes as it allows you to combine the above-mentioned three steps into one.

Designed by a team of passionate writers, Storyboard Fountain allows writers and artists to effectively draft their scripts in a solid screenwriting program,

quickly and easily sketch their storyboards right beside the script,

and then flip through the finished product, simplifying the editing process as both the script and the storyboarding art are presented side by side in one place.

As of right now, the only caveat I’ve found is that, since the dev’s aren’t getting any compensation, Storyboard Fountain is only available on Mac (though if you’re doing design work on anything other than a Mac, then I’d recommend looking into joining the Apple regime). Other than that, the program seems to be one of the best timesavers around!