aiStoryboard, on the same request you already use to render a video.
What You’ll Learn
Designed Scenes
Every scene receives a layout, text elements, and colors chosen by AI
Script or Idea
Start from your own narration or let AI write the script from a brief
Visual Control
Keep using stock search, your own media, AI-generated visuals, or solid colors
Job Monitoring
Track the render and collect the video, audio, thumbnail, and subtitle files
Before You Begin
Make sure you have:- A Pictory API key
- Node.js or Python installed on your machine
- The required packages installed
How It Works
SetaiStoryboard.enabled to true on a Render Storyboard Video request. The AI then works in one of two modes, depending on the content you send:
In both modes the rest of the request works as usual: voice-over, avatar, background music, branding, subtitle styles, and per-scene background settings are all applied to the designed scenes.
aiStoryboard is optional and must be set explicitly to { "enabled": true }. Requests without it, or with enabled: false, are processed exactly as before.What Happens Behind the Scenes
- Scene breakdown - Your script is split into scenes (one per sentence by default) or, in brief mode, the AI decides how many scenes the video needs
- Design - The AI chooses a layout for every scene, writes the on-screen text elements, and picks a color palette for the whole video
- Visual selection - Each scene’s visual is resolved from its
backgroundconfiguration and placed into the layout - Narration and timing - Voice-over, subtitles, and scene durations are generated from the narration
- Render - The video is encoded and the download links are attached to the job
Processing Time: The design step adds 1–3 minutes to the usual rendering time. Poll the job status every 10–30 seconds.
Step-by-Step Guide
Step 1: Render an AI Storyboard from a Script
Send your narration withaiStoryboard enabled:
Step 2: Monitor Progress
Poll the job until it completes, then collect the video and the accompanying files:Start from an Idea (Brief Mode)
Do not have a script yet? Describe the video in abrief and the AI writes the narration and designs the storyboard together. A brief is a single scene; the AI decides how many scenes the video needs.
txtFile (plain text) and srtFile/vttFile (timed subtitles). If you omit videoName, the AI’s own title is used as the project name.
Without
aiStoryboard, a brief still generates a script and builds a standard storyboard from it. See the AI Brief to Video guide.Understanding the Parameters
aiStoryboard Object
brief Object
Scene Control in Script Mode
- A
storyscene withoutcreateSceneOnNewLineorcreateSceneOnEndOfSentenceis split into one designed scene per sentence. - Each designed scene can hold at most 1500 characters of narration. A scene that cannot be split (for example, one that uses
caption) and exceeds this limit is rejected with a400response; a single sentence longer than the limit fails the job. - A video can have at most 250 designed scenes.
createSceneOnNewLineandcreateSceneOnEndOfSentenceare not allowed on abriefscene; the AI decides the scenes.
Choosing Visuals
Each scene’sbackground configuration works the same way it does for a standard video. The AI Storyboard places the resulting visual into the layout it designed for that scene, and fills any additional media slots in the layout from the same search.
Subtitles, Branding, Voice, and Avatar
- Subtitle styles: the AI chooses a subtitle style that fits each layout. Your
subtitleStyle,subtitleStyleId, orsubtitleStyleNameoverrides its font, size, and colors; the AI’s placement is kept unless your style sets a position. Brand text styles apply the same way. - Subtitles on designed scenes: where the narration is shown as an on-screen text element, subtitles are hidden for that scene. Set
hideSubtitles: falseon a scene to force them on. - Voice-over and music: applied as usual. Scene durations follow the narration.
- Avatar: the avatar you configure is used; the AI positions it scene by scene to fit each layout. Scene-level
avataroverrides in your request still take precedence. - Brand intro and outro: added as usual around the designed scenes.
What Is Not Supported
The AI Storyboard is a text-to-video feature. WithaiStoryboard enabled, a scene must use story, brief, or blogUrl, and the following are rejected with a 400 response:
Scene
elements remain supported and are added on top of the AI’s design.
Understanding the Response
Initial Response (Job Created)
Completed Response
Troubleshooting
400 - Field Is Not Supported With aiStoryboard
400 - Field Is Not Supported With aiStoryboard
Cause: The request uses a source or option the AI Storyboard cannot design, such as
pptUrl, audioUrl, videoUrl, templateId, or a smart layout.Resolution:- Use
story,brief, orblogUrlas the scene source - Remove the field named in the message, or
- Remove
aiStoryboardto render a standard video with that field
400 - Provide Exactly One Scene When Using Brief
400 - Provide Exactly One Scene When Using Brief
Cause: A
brief was combined with other scenes.Resolution:- Send the
briefas the only scene; the AI decides how many scenes the video needs - To combine your own narration with generated content, render the brief first, take the narration from
txtFile, and submit an edited version asstoryscenes
400 - Scene Text Exceeds 1500 Characters
400 - Scene Text Exceeds 1500 Characters
Cause: A scene that cannot be split (for example, one that uses
caption) holds more narration than one designed scene can show.Resolution:- Enable
createSceneOnEndOfSentenceorcreateSceneOnNewLineon the scene, or - Split the text into several scenes yourself
Job Failed With an AI_STORYBOARD Error Code
Job Failed With an AI_STORYBOARD Error Code
Cause: The design step could not complete, for example the AI produced an invalid design or the service was temporarily unavailable. There is no fallback to a standard video.Resolution:
- Retry the request; the design is generated fresh on every attempt
- Shorten very long scripts (the limit is 250 designed scenes)
- If the error persists, contact support with the job ID
Different Design on Each Render
Different Design on Each Render
Cause: The AI generates a new design on every request, so rendering the same script twice can produce different layouts.Resolution:
- Use
saveProject: trueto keep the designed project in your Pictory account and render it again from there with Render Project
Next Steps
Add AI Voice-Over
Choose a voice for the narration
AI-Generated Visuals
Generate unique visuals for the designed scenes
Apply Brand Settings
Add your logo, fonts, and colors on top of the AI design
Video with Avatar
Present the designed scenes with an AI avatar
API Reference
Render Storyboard Video
Full request reference for the render endpoint
aiStoryboard and brief Objects
Field-level reference for the aiStoryboard and brief objects
Get Video Render Job
Poll the render job and collect the output files
Render Project
Render a saved AI storyboard project again
