Board View Modes
Board View has two practical working modes in the current product: Grid and Playground. They are not just visual skins — they change how you review, arrange, a…
Board View Modes
Board View has two practical working modes in the current product: Grid and Playground. They are not just visual skins — they change how you review, arrange, and navigate your storyboard.
Grid mode
Grid mode is the structured review mode. It arranges shots into a consistent board layout so you can scan pacing, coverage, and sequence more easily.
Best for
- Reviewing your storyboard scene by scene
- Checking shot order and coverage
- Comparing many shots quickly
- Making the board easier to read for feedback or presentations
How it behaves
- Shots are arranged into a fixed board layout
- The board can use different column counts
- When you switch back into Grid mode, the app reframes the board for structured viewing
- The app remembers your preferred column count
- Grid mode persists the board's vertical scroll position so returning to the board feels stable
When to use it
Use Grid mode when you want to review the storyboard as a sequence rather than as a brainstorming canvas. It is usually the best mode for final checking, story rhythm, and coverage.
Playground mode
Playground mode is the freeform ideation mode. Instead of forcing everything into a strict layout, it lets you work on the board more like a canvas.
Best for
- Exploring ideas spatially
- Arranging story elements non-linearly
- Building relationships between shots and supporting elements
- Working more like a visual planning surface than a traditional board
How it behaves
- The board behaves like a movable canvas
- You can pan and zoom around the workspace
- The app restores your saved Playground viewport when one exists
- Viewport memory is stored per story and can also reflect the currently focused scene
- Playground-specific interactions can expose different tools than Grid mode, such as canvas-oriented actions and filters
When to use it
Use Playground mode when you are still shaping the board, clustering ideas, or arranging a more exploratory visual layout. It is especially useful earlier in the process, before you want a rigid presentation structure.
Switching between modes
Switching modes is part of the normal workflow:
- Use Playground when you want to explore and arrange freely
- Switch to Grid when you want a cleaner review layout
- Move back to Playground when you need spatial ideation again
A useful mental model is:
- Playground = thinking and arranging
- Grid = reviewing and validating
What the app remembers
The current implementation remembers different things depending on the mode:
In Grid mode
- Your selected board mode
- Your preferred column count
- The board's saved scroll position
In Playground mode
- Your selected board mode
- The saved viewport for that story
- Scene-scoped viewport state when relevant
This is why the board can feel structured in Grid mode but return you to your previous area in Playground mode.
Important note about available modes
You may still see traces in the codebase of a more general "free" viewport concept, but in the current user-facing flow the meaningful working modes are Grid and Playground. If you are documenting or teaching the product, focus on those two.
Recommended workflow
If you are unsure which mode to use, this is the safest pattern:
- Start in Playground to explore structure and arrange ideas
- Switch to Grid to review the whole board in a consistent layout
- Open individual shots from either mode by hovering the shot and clicking Create or Edit when you need to refine prompts, images, or details
- Return to Grid before final review so pacing and coverage are easier to judge
That workflow matches how the current implementation is designed to support real storyboard work.