AI previz for a live-action shoot gives the crew a frame per setup and a few short moving clips for the shots that are hard to explain, all on one board next to the shot list. The node chain is shot list (sticky notes) to ShotGrid frames to Relight for the lighting plan to short image-to-video clips for blocking, cut to time in the Video Editor. The limit people do not expect: none of it knows your lenses, your location's sun or your dolly track, so previz frames show intent, and the DP still has to prove each one with real glass on the real day.
This page is for a shoot that happens with a camera and a crew. For pitching an idea to a client, see AI previsualization for ad agencies; for the definition and how previz differs from an animatic, see what is previz.
TL;DR
| Step | Node or model on 8frame | Fixed price | What it needs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shot list | sticky notes, frames, arrows on the board | no generation | the script, the setups |
| Frames per scene | ShotGrid (beta) | 42 credits per 3x3 sheet at 4K | a prompt, 1 to 10 references |
| Single key frame | Nano Banana Pro | 21 per image at 1K or 2K, 42 at 4K | a prompt, optional references |
| Lighting plan | Relight app | 21 at 1K or 2K, 42 at 4K | the frame plus a lighting reference |
| Camera move test | Video Effect | 78 per effect | one image, one of 121 presets |
| Blocking clip | Kling v3 Standard | 86 for 5 s with sound | a start frame |
| Blocking clip, cheap and long | Grok Imagine | 34 at 480p, 48 at 720p for 5 s | a prompt or a start frame |
| Cut to time | Video Editor timeline | no generation | the clips |
The board, node by node
1. The shot list as stickies, not a table
Start where the crew starts: the setups. The board has sticky notes in five colours, frames, shapes, text and arrows that stay attached. It has no table, so lay the shot list out as one sticky per setup inside a frame per scene, with shot number, size, move, lens intent and duration on each sticky. Use one sticky colour for each department question (camera, light, art, sound) so the open questions show at a glance.
If you already have the storyboard and shot list boards from the templates, start there; the /workflows page also has STORYBOARD → RELIGHT → DETAIL, a board for exactly this path from sketch to lit frame. The shot list itself is covered in how to write a shot list.
2. Frames per scene with ShotGrid
ShotGrid makes a 3x3 contact sheet, nine frames in one image, at 4K for 42 credits, from a prompt of up to 5,000 characters and 1 to 10 reference images, as a square (1:1) sheet. For previz that means one run per scene: describe the scene's setups in order, attach the location scout photos and the cast references you have rights to, and you get nine frames to pin next to the stickies.
Use real scout photos when you have them. A frame built from your actual location is far more useful to the crew than a generated place that looks nothing like where the trucks will park.
3. The key frame per setup
For the two or three setups the shoot depends on, make a single frame you can talk through: Nano Banana Pro at 21 credits per image (1K or 2K) or 42 at 4K, with the scout photo and the cast reference attached. Generate at the delivery ratio, so the frame can become a start frame later without a crop.
4. The lighting plan with Relight
The Relight app takes exactly two images, the frame and a lighting reference, and transfers the light from one to the other. It costs 21 credits at 1K or 2K and 42 at 4K, and opens at 2K. For previz, this is how the gaffer and the DP see "this setup at the look of that reference" before they argue about units. Keep the reference to one lighting idea per run (low warm side light, overcast top light) so the result answers one question.
5. Camera move tests
Two ways to show a move:
- Video Effect: one image in, one short clip out, driven by one of 121 presets, among them camera moves such as FPV drone, dutch angle, handheld and earth zoom-out. 78 credits per effect. It is quick for "is a drone reveal the opening".
- An image-to-video clip from the key frame, with the move in the prompt. Kling v3 Standard opens at 5 seconds with sound for 86 credits and runs 3 to 15 seconds; the Kling tool also has a camera control setting. Kling v3 needs a start image on 8frame, which suits previz: you animate the frame you already approved.
6. Blocking clips for the hard shots
Only animate the shots that a still cannot explain: an actor crossing through a move, a car entering frame at speed, a reveal that depends on timing. Everything else stays a frame. Grok Imagine at 34 credits for 5 seconds at 480p (48 at 720p) is the low-cost option for rough blocking; it runs 1 to 15 seconds and its audio is always on.
7. Cut to time in the Video Editor
8frame has a Video Editor mode with a timeline, text, captions and sound layers. Drop the frames and clips at their real durations to see whether the scene fits the page count. The Montage node on the canvas can also join 2 to 10 clips for 10 credits per run, but the merged file has no sound and each clip is trimmed to at most 15 seconds, so for a previz with scratch dialogue use the Video Editor.
Which model for which step
| Need | Model on 8frame | Lengths and sizes | Inputs | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nine frames per run | ShotGrid (beta) | 3x3 sheet at 4K; square (1:1) | prompt up to 5,000 chars, 1 to 10 refs | runs on Nano Banana |
| One key frame | Nano Banana Pro | 1K, 2K, 4K | up to 10 refs | |
| Light from a reference | Relight | 1K, 2K (default), 4K | exactly 2 images | |
| Preset camera move | Video Effect | one short clip | one image | no identity lock across clips |
| Blocking from your frame | Kling v3 Standard | 3 to 15 s, 720p | start image required | no end frame on the canvas |
| Move that must land on a frame | Kling 2.5 Turbo Pro | 5 or 10 s | start and end frame | 48 for 5 s |
| Rough blocking from text | Grok Imagine | 1 to 15 s, 480p or 720p | prompt or start frame | audio always on, no silent mode |
Every generated video on 8frame we measured is H.264 in MP4 at 24 fps. If the shoot runs at 24 fps, the clips drop onto the edit without a conversion; if it runs at another rate, set the previz timeline to match the shoot and expect the generated clips to be retimed.
Where it breaks
Lenses. A prompt can say "35mm" or "long lens compression", and the model may give you something that looks like it, but it does not simulate the lens you rent. Field of view, distortion and how much of the set is in frame at a given distance are optical facts. We have not measured whether any model follows focal-length words, so treat a previz frame's framing as a target, and check the real field of view with the camera, a director's viewfinder or a lens app at the scout.
Real light. Relight shows a look, not a plan that will happen. The sun on the day comes from a place and a time: NOAA's Solar Calculator gives sunrise, sunset and the sun's azimuth and elevation for any point and date (NOAA notes it is no longer actively maintained). Put that next to the lit frames so the schedule and the look agree.
Geography. A generated frame can put a window where the room has a wall. Build frames from scout photos wherever you can, and flag any frame that invents set geography with a coloured sticky.
Physics and stunts. A clip that shows a car drifting into frame says nothing about whether the move is safe or legal at your location. Previz is a picture, not a safety plan.
Continuity across clips. Video Effect has no identity lock across clips, and models redraw faces each run. For a cast that must read as the same people, keep references fixed; see the character consistency workflow.
Resolution. Video on 8frame tops out below 4K: Kling v3 Standard returns 720p and Grok Imagine 720p at most. There is no video upscaler. Previz does not need more, but do not plan to reuse it as plates.
People on camera. If a previz frame shows a real actor, you need their consent for that use. Use generated stand-ins until casting is signed.
Sharing the board with the crew
Everyone on a board needs an 8frame account. Viewers and commenters are free for the people you invite, and the owner can also create a viewer or commenter share link for the wider crew; editors need an invitation and a seat on the owner's Creator or Agency plan. For crew who will not sign in, export the frames and the cut. On a personal board each generation is charged to whoever runs it, from their own plan and credits. Comments sit on the canvas, so department questions can live next to the frame they are about.
FAQ
Can AI previz replace a tech scout? No. It can give the scout a target per setup, but lenses, sun position, power, access and set geography are only answered on location.
Which 8frame tool makes the most frames per run? ShotGrid (beta): nine frames as a 3x3 sheet at 4K for 42 credits, from 1 to 10 references.
How do I show the DP a lighting idea? Put the frame and a lighting reference into the Relight app (exactly two images, 21 credits at 1K or 2K). Then check the real sun path for the day.
Should I animate every shot? No. Animate only shots a still cannot explain: moves, timing, entrances. Frames are cheaper and faster for everything else.
Can I join previz clips with scratch audio on the canvas? Not with Montage: it drops the sound. Use the Video Editor timeline, which has sound layers.
Sources
- 8frame prices, defaults and limits: the 8frame app, checked 2026-11-09 (ShotGrid, Nano Banana Pro, Relight, Video Effect, Kling v3 Standard, Kling 2.5 Turbo Pro, Grok Imagine, Montage, Video Editor, board features, collaboration rules, 24 fps output)
- NOAA Solar Calculator (sunrise, sunset, solar azimuth and elevation by place and date; "no longer actively supported or maintained"): gml.noaa.gov/grad/solcalc, checked 2026-11-09
Try it without signing up: the 8frame canvas opens on a real board. The canvas is free and unlimited; generation is paid from $19/month.