Storyboarding vs Thumbnails & Preview Images
Which you need, what each costs, and when a project wants both — storyboarding compared with thumbnails & preview images.
Last revised
Both sit under Video Editing Support Services, and clients regularly ask which of the two they actually want. The short answer is below; the rest of this page is how to tell, what each costs, and the cases where a project needs both.
What each one is
- Storyboarding Planning videos shot by shot with storyboards, so everyone agrees on the story before filming or animating begins.
- Thumbnails & Preview Images Custom thumbnails and preview images that make people click, designed for each platform's size and style.
The numbers
| Storyboarding | Thumbnails & Preview Images | |
|---|---|---|
| Starts at | From $45.00 per finished minute | From $45.00 per finished minute |
| Services underneath | 11 | 8 |
How to decide
Go with Storyboarding when
- The job is specifically character design and development, which sits under this one
- The job is specifically dynamic storyboarding for animation, which sits under this one
- The job is specifically interactive storyboards, which sits under this one
Go with Thumbnails & Preview Images when
- The job is specifically branding integration, which sits under this one
- The job is specifically custom thumbnail templates, which sits under this one
- The job is specifically dynamic thumbnails for animation, which sits under this one
When a project wants both
Worth knowing: More often than the question implies — the same job frequently touches both, and one team covers them, so moving between them is a conversation rather than a second supplier. If you are not sure which your files need, that is what the free trial is for. The process is the same either way: whichever you pick, the work runs through the same stages and is checked against the same bar. Video Editing Support Services sets that out.
Questions we get on this specific choice
Is one of them cheaper?
They start at the same rate, so the choice is about what the job needs rather than about budget. Complexity moves both.
Which is faster?
Much the same, and volume moves the number far more than the choice between these two does.
Can you tell me which one my files need?
Yes, free. Send two or three real files — that judgment is part of the trial rather than something quoted separately.
Can I switch after we start?
Yes. If the files say the other one is the right answer, we re-quote before doing the work rather than after.
Where to go from here
- Storyboarding — what it is, in full, with its own pricing
- Thumbnails & Preview Images — the same for the alternative
- Video Editing Support Services pricing — both rates side by side with the US market ranges
- Try it free — a 30-second cut from your own footage, and we will tell you which of the two your files need
- Get a quote if the scope is already clear
- Every rate we publish, on one page
