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Lookbook

The lookbook is your project’s visual reference document. You and your DP use it to lock in the look: title page, text pages for longer written sections (approach, tone, lighting notes), theme or split pages for mood and palette, and scene pages with reference images, color bars, breakdown notes, and optional shot list. When you create a lookbook, you pick a starting template (for example director’s treatment, DP visual bible, quick pitch, or blank). You can share a view-only link with anyone and export the lookbook to a PDF for meetings or print. Open it from Visual → Lookbook. If the project does not have a lookbook yet, you will see an option to create one. From the lookbook view you can use Download PDF (a dropdown with Download PDF and Export PDF), Share, Edit lookbook, or the settings menu (gear icon) for Delete lookbook.

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What the lookbook is for

A lookbook in Spell Slate is one place to:
  • Show the film title, director, DP, production name, and version on a title page.
  • Add text pages for full-slide written content (creative approach, technical notes, thank-you slide).
  • Add theme or “split” pages with two columns: text, images, or shot list for mood and visual direction.
  • Add scene pages tied to one or more script scenes, with a color bar, breakdown notes, and either a gallery (multiple reference images), storyboard content (a custom image or frames pulled from the project Storyboard for those scenes), or a shot list (shots for that scene with camera and lens).
  • Keep camera and lens in sync with the shot list when you edit them from a lookbook scene page.
  • Share a link so collaborators can view the current lookbook without signing in.
  • Export to a landscape PDF for presentations or handouts.
Each lookbook has a name you set when you create it (or leave blank to use the template name, for example Quick pitch). Rename anytime by clicking the title on the lookbook view, or use the name row at the top of Edit lookbook. Multiple lookbooks in the same project are available on Indie and Company; on Free and Solo you still use one lookbook per project, and a clear name helps in the list when you browse projects. When your plan allows lookbook access (Free: first project only; Solo, Indie, and Company: all projects), you will see Lookbook in the project’s Production menu. See Plan limits for details.

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Creating and opening the lookbook

  1. Go to Visual → Lookbook.
  2. From the lookbooks list, click New lookbook (or follow the prompt to create one). Enter an optional name, choose a starting template, then submit. If you skip the name, the app uses the template name (for example Director’s treatment or Lookbook for a blank start). You land in Edit lookbook with starter pages, or an empty lookbook if you chose blank.
  3. To add or change pages, stay in Edit lookbook or open it from the lookbook view. Use Add page to add a Title, Text, Split (theme), or Scene page. The menu now calls out Text as the recommended option for new two-column and mixed-media layouts, while Split is labeled legacy for scene-driven two-column workflows. Reorder pages with the up/down controls if available.
  4. Click a page in the list to select it. The main area shows a preview of that page and, below, the edit form for that page type.
When you are done editing, use the link back to the lookbook view (or Lookbook in the nav) to see the full scroll of pages. On that view, each page shows an Edit overlay in the top-right when you hover (on touch devices it stays visible); use it to jump to Edit lookbook with that page selected. From the view you can also use the Download PDF dropdown to export or download, or Share.

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Page types

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Text page

A text page is one slide of written content. Use an optional section heading (for example “Approach” or “Lighting philosophy”) and a body area for paragraphs. Good for treatments, crew notes, or a closing thank-you.

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Title page

There is one title page per lookbook. On it you can set:
  • Film title (e.g. the movie name).
  • Lookbook label (default “Lookbook”).
  • Director, DP, Production name.
  • Version and Date (optional).
These fields appear at the top of the exported PDF and set the PDF filename when you export. If you add a cover photo on the title page, the slide keeps the same page size in the editor and view pages. The image fills that frame without making the title slide taller.

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Split (theme) page

A split page has two columns side by side. For each column you choose:
  • Text: Free-form notes (mood, palette, lighting ideas).
  • Image: A single image (reference, mood, location). Click Browse Library to pick from your project media library, or click the upload area to add a new file directly. On an existing image, hover to reveal Upload (replace) and Browse Library buttons.
  • Shot list: Shots from the project’s shot list (you can pick which shots or use the page’s scenes).
At the top of the page you can set a scene heading (or “Split”) and a color bar (single color, multi-segment, or gradient). Split pages are useful for comparing two references or listing shots next to notes.

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Scene page

A scene page is tied to one or more scenes from your script. You pick the scene(s) so the page shows the right heading and, if you use the shot list tab, the right shots. When you re-parse or update the script, the app tries to keep the same scene links when the scene number and slugline still match (for example scene 3 stays “EXT. PARK - DAY”). If you rename or renumber a scene, that link may no longer match automatically. Open Edit lookbook and pick the scene again on that page. On each scene page you get:
  • Scene heading: From the selected scene(s), e.g. “INT. KITCHEN - DAY”.
  • Color bar: Single color, multiple segments, or a gradient (transition). You can use project theme colors if set up.
  • Breakdown: Free-form text (lighting, camera, mood, notes).
  • Content type: One of:
    • Gallery: Multiple reference images. You choose how many appear per slide (1, 2, 3, or 4 per slide, or a thumbnail gallery).
    • Storyboard: Either upload a custom image for this slide, or choose Project storyboard to show the frames from your project’s Storyboard that match the scene(s) you selected on this page. If your plan includes Storyboard, use the toolbar on the slide to switch between Custom image and Project storyboard. Multiple frames appear in a grid on the web. In the exported PDF, project frames use the same panel styling as the storyboard sheet PDF (borders, PANEL labels, notes). Up to nine frames fit on each page in a 3×3 grid (same heading and color bar). Extra frames continue on the next PDF pages. If nothing matches yet, use Open storyboard or Create storyboard to add panels.
    • Shot list: Shots for this page’s scene(s), with camera and lens. Edits here sync to the shot list.
When a scene page uses Gallery as the content type, you can add multiple images and choose the gallery layout:
  • 1 per slide: Each image becomes its own page in the PDF and its own slide on the web. Every slide keeps the same scene heading and color bar; only the image changes. In the editor you will see each image labeled (e.g. “Slide 1 (this page)”, “Slide 2 (same scene, next page)”) so you know what will appear where.
  • 2 per slide, 3 per slide, 4 per slide: That many images per page/slide.
  • Gallery (thumbnails): All images on one page as a thumbnail grid.
Use the layout icons above the gallery to switch. New scene pages default to 3 per slide. Add images by clicking the + slot; this opens the image picker where you can choose from your project media library or upload a new file. Remove an image with the × on hover. The order of images is the order of slides (for 1 per slide) or the order on the page (for 2/3/4 per slide or thumbnails).

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Color bar

On Split and Scene pages you can add a color bar under the heading. It helps lock in palette and mood.
  • Single: One solid color. Pick the color with the color input.
  • Multi-segment: Several color blocks in a row. Add segments and set a color for each. You can use project theme colors if they are set up (Production or project settings).
  • Transition: A gradient between two colors (e.g. blue to purple). You choose the start and end colors.
The same bar appears on the lookbook view, the share link view, and the PDF.

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Shot list and camera/lens on a scene page

If you choose Shot list as the content type for a scene page, the page shows the shots for that page’s scene(s) from the project shot list. You can edit camera and lens (and related equipment) right on the lookbook page. Those changes are saved to the shot list, so the shot list and lookbook stay in sync. The shot list is the source of truth; editing from the lookbook is just another way to update it. If the project has no shot list yet, or no shots for the selected scene(s), you can still build the rest of the lookbook and add shot list content later. On split pages, if a shot-list column is empty, Add shots in Shot list opens the Shot List Builder as a full-page navigation. This avoids inline frame errors and takes you directly to where shots are created.
From the lookbook view, click Share. In the modal you can:
  • Create a view-only link. Anyone with the link can open the current lookbook in a browser without signing in. The link always shows the latest content.
  • Copy the link to send by email or chat.
  • Revoke the link so it no longer works.
There is one share link per lookbook. Revoking does not delete the lookbook; it only disables that link. You can create a new link after revoking. On the shared page, anyone viewing the link can click Full screen so only the lookbook fills the screen (good for presenting on a monitor). Click Exit full screen or press Escape to leave. On some phones and tablets, full screen may not be available for the page.

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Data elements on text pages

Text pages support data elements: live production data pulled directly from your project and shown on the slide. Add one by selecting a text page, clicking Change layout in the top-right action bar, and choosing a Data layout from the modal. There are three data layouts: For a shot list on a slide, use a Scene page and set the content to Shot list (or use a Split page with a shot list column). That layout matches the main shot list builder and stays in sync with camera and lens edits.

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Schedule

Shows the full project shooting schedule as a day-by-day list: shoot day number, date, and the scenes scheduled for that day. This layout does not need linked scenes; it uses the project’s active schedule. If no schedule exists yet, the page shows a placeholder. Add your schedule under Production → Schedule, then come back and the data will appear.

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Characters

Shows a cast list for the scenes linked to this page: character number, character name, and cast member name (if assigned). If no scenes are linked, a scene picker appears first. If no scenes are linked and you skip the picker (or scenes have no characters), the page falls back to showing all characters in the project.

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Breakdown

Shows scene breakdown items grouped by category (Props, Wardrobe, Vehicles, etc.) for the linked scene(s). Items come from the project breakdown. A scene picker appears if no scenes are linked yet.

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Editing the heading

All three data layouts include an editable heading slot at the top of the slide. It defaults to the layout name (e.g. “Shooting Schedule”) but you can type anything. Click inside the text to reveal the variant picker (H1, H2, Body, Caption, Link). When you use the variant picker, select the text (or lines) you want to target first. The style button applies only to that selected range. If nothing is selected, it applies to the current line. Each editable region shows a small label bar (TEXT, IMAGE, or VIDEO) with a Change button. Use this to switch that region’s type without changing the full page layout. If a line is a full URL (http:// or https://), it auto-renders as a link in the editor preview, lookbook view, share link, and PDF export, even when the line is still set to Body. Set your lookbook-wide text style from the gear menu in Edit lookbook under Typography. The selected font applies immediately across slide previews in the editor, including text pages. That typography setting also applies to scene and split page heading text in the editor and export views. Text pages also support a full-slide background image. In Edit lookbook, open a text page and use Upload background in the top-right action bar. Use Remove background to clear it. If you switch a text region to Image or Video using the region’s Change menu, that choice is now reflected in the exported PDF too (not just in the editor preview). You can also mix heading and body styles in a single text region:
  • Start a line with # for a heading.
  • Start a line with ## for a subheading.
  • Start a line with > for caption text.
  • Leave lines unprefixed for body text.
  • Blank lines are optional between heading and body lines.
Example: # Approach This is body copy for the slide. Body text regions now expand to fill the available slide area while you edit. They start scrolling only after your content reaches the padded page bounds in the editor and PDF.

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Data elements and PDF export

When you export the lookbook to PDF, data elements render as formatted tables with the same information and layout as the web view. Very long lists (more than 18 shots, or more than 16 schedule days) show the first rows and a note at the bottom with the remaining count.

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Exporting the lookbook to PDF

  1. From the lookbook view, open the Download PDF dropdown and choose Export PDF. A job runs in the background; the button shows “Generating…” and a toast says when the PDF is ready.
  2. When it is ready, the same dropdown offers Download PDF. Click it to download the file. The PDF is landscape and includes the title page, then all theme and scene pages in order. Text pages export full bleed with no page margins so backgrounds and column compositions match the editor more closely. Gallery scene pages with 1 per slide and multiple images become multiple PDF pages, each with the same scene heading and color bar and one image per page. Project storyboard scene pages with several frames use up to nine frames per PDF page in a 3×3 layout, then continue on the next pages.
  3. Video thumbnails on text pages are center-framed in the PDF and include a clickable link under the thumbnail so viewers can open the source URL quickly.
  4. PDF export also carries over your selected lookbook typography across text, title, split, and scene pages. The export uses local static font files with real heading/body weights, URL-safe font paths, and background-job-safe loading, so typography in the PDF stays closer to what you see in the editor.
  5. The filename uses the film title from the title page (or the project name and “Lookbook”) plus the date.
If you change the lookbook (or any page) after exporting, or you change linked Storyboard frames while a scene page uses Project storyboard, the PDF is considered out of date: the dropdown will show “PDF is out of date: export to get latest” and Download PDF will not be available until you run Export PDF again. This way you always download the latest content.
  • Shot list: Shots and camera/lens sync with the lookbook when you use the Shot list content type on a scene page.
  • Reference images and storyboards: Attach reference or storyboard images to shots; you can use similar visuals in the lookbook gallery or storyboard tab.
  • Storyboard: Build sequence panels by scene; the lookbook can pull those frames into a scene page when you choose Project storyboard.
  • Plan limits: Lookbook availability depends on your plan (first project on Free; all projects on Solo, Indie, Company).