Manga to Anime Template

Turn a manga page into an animated scene: each panel becomes a shot with a camera move, a sound and a length. One real page, seven panels, filled in.

Use this template
  • FitsOne manga page at a time
  • IncludesFilled example and blank
  • CostFree to copy

Updated

Manga page: two office workers see a bakery alert on a phone and dash out of the office
Manga page: the two rivals race down the street, shoving each other
Manga page: they burst into the bakery and both reach for the last melon bread

Pages 1 to 3 of Lunch Rush, made in Ziztu.

The template

The example adapts page 1 of Lunch Rush, a four page manga made in Ziztu. A page has seven panels and the scene runs about 12 seconds. Read down the table to see how each panel turns into a shot.

Manga page to anime scene

Lunch Rush, page 1Your title here

Page card

What you are adapting and what the result should feel like.

Page
Lunch Rush, page 1 of 4, seven panels
Story beat
Two office rivals read that one melon bread is left and race out the door.
Length
About 12 seconds
Look
Color 2D anime with the same character designs

Panels to shots

Read the page in order. Each panel becomes one shot, and its size on the page sets its time.

PanelOn the pageBecomes this shotSoundTime
1A wide office, two coworkers at desks, a narration box and the word DING.Wide shot, slow push in. A phone chimes on the desk.Phone chime, office hum.3.0 s
2A phone in a hand, the screen glowing.Insert of the phone. The screen lights up.Soft click.1.0 s
3A close-up of his eyes, speed lines behind.Close-up. His eyes narrow; the speed lines become a quick zoom.A short rising whoosh.1.0 s
4A bubble: Bakery update, one melon bread left.Medium shot, the phone held out as he reads it aloud.Voice line.2.0 s
5Two bubbles: Mine. Cute theory.Two-shot. She answers without looking up.Two short voice lines.2.5 s
6Speed lines and a foot pushing off.Insert of a shoe kicking off the floor.A sharp scuff.0.5 s
7A wide shot of both running out, the word DASH, a bubble: Try keeping up.Wide tracking shot. Both run out of the door.Running steps, one voice line.2.5 s

Rules of the adaptation

The same five rules work for any page.

  1. 1Reading order is shot orderPanels are read top to bottom, right to left, and the shots follow.
  2. 2Panel size is timeThe big opening panel gets three seconds; the small insert gets one.
  3. 3Speed lines are camera movesThe lines behind his eyes become a quick zoom.
  4. 4Sound effects become soundDING is a chime and DASH is running steps.
  5. 5Trim the bubblesKeep the words that move the story and cut what the picture already says.

Paste it into Google Docs, Word, Notion or any text editor. It is free to copy and use.

The fastest way to use it

On your own

  • Copy the template into a document and fill it in.
  • Find an image tool, a video tool and a voice tool, and move your work between them.
  • Keep the same faces, places and style yourself, shot after shot.

In Ziztu

  • The idea box opens with the example already written. Change the names and press go.
  • Studio plans the shot list, makes every shot and adds the music, in one place.
  • Character sheets keep the cast looking the same in every shot.
  • 40 free credits, no card: write the script, cast your characters, draw the storyboard and hear the voices. Video starts at $12.
Use this template

How to fill it in

  1. 01

    Fill in the page card

    Write the one-sentence beat of the page and the length you want. A page rarely needs more than 15 seconds.

  2. 02

    List the panels in reading order

    For each panel write what it shows, then decide the shot size and what moves. Use the panel's size to set its time.

  3. 03

    Add the sound and trim the words

    Turn written sound effects into real sounds and cut any line the picture already says.

What makes it work

Let the page set the rhythm

Large panels breathe and small panels snap. The layout of a good manga page is already a timing chart.

Keep the designs

Use the characters from the page as your references, so the animated people look like the drawn ones.

Move one thing per shot

A panel is a still. Choose one motion for it, a push, a turn or a run, and keep the rest steady.

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Frequently asked questions

How do I turn manga into anime?

Go through the page panel by panel, turn each into a shot with a camera move and a length, add the sounds the page only writes down and trim the dialogue. The result is a storyboard you can animate.

How long should a manga page be as anime?

A page of five to eight panels usually runs 10 to 20 seconds. The example here has seven panels and about 12 seconds.

Can AI turn a manga page into an animation?

AI tools can animate a single panel or generate new shots from your descriptions. Planning the shots first, as this template does, gives you control over timing and sound. In Ziztu Studio you can plan the scene shot by shot and keep the characters consistent.

Is Lunch Rush a real manga?

It is a four page manga made in Ziztu as an example. The people are invented.

Can I make the scene from this template?

Yes. Press Use this template to open the idea box with the scene written out, or try one shot in the anime video generator.

Is the template free?

Yes. Copy it as text, download it as a Markdown file or print it to PDF without an account.

Related tools

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Anime Scenes

From the blog

How to Make Anime With AI, From One Clip to a Short Film7 min readHow to Make Manga With AI, From Story to Lettered Pages7 min read

Turn the template into a scene you can watch.

40 free credits, no card: write the script, cast your characters, draw the storyboard and hear the voices. Video starts at $12.

Try it free