Convert Action and Hold Frames Into Shot Durations — Free
Separate movement from held poses and calculate the real duration at your timeline frame rate. A long hold is still screen time even when it adds no drawings.
The proof surface
Storyboard tools organise scenes; this measures animation exposure duration from frame counts, without equating unique drawings with timeline frames.
Why the flat version breaks
Using drawings as frames
Animation on twos doubles exposure without doubling drawings.
Forgetting title holds
Static images still occupy the timeline.
Calling seconds timecode
Decimal seconds are not a drop-frame timecode representation.
How to work the exposure dope
A drawing held for two frames contributes two timeline frames. Enter the action’s exposure count, not the number of distinct images in the folder.
Include anticipation, reaction and title holds as frame counts. Do not count the same exposure in both action and hold columns.
Use the project’s playback rate. This calculator returns decimal seconds and does not generate drop-frame timecode or change media interpretation.
Watch the sequence with its soundtrack. The starter totals eight seconds, but rhythm and readability still need an actual viewing; a numerical duration cannot judge a pause.
What the exposure dope replaces
| Question | Before | Visible working |
|---|---|---|
| Using drawings as frames | Animation on twos doubles exposure without doubling drawings. | Add intentional holds |
| Forgetting title holds | Static images still occupy the timeline. | Match the timeline rate |
| Calling seconds timecode | Decimal seconds are not a drop-frame timecode representation. | Check the animatic |
A local arithmetic aid replaces hand calculation, not expert review. No paid AI service is needed.
Run it on the samples, right here
FIRST-LOAD
Input is processed locally. A state link encodes your inputs in its URL: share only non-sensitive rows. Browser history, clipboard and anyone receiving the link may retain it. Optional AI use below leaves this device; it is not required.
This computes duration from exposure counts, not artistic pacing or delivery compliance. Confirm frame-rate and timecode requirements with the editor.
Data note: Everything runs in this browser tab on the exposure dope: your shot | action frames | hold frames stays on this device, nothing is uploaded, and the reading is rebuilt only when you press run.
Go deeper: the companion app files the same reading as a plotted bar chart sheet
The article demo above runs without limits. The companion app keeps a local history, exports the rows as CSV, prints the exposure dope reading, and holds your drafts on this device — one free run, then $ 4 one-time for the layer that keeps filing.
The exposure dope reading is complete for free. The optional $4 layer adds print, row CSV and the last five local reading summaries; it does not add hidden answers. Checkout is not configured yet; the article demo remains unlimited.
Open the convert action and hold frames into shot durations companionBoundary
This computes duration from exposure counts, not artistic pacing or delivery compliance. Confirm frame-rate and timecode requirements with the editor.
What this is built on
- Method: Use the project’s playback rate. This calculator returns decimal seconds and does not generate drop-frame timecode or change media interpretation.
- All sample records are invented examples. The app does not fetch measurements, policies, files or personal records.
- Google’s official pricing page, fetched 2026-09-27, lists free-tier access including AI Studio. Optional formatting only; limits and availability can change. Free-tier content may be used to improve products. Never paste private records there.
Before: Animation on twos doubles exposure without doubling drawings. After: the exposure dope shows the working beside each named row so the reader can change the assumption and inspect the consequence.
Optional AI formatting, not calculation
For this exposure dope, use the free AI Studio interface only if available to you, with no paid API key. Manual entry completes the same workflow for free. Supply only fictional or non-sensitive notes. Review its output against the source; never paste unresolved questions into the numeric rows.
Format my non-sensitive notes for a exposure dope. Return plain rows only: shot | action frames | hold frames. Preserve supplied quantities exactly. Do not guess missing values; list questions separately. Do not calculate or add advice. I will check every row before pasting into the local tool.
Accepted schema: shot | action frames | hold frames. No AI response is executed as code.