What is Canvas Agent?
Canvas Agent is Kling 3.0's AI-powered storyboard tool designed to help creators plan, organize, and generate multi-shot video sequences from a single workspace. Instead of generating individual video clips one at a time and hoping they fit together, Canvas Agent provides a visual planning interface where you can lay out an entire sequence of shots, define how they connect, and generate them as a cohesive series with shared visual characteristics.
Think of Canvas Agent as a digital version of the storyboard sheets used in professional film and animation production. Each panel represents a single shot or scene in your video, complete with its own prompt, camera angle, duration, and transition style. The key advantage over manual clip-by-clip generation is that Canvas Agent maintains awareness of the entire sequence, allowing it to enforce visual consistency across shots. Characters maintain their appearance, environments stay coherent, and the overall aesthetic remains unified from the first frame to the last.
Canvas Agent is particularly valuable for creators working on narrative content, product showcases, or any project that requires more than a single continuous shot. By planning the full sequence before generating any footage, you can identify pacing issues, spot missing coverage, and refine your creative vision before spending credits on generation. This front-loaded planning approach mirrors professional pre-production workflows and can dramatically reduce the number of wasted generations in complex projects.
Canvas Agent vs. Standard Generation
Standard generation creates one video at a time with no memory of previous outputs. Canvas Agent creates a persistent project workspace where multiple shots share context, style references, and character definitions. Use standard generation for standalone clips and experimentation. Use Canvas Agent when you need multiple shots that work together as a unified sequence.
Why Use Canvas Agent?
The primary reason to use Canvas Agent is visual consistency across multiple shots. One of the biggest challenges in AI video generation is maintaining continuity. When you generate clips individually, each one exists in isolation. A character's clothing might change color between shots, the lighting might shift unexpectedly, or the overall art style might drift. Canvas Agent addresses this by sharing style and character information across all panels in your storyboard, significantly reducing these continuity breaks.
Beyond consistency, Canvas Agent enables a professional planning workflow that saves both time and credits. In traditional video production, storyboarding happens before any cameras roll. This planning phase catches problems early, when they are cheap to fix. Canvas Agent brings this same discipline to AI video generation. You can rearrange shots, adjust timing, rewrite descriptions, and refine transitions entirely within the planning interface before committing to generation. This means fewer throwaway clips and a more efficient use of your credit budget.
Canvas Agent also excels at managing complex narratives. If your project tells a story, introduces a product through multiple angles, or builds an emotional arc, you need to think in sequences rather than individual clips. The storyboard view gives you a bird's-eye perspective on your entire project, making it easy to identify gaps in coverage, pacing issues, or moments where the visual storytelling could be stronger. You can see at a glance whether your sequence flows logically and whether each shot serves a clear purpose in the overall narrative.
Finally, Canvas Agent provides collaboration and iteration benefits. The storyboard format is inherently shareable and easy to discuss with clients, team members, or collaborators. You can present the storyboard for feedback before generation, make requested changes in the planning phase, and only generate the final sequence once everyone is aligned on the creative direction. This reduces expensive revision cycles and keeps projects on track.
Step 1: Accessing Canvas Agent
To access Canvas Agent, log in to the Kling platform and look for the Canvas or Storyboard option in the main navigation menu. On the desktop interface, this is typically found in the left sidebar alongside the standard video generation, image generation, and gallery sections. On mobile, you may need to access it through the hamburger menu or the "More Tools" section.
When you first open Canvas Agent, you will see a blank workspace with an option to create a new storyboard project. Click New Project or Create Storyboard to begin. You will be prompted to give your project a name and optionally set a global style description that will apply to all shots in the sequence. This global style acts as a baseline, ensuring visual coherence before you even start adding individual panels.
Setting a Global Style
The global style description is one of the most powerful features of Canvas Agent. Use it to define overarching visual parameters like "cinematic 4K, warm color grading, shallow depth of field, golden hour lighting" or "anime style, vibrant colors, clean lines, studio Ghibli inspired." Every panel in your storyboard will inherit this style description, and you can override specific elements at the individual shot level if needed.
The Canvas Agent interface is organized around a central timeline or grid view. The timeline view displays your shots horizontally in sequence order, similar to a video editing timeline. The grid view shows all panels simultaneously in a card layout, which is useful for getting an overview of the entire project. You can switch between these views at any time using the toggle in the top-right corner of the workspace. Both views provide access to the same editing controls; the choice is simply a matter of preference for how you want to visualize your sequence.
Along the top of the workspace, you will find project-level controls including the global style editor, the character library (where you can define recurring characters), the generate-all button, and export options. The bottom panel typically shows a detailed editor for whichever individual shot is currently selected.
Step 2: Creating a Storyboard
Building your storyboard begins with adding scenes to the timeline. Click the Add Scene or + Panel button to create a new shot in your sequence. Each scene appears as a card or panel that you can click to expand and edit. Start by adding all the scenes you envision for your project, even if you only have rough ideas for some of them. You can always refine or remove scenes later.
For each scene, write a detailed description of what should happen visually. This is your shot-level prompt, and it works the same way as a standard Kling video prompt but with the added benefit of the global style context. Be specific about the subject, action, environment, and any important visual details. For example, a scene in a product reveal sequence might read: "Close-up of a sleek black smartphone rotating slowly on a white pedestal, studio lighting with soft reflections, minimalist background."
Arranging your sequence is done through simple drag-and-drop. Click and hold any scene card, then drag it to a new position in the timeline to reorder your shots. This flexibility allows you to experiment with different narrative structures. Try opening with your strongest visual hook, building tension through the middle shots, and closing with a memorable final image. The ability to rearrange freely before generation encourages creative experimentation without any credit cost.
How Many Scenes?
Canvas Agent supports up to 20 scenes in a single storyboard project. For most use cases, 5 to 10 scenes provide a good balance between narrative depth and manageability. Start with fewer scenes for your first project to get comfortable with the workflow, then scale up as you develop a feel for how the tool handles longer sequences. Each scene generates independently, so longer storyboards take proportionally longer to process and cost proportionally more credits.
As you build out your scenes, pay attention to the flow between consecutive panels. Each scene should have a logical connection to the one before and after it. Think about what the viewer's eye will be drawn to, and consider whether the transition between scenes will feel natural or jarring. Good storyboarding is as much about the spaces between shots as it is about the shots themselves.
Step 3: Configuring Individual Shots
Each scene in your storyboard can be individually configured with specific parameters that control camera behavior, timing, and transitions. Click on any scene card to open its detailed configuration panel. Here you will find settings that go beyond the text prompt and let you fine-tune exactly how each shot will look and feel when generated.
Camera Angles and Movement can be set per shot using Kling's camera control system. Choose from preset options like wide shot, medium shot, close-up, or extreme close-up. You can also specify camera movements such as pan left, tilt up, dolly in, or orbit around subject. These settings are applied on top of your text prompt, giving you precise control over framing and motion without needing to describe every camera detail in your prompt text.
Transitions define how one shot flows into the next. Canvas Agent supports several transition types including cut (instant switch), fade (gradual dissolve), and match cut (visual element carries between shots). Choosing the right transition for each scene boundary significantly affects the perceived quality and professionalism of your final sequence. Cuts work best for energetic, fast-paced sequences. Fades suit emotional or contemplative moments. Match cuts create sophisticated visual connections between related scenes.
Timing and Duration settings let you specify how long each shot should run. Individual shots can be set to 5 seconds or 10 seconds, and different shots within the same storyboard can have different durations. Consider the purpose of each shot when setting duration. Establishing shots and scenic visuals often benefit from a full 10 seconds, while action beats, reaction shots, and quick cutaways can be effective at just 5 seconds. Varying your shot durations creates a more dynamic and engaging rhythm in the final sequence.
Credit Calculation
Each scene in your storyboard is charged independently based on its duration and quality settings. A 10-scene storyboard with all shots set to 10 seconds will cost approximately 10 times the credit cost of a single 10-second generation. Review your storyboard carefully before generating all scenes to avoid unnecessary credit expenditure on shots you may not ultimately need.
Step 4: Generating the Sequence
Once your storyboard is fully planned with all scenes described, configured, and arranged in the correct order, you are ready to generate the video sequence. Canvas Agent offers two generation approaches: Generate All and Generate Selected. The Generate All option processes every scene in your storyboard sequentially, while Generate Selected lets you pick specific scenes to generate, which is useful for testing individual shots before committing to the full sequence.
Before clicking Generate, take a final review pass through your storyboard. Check that each scene has a complete and descriptive prompt, that camera settings are configured as intended, that durations are appropriate, and that transitions between scenes make sense. This review step is critical because generating a full storyboard can be a significant credit investment, and catching errors at this stage is free.
During generation, Canvas Agent processes scenes in order from first to last. A progress indicator shows which scene is currently being generated and provides estimated completion times. Generation of a full storyboard typically takes longer than generating the same number of individual clips because the system maintains additional context about the overall project to ensure consistency. For a 10-scene storyboard, expect the full generation to take 10 to 20 minutes depending on server load and the complexity of your scenes.
After generation completes, Canvas Agent presents a preview mode where you can watch all scenes played back in sequence with their specified transitions. This preview is your opportunity to evaluate the sequence as a whole. Look for consistency issues between scenes, check that transitions feel natural, and assess the overall pacing and flow. If individual scenes need adjustment, you can re-generate specific panels without affecting the rest of the sequence. Simply modify the prompt or settings for the problem scene and re-generate just that one panel.
Iterating Efficiently
Rather than generating all scenes at once on your first attempt, consider generating just the first three scenes to verify that the global style and character consistency are working as expected. If the results are good, proceed with generating the remaining scenes. If adjustments are needed, you can refine the global style or character definitions before committing more credits. This staged approach can save significant credits on longer storyboard projects.
Creative Applications
Short Films and Narrative Content. Canvas Agent is ideal for creating short narrative sequences that tell a story across multiple scenes. You can plan a complete mini-movie with establishing shots, character introductions, rising action, and resolution. By defining characters in the character library and referencing them consistently across scenes, you can maintain protagonist identity throughout the story. Creators have used Canvas Agent to produce 30-second to 2-minute narrative pieces that would have been extremely difficult to achieve with individual clip generation.
Music Videos and Visual Albums. The storyboard format maps naturally to music video production, where each shot corresponds to a specific section of a song. You can plan verse visuals, chorus visuals, and bridge transitions, then generate them all with a cohesive look. By matching shot durations to musical sections and planning transitions that align with beat drops or key changes, you can create surprisingly polished music video content. Export the generated sequence and sync it with your audio track in any standard video editor.
Product Reveals and Marketing Content. For product-focused content, Canvas Agent allows you to plan a reveal sequence that builds anticipation. Start with mysterious close-ups or silhouettes, gradually reveal more detail through medium shots, and climax with a full product hero shot. This structured approach to product storytelling is far more engaging than a single static product video and can be tailored for different platforms by adjusting aspect ratios and durations per shot.
Educational and Explainer Sequences. Canvas Agent works well for creating step-by-step visual explanations or educational content. Each scene can illustrate a different concept or step in a process, with consistent visual style tying the sequence together. The planning interface makes it easy to ensure logical flow and complete coverage of your topic. Pair the generated visuals with voiceover narration added in post-production for complete explainer videos.
Best Practices
Keep scenes coherent with your global style. The global style description is your primary tool for visual consistency. Write it carefully and make it specific enough to enforce a unified look, but general enough that it does not conflict with the unique requirements of individual scenes. Avoid putting scene-specific details in the global style. Instead, use it for overarching parameters like color palette, lighting quality, artistic style, and level of realism. When you need a specific scene to deviate from the global style, override it at the scene level rather than changing the global settings.
Use consistent character descriptions. If a character appears in multiple scenes, use identical descriptive language for their appearance in every scene where they appear. Better yet, define the character in Canvas Agent's character library with a detailed description and, if available, a reference image. Reference this character definition in each relevant scene rather than re-describing them from scratch. Consistency in character descriptions is the single most important factor in maintaining character identity across shots.
Character Description Template
When defining a recurring character, include: gender, approximate age, ethnicity, hair color and style, eye color, build/height, and a specific outfit description. For example: "Woman, early 30s, East Asian, long straight black hair, brown eyes, slender build, wearing a navy blue blazer over a white blouse with gold stud earrings." Use this exact description every time the character appears.
Plan transitions deliberately. Do not leave transitions as an afterthought. The way one shot connects to the next is a storytelling tool in itself. A hard cut implies a change in perspective or time. A fade suggests passage of time or a shift in mood. A match cut draws a visual or thematic connection between two scenes. Plan each transition to serve your narrative purpose, and be consistent with your transition language throughout the sequence. Erratic transition choices can make an otherwise polished sequence feel disjointed.
Start simple and scale up. For your first Canvas Agent project, limit yourself to 4-6 scenes with straightforward descriptions. Focus on understanding how the global style interacts with individual scene prompts, how consistency is maintained between shots, and how transitions affect the viewing experience. Once you are comfortable with the workflow and have calibrated your expectations for the output quality, gradually increase the complexity and length of your storyboards. Mastering the fundamentals with short sequences will serve you well when tackling ambitious multi-scene projects later.