Story Lite notes and storyboard Rotating Header Image

Top Ten 10 uses of Story Lite productivity writing and writers’ software

The latest Story Software app is Notes Story Board – free for personal use >

This page was made for Story Lite. The new apps also have image import.

Story Lite is great for all types of top 10 work and play! Story Lite is very flexible so can be used as the main work program, or lined up next to your main application window (Word, Photoshop, Sonar, etc) on your display.

We just had an email from Stella who uses it for genealogy work, see her comments in Story Software Testimonials > Here is an image of part of her family tree:

Genealogy with Story Lite software

Genealogy with Story Lite software


1: Presentations and speeches, slide shows, illustrated talks

Powerpoint education presentation use of Story Lite on right

Powerpoint education presentation use of Story Lite on right

Sorting out a presentation can be misleading in Powerpoint, Google Docs Presentation, SlideRocket, Prezi, 280 Slides or similar – it is better to think about the structure outside of it. Story Lite is good for speeches and talks as you can easily write the text paragraphs into boxes, then rearrange to suit your final speech.

Story Lite is such a flexible productivity software tool, it can be used for anything where you need fast access to ideas and notes, and can reorder however you like. Note that v1.1 does not import images, this is coming soon.


2: To improve working with Word, Pages, Libre Office, Open Office

Education Word Pages Libre Office Story Lite

Education Word Pages Libre Office Story Lite

Multiple note pad alongside other software. It might seem funny to use Story Lite alongside a word processor but it is very useful for keeping small or any size pieces of text, along with formatting, next to a standard ‘one panel’ text editor.

Of course it can all be done inside Story Lite, but you might be working on an existing Word (or Apple Pages, Open Office, Libre Office etc) document.


3: Fiction, Essay and Blog Article

How to write fiction Story Lite

How to write fiction Story Lite

Fiction or any creative writing such as blogging or article writing is what Story Lite was made for, even though it has many general uses as productivity software. There are many templates and examples in the Download section.


4: Titles, captions and story arrangements for Video Production

Movie Maker or Avid film video editing

Movie Maker or Avid film video editing

This is how we made the Story Lite videos. The ideas go into Story Lite as titles and notes, then all is moved about until there is some sort of flow, then some gets edited out. Then the video is made in Windows Movie Maker, software from Pinnacle, MAGIX, Sony Vegas, Roxio, CyberLink PowerDirector, Nero, Arcsoft, Corel VideoStudio, Adobe Premiere, Avid etc. Same old solution: big software like Photoshop, Video, even Word is not always able to hold many notes and ideas alongside projects.


6: Unique publishing format: Solar System, Zen, many more

Solar system Earth Sun to scale

Solar system Earth Sun to scale

This is a scale version of the Earth – Moon – Sun distance. The globes are represented by correct pixel sized O glyphs, and the distance is worked out in the layout. This image shows the two ends of a very wide layout – if you look at the info map to the top left, you can see the black shapes of the globe areas.


See here for file downloads including Earth Moon Sun and Three Pillars of Zen >


6: Photo editing, Photo collections, Image processing

Photoshop needs notes and ideas too

Photoshop needs notes and ideas too

Another obvious use, to keep notes when working on photo editing or manipulation, especially when you have a large collection (don’t we all). The Story Lite file can be color coded to suit the project, and saved off to the folder with the photos or images.


7: With Music software

Cakewalk Sonar or Ableton Live or Protools audio music with Story Lite top 10 productivity software

Cakewalk Sonar or Ableton Live or Protools audio music with Story Lite top 10 productivity software

Music editing is great done ‘live’ and you also need a notepad handy for all the ideas and comments for each song or track.

Story Lite is great for this as it has multiple panels for any ideas or notes, and can be color coded to match your color scheme (very important!).

You can also write lyrics if you get any quick ideas.

Scope Creamware music production and Story Lite

Scope Creamware music production and Story Lite

This is a Scope hardware music system from Sonic Core, with mixers, synths, effects etc, it has a small notepad inside it, use Story Lite to take many more notes for music production. See Scope at Sonic Core professional audio >


8: Computer Aided Design, AutoCAD, Google SketchUp

Autocad CAD architect use

Autocad CAD architect use

Computer aided design (CAD) is hard work, even in Google SketchUp, this shows AutoCAD which is even more complex. Notes as usual, held to one side.


9: Research while browsing online, collect notes and ideas

Web browser and Story Lite for notes and research

Web browser and Story Lite for notes and research

Story Lite is great for collecting up notes from the web – just have it next to your browser and copy/paste text into it.

NEWS! We have a web based version of Story Lite coming online by June 2011.


10: Spreadsheet, Excel, Open Libre Office

Story Lite with Microsoft Excel and any spreadsheet

Story Lite with Microsoft Excel and any spreadsheet

Perhaps you need some notes outside of the spreadsheet you are editing, since they can clutter up the layout and calculations. Try Story Lite for any size notes you need.


If you have any ideas, please let us know via our Contact form.

See here for examples and templates downloads >

Apple Mac users

We have a Mac version available from here or many Mac download sites such as MacUpdate etc.

Story Lite for Mac download link

There is also a Windows version on Cnet and other places
Story Lite for Windows file download

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