For the art department
Production Design Mood Boards
A cluster per set, with references, palettes, plans and notes in one place — built by the whole art department, live.
Soleil Clusters gives production designers a mood board per set: references, palettes, PDFs of plans and notes in one cluster, nested inside the project. Set decorators, props and the art director build it live, the director comments on the image itself, and one link shows it to anyone. Editors are free, so the department is not billed per seat.
A board per set, not one wall for the whole film
Production design is many decisions per set, made by several people at once. One giant wall turns into a scroll, and a deck is out of date by Thursday. In Clusters the project is a cluster and each set is a cluster inside it, so the diner’s references, palette and notes live together and the motel room’s never get in the way. Live thumbnails show what is inside each one at a glance.
- Nested clusters per set, location or department
- Live thumbnails of every nested board
- A relationship graph connects the project
References, palettes and plans together
A set board is not only pictures. Drop period photography and film frames beside the floor plan as a PDF, a fabric photo beside the paint chip, and a note on what the set has to do for the scene. Sample a palette off any reference with the eyedropper, a swatch at a time. On Creator, any file type rides along as an attachment — a .psd, a .zip of drawings, a model file.
- PDF plans and drawings beside the references
- Palettes sampled off any image, with hex values
- Any file type as an attachment on Creator
The whole department, live
Set decoration, props and graphics can work in the same project at once, each in their own nested cluster, with live cursors showing who is where. The director and producer comment on the exact image — pinned to the reference, not a paragraph in an email — and a vote card beside each chair settles “which of these three” without a meeting.
Tag by setting and character
Tags cut across the nesting. Type a tag as a setting — the diner — and its view gathers every reference for that place from anywhere in the workspace, including the costume and camera boards. Tag a character, and their room, their props and their wardrobe come back in one view.
What it does not do
Clusters is a reference and decision tool, not a drafting or budgeting one. Draw the plans in Vectorworks or SketchUp and attach them; keep the budget and the breakdown where they already live. What Clusters holds is the look of each set and the record of how it was agreed.
How an art department uses it
- A cluster per set — Nest one cluster per set or location inside the project — the diner, the motel room, the night exterior.
- Pull the references — Select everything in your folders of period photography, film frames and scout photos and drag it in; attach plans and drawings as PDFs.
- Set the palette — Sample swatches off any reference with the eyedropper and keep the hex values beside the set they belong to.
- Split the work — Set decoration, props and graphics each work in their own nested clusters, inside the set.
- Get the director’s notes — The director comments on the exact image; when it comes down to two options, a vote card on each shows where the room leans.
What it costs
Start free. Pay when you outgrow it.
Free — $0 forever
- 50 cards to build with
- No separate limit on clusters — each one counts as one of your cards
- Free collaboration — invite editors to any cluster
Creator — $25/mo, or $20/mo billed annually
- Unlimited cards
- Any file type
- No size limits, on a 100GB drive
One Creator plan covers the whole workspace — everyone you invite builds at your limits, and there are no per-seat charges.
Made with Clusters
Real boards published from the canvas — open one and explore it live.
Frequently asked questions
What should a production design mood board include?
For each set: period and genre references, film frames with the feel you want, a palette, textures and materials, key props, and any plans or drawings — plus a note on what the set has to do for the story. One board per set keeps each one readable.
Can the whole art department work on the same boards?
Yes. Invite set decorators, prop masters and graphics as editors — free on every plan — and everyone works in the same project live, each in their own nested cluster.
Can I attach floor plans and drawings?
Yes. PDFs of plans and drawings sit on the board as cards beside the references. Other formats — a .psd, a .zip, a model file — attach on Creator, which accepts any file type.
How do I share the boards with the director and producer?
Invite them to comment and vote, free — or send a view-only link that opens without an account, includes the nested sets, and can expire after 7 or 30 days.
Is it free?
Free for 50 cards across the workspace — each cluster counts as one — with free editors. A full art department will outgrow that; Creator removes the cap for the whole workspace at once. See “What it costs” on this page.