Final Draft 8

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The number-one selling screenwriting program designed specifically to write scripts for film, television and theater, Final Draft automatically formats and paginates to Industry standards with two simple keystrokes. There’s no faster way to take an idea from initial concept through to FADE OUT.

Plus, version 8 boasts a sophisticated suite of story development tools to enhance your creative process, based on detailed feedback from pros and other power users. These additions include the Scene Properties Inspector, which lets you track specific info including story beats, characters and dialogue, and a system that lets you split your screen to view your script in one panel while you view your index cards, scene view or other handy tool in the other panel.

Saying Final Draft 8 is new and improved just hints at the advances made by the team behind this essential screenwriting program. To really see how you can employ this screenwriting software to write any kind of script, download our free Final Draft trial version, and check out our Final Draft demo videos below.

Check out our Final Draft demo to see how simple it is to start writing a screenplay

Discover how you can adapt a feature screenplay into a graphic novel

The extensive features in Final Draft 8 include:

Index Cards: The classic screenwriter’s tool, built-in to let you outline as you write

Final Draft’s index cards are an outliner’s dream, with two sides for displaying both a scene and its summary. The summary side let your sketch out ideas onto the card, including sequence or act markers, notes, locations, comments and more. Plus, you can color-code your cards to organize characters, themes, arcs, A & B stories, and more. Select and arrange cards to re-order your scenes, or print them on 3x5 or 4x6 cards for use in the 'traditional' way. Plus, clicking on a card in Split Panel View will sync the scene you select with your script.

Scene Navigator: A sortable floating palette to mange essential scene details

Story pace and flow is easily managed along with up to nine categories of scene information with the Scene Navigator. Choose what details to display about your scenes, including color, title, length, page number and location. Plus, you can sync the Navigator with your screenplay using one click. As your script progresses, pick and choose information relevant for each writing phase.

Scene Properties Inspector (SPI): Track characters, story lines and more

Specific data related to scenes that make up Action, Characters and Dialogue can be tracked with this innovative tool. Add and edit your scene's title then color-code the scene to help you track items including storylines, character arcs, and other content you need to return to later. Like the Scene Navigator, the Properties Inspector can display the details of any scene you're working on so you have your notes handy.

Scene View: Outline your screenplay and quickly shuffle scenes

The printable Scene View allows you to look at your script from a high-level overview, and easily reorganize scenes as you outline. Insert new scenes, and hide or show important information like the scene's title, action and summary. You can also display the scene’s color to swiftly distinguish scenes, and sync the script to instantly visit any scene you've selected in the view.

Send to Script: Move information from your index card summary to your screenplay

Send to Script lets you select info from your Index Card summaries and insert it into your script. For example, if there’s just a Scene Heading, the info will appear directly below the Scene Heading as an Action element. Otherwise, the text will appear at the end of any previously existing content in the scene. You’re able to access this feature by toolbar button, menu option, keyboard shortcut, and contextual menu.

XML File Format: Final Draft 8 fully integrates with other software programs

Final Draft 8 has a new file format not available in past versions of the program that allows it to work seamlessly with other programs! Now you can utilize the new Final Draft file format in a variety of products, like Screenwriting Pro, Save the Cat! Software, FrameForge Previz Studio 3, Movie Magic Scheduling, Gorilla, Story-O, StoryBoard Quick and many more. Your information can be opened directly in Final Draft with perfect format and structure. No more reformatting, and no more re-typing or lost information!

Panels System: Keep your outline in sync with your script

This handy tool splits your screen so you can view script pages in one panel while also viewing a section of the script, your Index Cards or Scene View. Also compare two scenes' dialogue and pacing side by side, even if separated by a vast number of pages. For an overview of each scene, use the Index Cards or Scene View on one side and the script in the other. A double-click in any scene will keep the panels in sync.

Templates: Built-in templates ensure you’re always writing in Industry-standard format

TV show, screenplay, stage play and graphic novel templates are included to help get you started. Looking for an old TV series no longer on the air? The Online Template Library is updated regularly and allows registered users to download additional templates directly from finaldraft.com.

Built-in Spell-Check and Thesaurus - New and improved! -

Final Draft’s spell-check function has been greatly imporved, and now comes with US English plus the option to install one of 15 additional language spell-checkers and thesauri. The application provides real time auto-spell check, catches capitalization errors and will assist you in finding synonyms. With definitions for 80,000 plus words from Merriam-Webster and a full thesaurus, you have all the tools at your fingertips. In addition, all the words you added to your user dictionary from version 7 will automatically populate your user dictionary when you install version 8.

Remember Workspace: Keep track of every version of your script

It's important if you're working among multiple drafts to make sure that you're editing the correct one. With the new Workspace preference, you can have Final Draft open all the files you had open, in the order you were working on them, the last time you worked in the program.

Final Draft Courier: Guarantees proper pagination!

Having a consistent page count that production companies and studios can depend on to help them estimate their budgets is crucial. That's why Final Draft offers its own font to ensure proper pagination on both Windows® and Macintosh®. The font is also easier on the eye, so you can better endure when you're writing for long periods of time.

Printing and PDF Options: Greater flexibility and more options

Print your script and any revisions along with other views including the Scene View and Index Cards. The ability to print directly on 3x5 or 4x6 index cards or directly to PDF has also been added, so you can decide whether to send a full script or a subset of pages via PDF. The Title Page is also conveniently available as an option to include in your PDF or printed output.

Also Save as PDF and choose whether to include the Title Page or not in the Save as PDF dialog box. This option has also been added to all text files (Title Pages, Reports, and Text templates). Plus, you can print by Scene Number or range of scenes. Script options also include the ability to print all scenarios once you enter Revision Mode (all revised pages, the active revision, any unrevised pages, or a specific revision set). You will also be able to print a collated script with the latest set of revisions for any given page.

Writing Management: Track your daily writing goals

Use the Statistics Report to check how much content you've completed in a writing session to help you manage your writing goals. You can also track things such as your ratio of Action to Dialogue and whether there may be some unnecessary profanity in your script if you're attempting to 'clean it up.'

ScriptNotes: Organize ideas and feedback about sections of your script

Use these pop-up windows to hold your ideas, suggestions or scene fragments that you've cut but aren’t ready to toss. ScriptNotes can also be used to provide feedback on a particular scene when reviewing your partner's script or can be printed as a report for reference when reviewing your screenplay.

ScriptCompare: Easily evaluate two versions of the same script

Final Draft has improved the way you can compare two drafts of the same script, providing a higher level of detail of the changes you’ve made, including individual words and punctuation.

Text to Speech: Conduct a table read anytime, anywhere!

Final Draft reads your script out loud to you, assigning different male and female voices to each of your characters. You can even designate a narrator for action and other non-dialogue script elements. Powered by the text-to-speech engines built into Window and Mac, it's like having a live script reading from your computer.

CollaboWriter: Work with a partner who’s next door or hundreds of miles away

Write, edit and discuss a screenplay with other users over the Internet in real time. You can transfer control between users so only one person makes changes at a time, ensuring information isn't lost during rewrites.

Format Assistant: Final Draft’s built-in error scanner

This useful tool checks your script for common formatting errors, such as missing dialogue, extra spaces, carriage returns and blank elements. You can set it to run every time you print, or at any time you want a check up.

Customizable Reporting: Stats to keep your script on time and on budget

Enjoy seven different reports to give you quick facts about your script, including scene length, cast, starting page number and location. The Location Report will inform you how often a location is used and will group the scenes by INT/EXT. The Character Report includes an 'appearance summary' so you know how frequently one character speaks versus the other characters, as well as the total word count for the character. Use the ScriptNotes Report to get a quick scan of all the notes in your script based on each scene and page. The Statistics Report lets you track daily writing goals by displaying how many words you've written, along with details on the types of elements you used and what percentage of the script they make up. Need to cast your characters? You can instantly create then print or email Character Sides for any speaking parts in your script.

Final Draft Tagger 2: Prep your script for scheduling

This updated stand-alone application reads any Final Draft script and enables you to "tag" elements within the script [cast, costumes, props, etc.] and export the results into most scheduling applications. Tagger allows you to select text from the script and add any element with a click of the mouse in any category for that scene, or for any or all scenes where that element appears. The element text is highlighted and color coded, and can be customized to suit the way you like to work. Created with the help of veteran Assistant Directors, Producers and Unit Production Managers, Tagger means no more going over a paper script again and again with highlighters.

Revisions/Page Locking: Easy-to-use production tools for script changes

From the ability to omit scenes, lock pages and A-pages as well as set your revision colors, version 8 provides you all the tools you'll need to take your script through production. Plus, there’s a new feature that automatically tracks the page header's revision color so you can issue one set of revisions or all as needed. Merging pages that have been cut once a script is locked is also a snap. With new how-to tutorials, you have step-by-step instructions on how to merge pages without affecting your overall page count. There are also standard revision colors in each film and television template.

Title Page, Cast Pages and Locations Pages: Industry standard cover pages come pre-formatted

All TV templates come pre-set with easy-to-use information for each series, including specific cast lists and typical sets/locations. The Standard One-Hour and Half-Hour Templates also help you get started on pilots by providing the kind of information that should appear in the finished product. Plus, the Title Page uses its own numbering for tracking the following pages so it won't add to your overall page count.

100% Cross-Platform: Mac or Window, scripts look the same

Scripts are identical on both Windows® and Macintosh® platforms and can easily be exchanged between both.

Script Registry: Register your script with the WGAw

Final Draft is a preferred file format and the only scriptwriting software with an authorized agreement with the WGAw online registry service.

Minimum System Requirements:
Windows: Microsoft Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista or Windows XP; Intel Pentium III processor or later; Minimum 512 MB of RAM; 50 MB available hard drive space.

Macintosh: Mac OS X 10.4.11 or later; Minimum 512 MB of RAM; 50 MB available hard drive space.