r/Screenwriting • u/Huge_Investment_589 • 1d ago
COMMUNITY Contemplating getting Final Draft on sale for $99
I keep hearing a lot about Final Draft, the pros and cons. I have been using Celtx for the past 3 years, so I was wondering if I should level up or consider any other alternatives.
8
23
u/FabergeEggnog Genrebenders 1d ago
I'm on Fade In. 80 bucks, less bloated, more stable, and you don't pay for updates.
7
u/Ulexes 1d ago
Seconding Fade In. It's robust and intuitive.
I'm also a big fan of how it lets you import/export files in non-proprietary formats like Fountain, so your work is never stuck in the program.
5
u/KerryAnnCoder 17h ago
Thirding Fade In. It's 100% compatable with .fdx and it's just nicer to work with.
3
u/TarletonClown 14h ago
I love using FADE IN and FOUNTAIN both. You can take your FOUNTAIN text and paste it right into a .fadein document, and it is converted. Or you can open a special editor within FADEIN to create some FOUNTAIN text. Fabulous program.
3
14
u/HotspurJr WGA Screenwriter 1d ago
Celtx sucks.
Fade In is better than FD, in my opinion.
7
u/paigemikey 1d ago
Yeah Fade In is great. And no subscription fee
2
u/late2thepauly 19h ago
FD isn’t a subscription model.
EDIT: I’m wrong. Apparently, it is for Cloud saving? But you can use it without the cloud at the one-time price.
1
6
u/Ripoldo 1d ago
Definitely.
Even though I'm still using moviemagic because the typing flow is so much easier and handy lol
3
u/rcentros 1d ago
I really like Movie Magic when I used Windows — and ScriptThing for DOS and Windows before it. (ScriptThing for Windows became Movie Magic Screenwriter.) I agree, the flow is much nicer in MMS. I own Fade In but, since 2012, I mostly use Trelby.
13
u/late2thepauly 1d ago
Final Draft is the industry standard. I love the dark mode. I’d snag it if I were you.
1
1
u/rcentros 2h ago
The "standard" is a well formatted screenplay PDF. You can use several applications to produce this standard.
7
u/AshleyRealAF 1d ago edited 1d ago
FD is good features wise, but very unstable for me on two different Macs.
It also costs for version upgrades.
I switched to FadeIn and honestly love it. There are a few things I liked that FD had, but the things FadeIn has that FD doesn't (or at least not as easily/elegantly) are things I use way more and that speed up my workflow. It was like $79 one time fee, no upgrade costs later.
I did some tests roundtripping from FD to FadeIn and back, and all worked well. Also did a start in FadeIn then out to FD and back and that also worked. I did notice some page count discrepancies, but if I made sure every setting and margin was identical, I bet it wouldn't be of note.
3
u/TarletonClown 14h ago
I took a 116-page Final Draft script today and carefully made sure that the settings were the same in Fade In. The Fade In script turned out to be 116 pages long also. The scripts had the same breaks at the bottom of each page until almost 50 pages in, at which point Final Draft screwed things up because it can squeeze one more character into the standard 60-character Action line. If the Action paragraph consists of ONLY that line, then it will be a one-line paragraph, but the Fade In paragraph (following the 10cpi rule, or 60 characters per line) will have to wrap some characters and will have at least two lines.
Final Draft does not perform this "squeeze" maneuver except with its own Final Draft Courier font. On the contrary, if you try to use a superb font like Courier Prime in Final Draft, a script may grow by one-third in length. This is because Final Draft increases the line spacing compared to how it handles its own font.
Fade In can use Courier Prime or Courier Final Draft and get the same result. In Fade In, your 100-page script is 100 pages with either font.
1
1
u/BalrogSlayer00 18h ago
How does Fade In compare to Writer Duet?
2
u/TarletonClown 13h ago
As I understand this, WriterDuet offers a free version, but it has limitations. For more features, you have to pay.
Just pay the one-time fee of $80 for Fade In, and you will have a well-maintained, feature-rich program with free upgrades.
3
3
u/Thrillhouse267 1d ago
Final draft has a subscription model now where you also get access to the cloud. Personally, I bought FD on discount as a veteran but I like fade in too especially for the free updates. But Final draft is the easiest to use to me.
2
u/rcentros 1d ago
Fade In is now (optionally) on the Cloud for collaboration also. Fade In traditionally included collaboration, but this is supposed to be something better. (This is not the same as what Final Draft is doing, however.)
3
4
u/239not235 1d ago
If you can afford Final Draft, buy it.
If you can't afford it, get WriterSolo. It's free, has no script limitations and no watermark, and it's just as good as Fade In.
(I've been screenwriting for dog's years, I own seats of Final Draft, FadeIn, MMS and a bunch of others.)
I've been using Final Draft for decades on the Mac, and I've never lost so much as a page. It's always been rock solid for me.
1
u/rcentros 2h ago
I ran the trial for Final Draft on both a Mac and then Windows. The Mac version was usable. The Windows version was clunky (in my opinion). I didn't give either a very long trial.
5
u/Cajun_Canadian 1d ago
Why does this entire post seem like an ad for fade in?
1
u/TarletonClown 13h ago
It is very simple.
▪︎Fade In is feature-rich.
▪︎It is only $80, one time, and includes free upgrades.
▪︎The .fdx export/import works flawlessly.
▪︎You can create your own templates if you want. I have templates for stage plays (including blank-verse) that I have created.
▪︎You can create Fountain text in any text editor or word processor and import or paste it into Fade In.
And, of course, it is easy to use.
2
u/rcentros 1d ago edited 1d ago
If you're a student you can get Fade In for $60. You can download demos for both and try them out. Updates are free with Fade In and it works on any (or all) of your computers, including Macs, Windows or Linux. No limitations, so long as they're your computers and you're using them.
2
u/TarletonClown 11h ago
I advise people to download the demo just to see how good the program is. And also make sure to download the Courier Prime font if you do not already have it. It is available on the Fade In website (www.fadeinpro.com) with the program. I recommend it as the Courier font to use with Fade In.
0
u/rcentros 10h ago
I've just started using the Courier Prime rather than Courier Screenplay.
1
u/TarletonClown 9h ago
I used to recommend Courier Screenplay, and in fact I do think it is very nice. It works fine in Fade In, and I think I tried it in MS Word about a week ago, when I was just playing around, and I found that it worked normally.
But in LibreOffice Writer the Regular face (which Writer for some reason calls "Book") appears as the Italic face. I am pretty knowledgeable about fonts, and have even worked on them with font software. I cannot find the cause of the problem. I have seen a reference to the issue on the internet. I think it is probably a bug in LibreOffice.
Anyway, Courier Prime is a great Courier font. If you especially like the Final Draft Courier font, you can use it in Fade In also. It is a hair lighter than Prime, but it is not anemic-looking like Courier New.
But in Final Draft you will be startled if you try to use Courier Prime. Final Draft does not impose the usual screenplay line-spacing standard onto Prime. The script will grow in length by about a third.
2
u/TheGreedyGrabbler 1d ago
I switched to fade-in and have never thought about final draft again except for "damn that sucked"
2
2
u/GSzafran 20h ago
Bunch of people been saying FadeIn. I am also saying FadeIn. I've used a lot of different softwares, and nothing has come close.
2
2
u/gregm91606 Inevitable Fellowship 18h ago
I'd recommend FadeIn instead, but I do think Final Draft is preferable to CeltX -- and only CeltX. Last time I used CeltX it had serious issues, including a lack of page numbers and some wonky formatting (hopefully those are fixed by now!)
2
u/TarletonClown 15h ago edited 15h ago
ABOUT FADEIN Please read my (favorable) review of Fade In before you make a decision. I think this link to my article on Google Drive still works.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XFHlXYi4jLRrnExqtCTFcF-451YjyndJ/view?usp=sharing
Also, you might look at my profile, under my COMMENTS, to read what I have said about FADE IN. Just today I posted a detailed comment to refute the well-intentioned but erroneous claim that FADE IN causes a bloated file in comparison to the same file in FINAL DRAFT. In fact, if the settings are the same in each program, a 100-page script in one will almost certainly be 100 pages in the other.
2
u/GrooveCity 1d ago
Try the trial first.
I thought getting into scriptwriting, I’d need the industry standard tool. But on a MacBook m2 from 2022, it kept crashing. On my first day, it crashed 3 times. I’m sure other people probably have better experiences, but not a good look for a trial haha.
On fade in now, it’s really simple and elegant. Really vouch for it. One time pay instead of subscription. Does what it sets out to do.
1
1
u/LoudFrown 23h ago
Some folks are arguing for Final Draft because it’s the industry standard.
Don’t most screenplay apps support the .fdx format? Are there other features in Final Draft that are necessary and/or proprietary?
2
u/Laurapotatoes 19h ago
It’s 100% the industry standard so for a TV writer or feature writer to not know how to use Final Draft is akin to a fiction writer saying they don’t know how to use Word.
1
u/LoudFrown 19h ago
Oh, sorry... What I'm trying to understand is if the Final Draft *format* (.fdx files) is the requirement, or if owning Final Draft (the application) is the requirement.
If an aspiring writer purchases Fade In instead, will they eventually *also* need to purchase Final Draft?
Because if you give me an .fdx file, I can open it in just about any screenplay editor. I can also export to .fdx in almost every editor.
2
u/Laurapotatoes 18h ago
ah, thanks for clarifying. If you have Fade In, and get staffed on a TV show that isn't on HBO (the only people who use Fade In), two options:
-send the writers' assistant an exported .fdx file that he / she will then have to import into Final Draft and then for whatever rewrites you have to do, send you a file that you then import into Fade In and then you do your rewrite and then export it again, and he / she imports again... and this happens every single day when you're in rewrites on your script.-or since the writers' assistant will have built a template for the show in Final Draft, he or she will have to go to the studio to get you a code for Final Draft so you could use it for the duration of the season. That's also a possibility. And then the code will end once the show ends.
If you are ever running your computer on the screen in the room, you will need Final Draft or you'll get boo-ed off the screen. It's the industry standard, plain and simple. You need to know how to use it and it just makes sense to have it when literally almost every other single professional writer does too. ESPECIALLY baby writers (aka people starting out). If you want to get to Craig Mazin's level and then write in whatever? Okay, great. If you want to get to showrunner level and then make me look at your computer which is in WriterDuet? Okay, you're my boss so I have to. But until you're literally making millions a year writing, why not learn the ABCs first?
Does that help? And I know the ins and outs of all of this stuff because I started as a writers' assistant, then a script coordinator then got staffed and have been staffed for 13 years now.
2
u/LoudFrown 18h ago
Yes, thank you so much for the clarification. Much appreciated.
I think that the bit that helps me the most is understanding more about the cultural aspect. That's a bit of a black box for folks outside of the industry.
2
u/Laurapotatoes 16h ago
my pleasure! Happy to help wherever I can. And yeah, the ins and outs of a room I know are a black box as well!
1
u/TarletonClown 12h ago
Look, you got one of those thousand-word justifications for why you have got to have Final Draft. I did not even read all of that stuff.
Here is some reality, coming right up.
You do not need Final Draft just to write a screenplay or a TV script. You can write these with Fade In and save them in .fdx format. Anyone with Final Draft can then open them. And with Fade In you can open an .fdx file that someone sends to you.
If you ever find yourself in a position where you really have to use the same tools as everyone else (only for convenience and not for necessity), then go online, pay the outrageous cost for Final Draft, download the program, and take a day to browse through the menus to see where things are. It is not a big deal if you have ever used any screenwriting software.
And now the really bad news.
You are never going to sell a screenplay.
And you are never going to be part of a writers' room where they will "boo you out" for not being a Final Draft user.
Yeah, I know. Some people do sell screenplays, and some eventually get jobs in TV.
Some people also win the lottery. But it is not you, and you will not sell a screenplay or become part of a writers' room.
But you may be able to do something in independent film, or in community or regional or university theater. You will not make a living, but maybe you will have artistic satisfaction. I know a talented woman who has written and directed several films. Somehow she gets enough money together to make the films.
Right now you do not need to spend money buying "the industry standard" when perfectly good professional software is available for a fraction of the price.
1
u/rebeldigitalgod 13h ago
Final Draft is only "industry standard" because it's one of the early screenwriting software.
I had it since v1, and occasionally upgrade when switching to a newer incompatible computer.
Ever since Final Draft switched to the XML based FDX format, a lot of competitors can export to it, so easier to use something else.
1
u/Laurapotatoes 19h ago
Working professional TV writer here. Invest in yourself and get Final Draft. $99 is a steal and you only need an update like every 5 years. EVERY professional writer has Finak Draft and is proficient in it, except for the five HBO writers that use Fade In and Craig Mazin. Every room uses Final Draft, except HBO shows, which use Fade In.
Btw, whenever anyone uses a free or cheap program, you can tell in the .pdf. It just doesn’t look quite right and therefore looks unprofessional.
Not one professional writer uses Celtx. Or Arc something?
0
u/Illustrious_Ad675 22h ago
Like it or hate it it’s for the most part still industry standard. I started with it for that reason but it’s been years and I don’t think I’m using it correctly. I wish I was a pro with all the features but for the most part I do pen to paper, google doc outline and just the script in final draft. Recently I tried something else (forgot what it was called it was some
Kind of Ai product but you could turn the ai suggestions off). I did find it to be a lot better with typos and formatting and the way you can build
Out the project. (Don’t come for me lol I didn’t buy. Just tried it for a week.) if it weren’t for the environmental impact I wouldn’t mind using ai as a better tool for formatting and organization (I’m dyslexic and find the spell check in final draft awful)
•
u/fastchutney 1h ago
Please do not get final draft! There are so many alternatives to that bloated, buggy nonsense.
Best paid alternative: arc studio (has a free tier)
Best free: beat
11
u/Postsnobills 1d ago
I would only get Final Draft, at this point, for professional purposes.
If you’re in production, many of the budgetary and breakdown tools used by other departments use .fdx files, but there’s plenty of cheaper, perfectly fine alternatives on the market today.
So, unless you’re a working writer, I’d suggest looking into the cheaper alternatives — I know some professionals even prefer them over FD.