How do I import a file that was written in Final Draft?

FOR MOVIE MAGIC SCREENWRITER 6.5 for MAC

To import a Final Draft .FDX file:

1. Use the File > Import menu command
2. Select All Documents or Final Draft XML (.fdx) file format
3. Select the FDX file
4. Click Open

RELATED ARTICLE:  Understanding why Importing from or Exporting to Final Draft can result in a different page count

FOR MOVIE MAGIC SCREENWRITER 6

Screenwriter and Final Draft cannot directly open each others' files. To import a Final Draft file, there are two methods:

METHOD #1

First, click on File > New from Template and choose a template that matches (or closely matches) the type of document (screenplay, sitcom, etc.) in the Final Draft file. Then, copy and paste the entire document from Final Draft into the new blank file you created in Screenwriter 6.

If you do not own Final Draft, you can download and install the free Final Draft viewer they provide on their website. This will allow you to open a Final Draft (.FDR) file. You can then copy and paste it from there into a blank Screenwriter document.


METHOD #2

Open the script in Final Draft and save it as an RTF file.


Windows

Then, in Screenwriter:

1. Click File > Import.
2. In the window that comes up, choose the location where you saved the RTF file, e.g., the Desktop.
3. From the "Files of Types" list at the bottom of the window, select Rich Text Format (.rtf).
4. In the file list, select the file you exported from Final Draft.
5. Click Open.
6. On the "How Should I interpret this text?" window, click OK.

Macintosh

Then, in Screenwriter:

1. Click File > Import.
2. In the window that comes up, choose the location where you saved the RTF file, e.g., the Desktop.
3. From the "Enable" list, select Rich Text Format (.rtf).
4. In the file list, select the file you exported from Final Draft.
5. Click Open.
6. On the "How Should I interpret this text?" window, click OK.

The script should now be imported into Screenwriter and need minimal clean-up. Due to fundamental differences in the way Final Draft calculates page length, the file will probably not be the same number of pages.

RELATED ARTICLE:  Understanding why Importing from or Exporting to Final Draft can result in a differnt page count

NOTE:  Attached is a template and a document that conform to the Final Draft measurements.  Create new documents with the template, and use Format>Load Styles from>Template to apply the template to existing documents.