Final Draft 7.1.3

Some people think that writing requires a natural talent, and maybe also some studies in the field. Apart from these, I must add that before writing,you have to read a lot, and I can't advice you to use your computer for that, because I always loved real books, and not virtual ones. Anyway, if you're writing scripts on a regular basis, a program specialized for this purpose is a smart choice, and there's enough to say that a lot of notorious people use today's application, including James Cameron and J.J.Abrams. This program comes from Final Draft, Inc., and its name is exactly Final Draft.




Setup

Final Draft's current version is labeled 7.1.3, and in the About screen I also noticed that I have installed "build 42". Priced at 229$, this program is available for a free trial that has some minor nags and only two serious limitations - the printed pages are watermarked, and you can't save documents longer than 15 pages until you register, but 15 pages should be enough to see what can be done with this piece of code...

The setup file is available for download inside a ZIP archive, and you won't be able to download it unless you enter your name and email address on the official download page. Once the 29.4MB archive arrived safely on your hard drive, simply unpack the setup package and run it. As you can see in the screenshots above, installing this program is really a piece of cake, with a few (useless, in most cases) steps less than an average Windows program.


Interface

Considering the price of the application, I was expecting to see some eye candy here, but it seems this is not the case. Final Draft has a very simple interface, with a menu bar, a toolbar with a few buttons on it and the main work area. Since writers need to concentrate on their work, I can't say the lack of the stunning graphics offered by other programs is a problem. After all, Final Draft's interface doesn't look bad at all, is well organized and very easy to use, and that's what really matters, after all.


Features

Final Draft doesn't come with any built in templates, so you'll have to get your inspiration from somewhere, because this is not one of those programs that allows you to get something already done and customize it to your will. In turn, you get things already done to use as guides for your creative writing, because there are a lot of standards when it comes to writing scripts, and you should follow them, if you want to stand a chance against your competitors.

When you create a new document, a windows that allows you to choose one of the many file types available shows up, and doesn't leave me room for second thoughts - this is a program for professional script writers! For example, the scripts types include items such as Broadway Musical, Half-Hour Sitcom, BBC Screenplay or One-Hour TV Drama.

For each of the file types available, there are various text formatting choices to make. Since scripting is done following strict guidelines, you won't be able to choose the font to use, since this is done automatically, according to the purpose of a certain text block. As an example, let's take titles. They use capital letters, while dialogs use regular text, but centered differently when compared to the description of the actions in a scene.

Final Draft has the purpose of providing you with the quickest way between thinking about a script and having it nicely printed out, so the ruler in the work area makes the print preview almost useless. Nevertheless, the print preview function is also available, together with the useful capability to split the work space vertically or horizontally and work on two chapters or documents at the same time.

At last, I must tell you that the Thesaurus and Spell Checker are excellent, but you have to try them out for yourselves to agree with me, of course! Other than those, you will also get macros, a very useful Format Assistant, a Names Database tool and many other features targeting the professional writers, or the ones on the way to that stage...


The Good

Final Draft is very easy to use, reliable and packed with lots of outstanding features for those in the writing business. The trial version allows you to fully experience what you'll get after paying the not-so-small price.

The Bad

At first sight, the price of this program may seem to be a bit high, but once you see what's capable of, there isn't much to say. Maybe only an improved interface and a Help file that looks better would sweeten the pot...

Conclusion

A tool for writers won't make you become one, but if you got a bit of talent, using Final Draft can help you get the most out of it, and even more, this program helps you work efficiently, minimizing the time you'd loose otherwise for various research tasks or to re-read your scripts again and again.

Developer: Final Draft, Inc.
Price: $229
Trial Link: Download