Exporting Files

Screenplays written in Scrite can be exported to several formats, each suited for different purposes:

• Adobe PDF — Share a read-only copy with others
• Final Draft — Use with production planning and script breakdown software
• Fountain or Plain Text — Edit with markdown editors
• Open Document Format — Edit in word processing software like Microsoft Word, Apple Pages, Google Docs, Zoho Docs, or Open/Libre Office
• HTML — Publish on your website as a continuous scroll

Export Menu

When you have a screenplay open in Scrite, click on the Export menu to get a list of export options.

Another way to get to export options is by typing Export into the Command Center.

As you can notice the Ctrl+P shortcut is assigned to PDF Export by default. You can assign a shortcut of your choice to all other export options.

Adobe PDF

PDF is the most widely used format for sharing screenplays. It preserves your screenplay's formatting perfectly across all devices and platforms, making it ideal for sending to actors, directors, producers, or anyone who needs to read your script without making changes.

When you select Adobe PDF from the export menu, or Command Center, or by using the shortcut Ctrl+P, you will see a dialog box like this.

This dialog box presents several options to customize the way in which you generate the PDF export. Listed below are the options

Option	Description
List characters for each scene	When checked, character names are listed below each scene heading in the PDF file.
Include title & synopsis of each scene, if available	When checked, synopsis and title for each scene is included in a box directly below scene heading of each scene.
Include featured image for scene, if availale	When checked, the featured image of each scene will be embedded right after the scene heading of each scene.
Use scene colors as background for scene headings	When checked, color assigned to the scene is used as background to the scene heading in PDF.
Include scene comments, if available	When checked, any comments captured against the scene will also be included in the PDF file.
Include scene content	This is checked by default, and it ensures that scene content is included in the PDF
Generate title page	This is checked by default, and it ensures that a properly formatted title page is generated as the first page of the PDF
Include logline in title page	When checked, it ensures that logline is included in the title page if the previous option is also checked.
Use MORE and CONT'D breaks where appropriate	This is checked by default, and it ensures that dialog paragraphs at page boundaries are broken into two distinct blocks using MORE and CONT'D markers.
Include scene numbers	This is checked by default, and it ensures that scene numbers are mentioned against each scene in the generated PDF.
Include scene icons	This is checked by default, and it ensures that scene icons are included next to the scene headings.
Print each scene on a new page	When checked, each scene is generated on a new page. This option is especially useful when you want to print the PDF file and distribute preproduction work for scenes among various AD teams.
Print each act on a new scene	When checked, it ensures that each act is generated on a new page in the PDF.
Include act breaks	When checked, it ensures that act breaks are clearly stated in the PDF.

In addition to the checkable options stated above, you can customize the watermark text and comment to optionally include in header or footer for this specific PDF file.

Upon clicking the Generate PDF button in the export dialog box, a PDF file is generated and displayed for preview. To save this file, click on the Save As button along the bottom bar and select a location to save the file.

NOTE: Language fonts are bundled into the PDF so that they render exactly as displayed on your computer anywhere they get opened. We recommend generating PDFs with watermark to make it difficult for anybody to plagarize your work.

Final Draft

Writers sometimes use multiple screenwriting apps while building their story. With the Final Draft export option, we make it easy for writers to move between various apps. FDX files exported from Scrite preserve a lot of formatting and meta‑data. This also means that files imported from other FDX‑compatible apps will retain formatting as well. The whole Final Draft export/import feature is there to support the writer’s choice.

When you select Final Draft from the export menu, or Command Center, you will see a dialog box like this.

By default files exported are stored in the Downloads folder within your HOME directory, but you can select any path you like by clicking on the Change Path link as pointed out in the screenshot above.

FDX files exported by Scrite are compatible on versions up to Final Draft 13.

You can change the file name in the field provided for that, and optionally configure the following additional options:

Option	Description
Explicitly mark text-fragments of different languages	When checked, Scrite will mark text-fragments for each language and assign a font for use while rendering it in Final Draft app. Please note that it is not possible to embed fonts into FDX files, so it is possible that the Final Draft app itself may not use the suggested font. If unchecked, then Final Draft will use a single font for all languages which is typically Courier Final Draft.
Include scene synopsis	When checked, Scrite will include scene syposis for each scene whereever available.

Click on the Export button in the dialog box to export the FDX file. Typically Scrite will launch a Finder or File Explorer window with the exported file selected, so that you can quickly open it in another app.

At any point you can import the changed Final Draft file back into Scrite and continue working on it. Successive export & imports will not result in loss of screenplay content itself, but may lead to loss of other meta data like notes, tags and so on.

Fountain

The Fountain export makes it easy to work with screenwriting apps that may not support the FDX format. By exporting to Fountain, you can keep your script in a plain‑text, markdown‑style format that is widely supported by many writing tools, ensuring smooth collaboration and flexibility. Importantly, Fountain preserves formatting even when using Indic languages, making it a reliable choice for multilingual scripts.

When you select Fountain from the export menu, or Command Center, you will see a dialog box like this.

You can change the file name in the field provided for that, and optionally configure the following additional options:

Option	Description
Use ., @, !, > to explicitly mark scene heading, character, action and transisitions.	When checked, Scrite ensures the use of property Fountain syntax for marking each paragraph type. This is especially useful if your screenplay uses non-English languages.
Use *, ** and _ to highlight italics, bold and underlined text.	When checked, Scrite marks texts formatted as bold, italics and underline.

Once you are done with the configuration options, you can either click on the Export option to export to a file, or click on the Copy to Clipboard option to copy a fountain representation of your entire screenplay to the clipboard. This is especially useful if you just want to paste the content to another app.

When exported, typically Scrite will launch a Finder or File Explorer window with the exported file selected, so that you can quickly open it in another app.

At any point you can import the changed Fountain File file back into Scrite and continue working on it. Successive export & imports will not result in loss of screenplay content, however you may need to reformat in parts occassionally.

Plain Text

The plain‑text export does not use explicit markers for paragraph formatting like Fountain does, but it relies on indentation to give the text file a screenplay‑like appearance. This makes it easy to read and edit in any text editor while still preserving the overall structure of the script.

When you select Text File from the export menu, or Command Center, you will see a dialog box like this.

You can change the file name in the field provided for that, and optionally configure the following additional options:

Option	Description
Number of characters per line	The column width to use while generating text files. Scrite wraps texts to the next line once this character limit is reached.
Include scene numbers	When checked, scene numbers are included in the text file.
Include episode and act breaks	When checked, act and episode breaks are included in the text file.
Include scene synopsis.	When checked, scene synposis if available will be included in the text file.

Once you are done with the configuration options, you can either click on the Export option to export to a file, or click on the Copy to Clipboard option to copy a plain text representation of your entire screenplay to the clipboard. This is especially useful if you just want to paste the content to another app.

When exported, typically Scrite will launch a Finder or File Explorer window with the exported file selected, so that you can quickly open it in another app.

At any point you can import the changed text file file back into Scrite and continue working on it. Successive export & imports will not result in loss of screenplay content, however you may need to reformat in parts occassionally.

NOTE: While Scrite encodes exported text in UTF-8, not all plain-text viewers and editors render unicode fonts properly. Please refer to the documentation and support of third party text viewer or editor software for more information.

Open Document Format

The Open Document Format (ODF) export gives users the flexibility to work with professional word‑processing applications such as Microsoft Word, OpenOffice, Google Docs, and others. The exported file retains the screenplay’s structure and formatting, allowing writers to edit, annotate, and collaborate in familiar office environments.

When you select Open Document Format from the export menu, or Command Center, you will see a dialog box like this.

You can change the file name in the field provided for that, and optionally configure the following additional options:

Option	Description
List characters for each scene	When checked, character names are listed below each scene heading in the ODT file.
Include title & synopsis of each scene, if available	When checked, synopsis and title for each scene is included directly below scene heading of each scene.
Include featured image for scene, if availale	When checked, the featured image of each scene will be embedded right after the scene heading of each scene.
Use scene colors as background for scene headings	When checked, color assigned to the scene is used as background to the scene heading in ODT.
Include scene comments, if available	When checked, any comments captured against the scene will also be included in the ODT file.
Include scene content	This is checked by default, and it ensures that scene content is included in the ODT
Include scene numbers	This is checked by default, and it ensures that scene numbers are mentioned against each scene in the generated ODT.

Once you are done with the configuration options, you can click on the Export option to export to a ODT file. Typically, Scrite will launch a Finder or File Explorer window with the exported file selected, so that you can quickly open it in another app.

At the moment it is not possible to import a ODT or DOCX file in Scrite. However, you can copy a plain-text representation of the entire screenplay to the clipboard and use the New from Clipboard option to import the copied text into Scrite.

NOTE: While Scrite encodes formatting options in the generated ODT file, you may notice formatting errors when the file is opened in a third party app. Please refer to the documentation and support of third party text viewer or editor software for more information.

HTML

Exporting to HTML is ideal for publishing a screenplay directly on a website. The resulting file preserves the layout and formatting of the script while being lightweight and web‑friendly, making it easy to embed or link to from a site.

When you select HTML from the export menu, or Command Center, you will see a dialog box like this.

You can change the file name in the field provided for that, and optionally configure the following additional options:

Option	Description
Include scene numbers	When checked, it ensures that scene numbers are mentioned against each scene in the generated HTML.
Export with scene colors	When checked, color assigned to the scene is used as background to the scene heading in HTML.

Once you are done with the configuration options, you can click on the Export option to export to a HTML file. Typically, Scrite will launch a Finder or File Explorer window with the exported file selected, so that you can quickly open it in a browser.

Please note that a fonts folder is also generated with all the fonts referenced in the HTML file. When you distribute or upload the HTML to a site, please ensure that the fonts folder is also placed on the server in the same folder as the .html file.

At the moment it is not possible to import a HTML file in Scrite.

NOTE: While Scrite encodes formatting options in the generated HTML file, you may notice formatting errors when the file is opened in certain browsers.

Persistent Export Options

Checkable options in each of the export dialog boxes are persistent across multiple use and sessions. This means if you have checked the Generate title page option in PDF Export dialog box, it will remain checked in all future use of the same. This is done to save you the burden of having to configure export options each time.

File name, comment and watermark texts however are not persistent.