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Importing FDX and Fountain

Bring an existing screenplay in from Final Draft or Fountain. The import becomes an editable INT.EXT draft; from then on you save it as INTX.

Import a file

1. Press ⌘K (Ctrl+K) to open the command menu.

2. Run Import FDX or Import Fountain.

3. Choose the file. The screenplay opens on the page, ready to edit.

4. Check Import Health in the right rail; it opens itself if anything needs attention.

5. When you are happy, press Save INTX. That is your working file now.

Importing replaces the current draft on the page, so save the current project first if it matters.

Read Import Health before you trust the import

Import Health, in the right rail, is the honest report of what the importer did:

  • Blocks: how many screenplay blocks were created.
  • Scenes: how many scene headings were recognized.
  • Skipped: how many source paragraphs could not be mapped and were left out. A non-zero count is worth investigating before a long rewrite.
  • Source: the file the draft came from.
  • Integrity checks: per-area checks; anything marked as needing attention highlights the section.

A quick way to verify an import: compare the scene count with your source app, skim the first and last page, and search (⌘K then Find in Script) for a line you know is near a formatting trouble spot.

Dual dialogue

Dual dialogue (two characters speaking side by side) is preserved on import and renders on the page, but the grouped block is read-only for now. In-place editing is disabled until editable parity is proven against real fixture files. You can write around it, and it exports correctly. If you hit a case where this blocks you, please send an issue note; real examples are exactly what moves it forward.

What doesn't come across

INT.EXT is a film screenplay editor. Production-side data from Final Draft (beat boards, outlines, ScriptNotes panels, cast lists) is not imported. Screenplay content is what the importer is for: scene headings, action, cues, dialogue, parentheticals, transitions, and the title page. Anything it cannot classify is counted in Skipped rather than silently reshaped.

After the import

  • The title page usually deserves a look: ⌘K, then Title Page.
  • The Characters, Locations, and Props lists build themselves from the imported pages. If a name came in with two spellings, use rename or alias to consolidate; see Facts.