FAQ Overview

General

Dictionaries for additional languages

Fade In Professional Screenwriting Software is compatible with many third-party dictionaries, including French, Italian, Spanish, German, Russian, and many, many more.  Links to these can be found on the Download page at http://www.fadeinpro.com. Click on Extras.

To install additional language dictionaries for Fade In Professional Screenwriting Software, download the appropriate file(s) from one of the listed sites. You may need to extract/unzip the package: what you want are both .dic and .aff files for any given language.

From an open document in the application, select Document > Check Spelling, and from the language choice drop-down, selected Install/remove.

Click the Install button, and select the dictionary (.dic) file that you want to install. (Repeat for multiple languages, if desired.)

Note that some dictionaries are distributed in the .oxt Open Office Extension format. In order to open these, just rename to .zip, and open as you would a zip archive to find the .dic and .aff dictionary files.

Author: Fade In Administrator
Last update: 2020-07-06 17:12


Installing additional templates

Additional templates for screenplay, stage plays, and other documents can be download from the Download page at http://www.fadeinpro.com.  Click on Extras.

To install additional templates, extract/unzip the .fadein.template files in the package to your computer.

Start the application, and select File > Templates > Manage Templates.

Click the Install button, and select the template that you want to install. (Repeat for multiple templates, if desired.)

Author: Fade In Administrator
Last update: 2012-04-26 04:16


I get a warning about fonts not being loaded when saving as PDF

It is possible when using Save As PDF that some fonts may not be properly loaded by the PDF subsystem properly. This can happen for a number of reasons, the main one being that only TrueType, OpenType and PDF fonts can be embedded in the PDF document.

On Mac OS X, unsupported formats include the Mac-only .dfont format that Apple used to package fonts in for OS X but has since moved away from since OS 10.6 (although some .dfont fonts may still be present). Also unsupported is the even-older "font suitcase" format, a holdover from the old OS 9. An example of a font in the "font suitcase" format is Courier Final Draft in Final Draft version 8 and earlier. You can still save documents with these fonts as PDF using OS X's Print function, which includes the capability to save as PDF.

The recommendation is to update any non-supported fonts to supported ones.

Author: Fade In Administrator
Last update: 2020-04-29 07:16


Incompatible linked libraries on 64-bit Linux

Depending on your distribution, you may find library incompatibilities (for instance, glibc) with the 64-bit Linux packages.

If your distribution supports easily running 32-bit binaries, you might try installing the 32-bit Linux package instead.

There should be no noticeable performance or behavior issues with doing so.

Also see this FAQ.

Author: Fade In Administrator
Last update: 2020-04-29 07:11


Non-app store version on Mac OS X Mountain Lion (or later)

When purchasing the full version directly from the website (as opposed to from the Mac App Store), ensure that your system's Security & Privacy preferences are not set to only allow applications downloaded from the Mac App Store.

Author: Fade In Administrator
Last update: 2020-04-29 07:13


Shortcut keys

A list of default shortcut keys can be found under Help > Fade In Help > Shortcut Keys.

The default set of shortcut keys can be edited under Preferences > User Interface > Shortcut Keys.

Author: Fade In Administrator
Last update: 2020-03-25 14:45


When and how should I update Fade In?

Access denied

Author: Fade In Administrator
Last update: 2012-10-31 06:55


I received a "beta version expired" message

If you are a member of the beta program for Fade In and have been testing a pre-release build of the software, you'll need to contact the developer to receive an up-to-date version. (Beta builds have, by design, a time limit after which they are intended to be replaced by either a new beta build or the finalized release version.)

If you are not a member of any beta program and have gotten this unexpectedly, then it's an error: most likely an updated release package was built with the "beta" flag mistakenly still active. Please download the latest update from your personalized download link.

Author: Fade In Administrator
Last update: 2020-04-29 07:02


Unicode/international language PDF output

The short answer

If you are writing in Unicode (i.e., a non-English language, using emojis, etc.) and experience problems with text rendering correctly when attempting to File > Create PDF, you may get better results from using an alternative method.

On Windows, there are a number of both freeware and commercial "PDF printers", which are essentially virtual printers that appear in the device list under File > Print, but output instead to a PDF file. (As of Windows 10, this capability is provided by the system.) On Mac, PDF output is available from the system print dialog. Most Linux distributions have the capability to print to PDF as well (or to PostScript, which can be converted to PDF using ps2pdf).

The long answer

Fade In's built-in PDF generation is optimized for producing compact, compliant PDF files that will render properly in any PDF viewer. Where possible it will embed the font(s) used to ensure correct display on any system (even if that system does not have those fonts installed).

Where the problem starts is when a script uses characters that are not in the current font. On any platform, Fade In uses the system rendering architecture for displaying text in the appropriate font. On all of the platforms Fade In supports — Windows, OS X, and Linux — the operating system will, if a particular glyph is missing from a font, attempt to fill in that missing glyph with one from another, suitable substitution font.

One way to ensure that the appropriate font(s) are being properly embedded in the PDF document is to make sure that the font being used actually does contain those character glyphs.

Courier Screenplay, while a nicely weighted font, covers a subset of the Basic Latin character glyphs (and is therefore suitable for English and a number of other European languages). However, if one is writing with, for instance, a Cyrillic or Greek alphabet, a font such as Courier Cyrillic or Courier Greek should be used, just to pick two examples (or something like Courier New which encompasses probably the largest range of characters). Change the underlying font for a script using Document > Change Document Font. Note that any element styles or formatting that explicitly set the font will not be affected by this.

The problem gets further complicated, however, by CJK (Chinese/Japanese/Korean) fonts, which often spread the range of character glyphs across multiple font files, and the system's font substitution is responsible for choosing which to use for any given character. As a result, it may not be possible to specify a single font that contains all the glyphs being used.

Note that if you are mixing character sets — such as using Chinese text within an English-language script — it is best, foremost for control over what font is actually used/substituted but also for using File > Create PDF, to specify the font being used for the other language text. Select the other language text and click the Font button (or select Format > Format Font) to select a font that explicitly includes the other language character glyphs.

In cases where Fade In's PDF output is inadequate for Unicode output, it's recommended to try one of the alternate PDF generation methods given in the Short Answer, above.

Author: Fade In Administrator
Last update: 2022-02-10 23:26


Alternative methods for generating PDFs

If for whatever reason you're unsatisfied with the built-in PDF exporter (File > Create PDF), there are a number of other methods you can use to output to PDF. 

Windows

On Windows, there are a number of both freeware and commercial "PDF printers", which are essentially virtual printers that appear in the device list under File > Print, but output instead to a PDF file.

As of Windows 10, the system print dialog has introduced the capability to produce a PDF file directly.

Mac

On Mac, PDF output is available from the system print dialog.

Linux

Most Linux distributions have the capability to print to PDF as well (or to PostScript, which can be converted to PDF using ps2pdf).

Author: Fade In Administrator
Last update: 2022-02-10 23:28


Full screen mode

To change to full-screen mode, or to change back from it (i.e., to have the application in a smaller, movable and resizable window), select View > Full Screen from the menu.

Note that in full-screen mode, the application will occupy the entire screen area. Some system interface components, such as menu bars and task bars/docks, may be temporarily hidden in this mode, and require the mouse to be moved to the top or bottom of the screen to reveal them.

Author: Fade In Administrator
Last update: 2022-10-25 14:37


Turning on additional logging for troubleshooting

If the build of Fade In Professional Screenwriting Software that you are currently using supports additional logging for troubleshooting, you can turn it on as follows:

On Windows or Linux, use the shortcut key Ctrl+Shift+Alt+A.  On Mac OS X, use Cmd+Shift+Option+A.  Once additional logging is turned on, hit the same shortcut key combination again to locate the logfile on disk.  If you run into a problem, that logfile can be sent to the developer via email to help diagnose what might have gone wrong.

Note that advanced logging will remain in effect only until the application is closed; it must be turned on again each time the application is run, if it is desired for troubleshooting.

Author: Fade In Administrator
Last update: 2013-07-19 15:15


Can Fade In open Final Draft screenplays?

Fade In Professional Screenwriting Software can open a wide range of documents format, including Final Draft.

Final Draft version 8 (.fdx) documents can be imported and exported very easily, and most standard formatting aspects are retained.

Final Draft version 7 and earlier (.fdr) documents can be imported only but not exported.  Some additional reformatting may be necessary in Fade In after importing an .fdr document in order to correct misidentified elements, etc.  Margins, indentation, and other element styling is not retained.  (Unfortunately .fdr is an outdated, proprietary format, and Final Draft provides no support or information to third parties attempting to work with those files.)

Author: Fade In Administrator
Last update: 2013-07-25 18:21


Can Fade In open Movie Magic Screenwriter screenplays?

Fade In Professional Screenwriting Software cannot, currently, open Movie Magic Screenwriter (.mmsw) documents directly. Unfortunately .mmsw is a closed, proprietary format and the makers of Movie Magic Screenwriter provide no information or support for third-party software attempting to work with that format.

Currently the best method for importing from Movie Magic Screenwriter is to export from MMS in a format such as rich text format (RTF) or formatted/unformatted text, then import that file into Fade In.

Author: Fade In Administrator
Last update: 2020-04-29 07:17


Printing in Linux

If you are having difficulty printing from Fade In Professional Screenwriting Software under Linux, try installing the libgnomeprint and libgnomeprintui libraries.  Fade In will automatically use these if they're installed, and will a utilize a different interface for printing setup and printing.

Author: Fade In Administrator
Last update: 2013-10-21 20:21


Keyboard navigation of dialogs on Mac

In order to enable keyboard navigation of dialogs when using Fade In on Mac — particularly helpful with things like the Reformat dialog — you'll need to make sure that the system setting System Preferences > Keyboard > Keyboard shortcuts > Full Keyboard Access is "All controls".  Setting it to "Text boxes and lists only" will prevent full keyboard navigation of dialogs from working.

(Note that as of Catalina (macOS 10.15), the option has been changed to System Preferences > Keyboard > Shortcuts > Use keyboard navigation to move focus between controls.)

Author: Fade In Administrator
Last update: 2020-04-29 07:18


Importing Microsoft Word documents to Fade In

Fade In doesn't import the Word .doc format directly. But what one can do is export from Word as RTF or formatted/unformatted text and import from those to Fade In. It may be helpful to try various export/import formats to see what yields the best results for a given document.

More or less reformatting may be required depending on the format of the original document. (Format > Quick Reformat can be helpful for this.)

Author: Fade In Administrator
Last update: 2020-04-29 07:13


Difficulty printing directly to a printer

If you're having difficulty printing directly to your printer, one workaround is to try the following:

Output to PDF using either File > Create PDF or File > Print and a PDF "printer" driver (on Windows/Linux) or the system PDF generator (on OS X).

Then print from that PDF file using the system PDF viewer, Adobe Reader, etc.

 

Author: Fade In Administrator
Last update: 2014-06-16 16:48


Where are autosave files located?

If you have backups enabled under Preferences > General, period backups will be saved of your work. Where they are saved depends on the operating system.

(Note: When viewing the list of backup files, your computer may show them in other than date order. It's best to view them in reverse date order to see most recent backups first.)

Generally you can locate the autosave folder by selecting File > Recover Backup. If for some reason that doesn't work, however, you can manually navigate to the backup folder:

Windows

C:\Users\<Username>\AppData\Roaming\Fade In

To manually go to this folder from the Recover Backup dialog, enter %APPDATA%\Fade In in the Filename text field. (To go to this folder in the File Explorer, click in the address bar to paste the path.) 

Mac

/Users/<Username>/Library/Application Support/Fade In

or

/Users/<Username>/Library/Containers/com.generalcoffee.fadein/Data/Library/Application Support/Fade In/ (Mac App Store version)

To manually go to this folder from the Recover Backup dialog, first press the forward slash (/) key (or Command+Shift+G) then copy and paste the appropriate path as per the above, replacing <Username> with your own user name. You can use "~" to stand in for "/Users/<Username>", as in "~/Library".

To go to this folder in the Finder, choose Go > Go to Folder from the Finder menu.

Note that the user "Library" folder is typically not visible in Finder, so you can normally not browse directly to it and will have to enter the full path as per the above. Alternatively you can choose Go from the Finder menu and hold down the Option key to show the hidden Library folder.

Linux:

~/.fadein

 

Author: Fade In Administrator
Last update: 2022-12-28 02:58


Where is the Fade In application log file located?

The Fade In application log file, generated while it is running, can be found at:

Windows:
C:\Documents and Settings\<UserName>\Application Data\Fade In (XP and earlier); or
C:\Users\<UserName>\AppData\Roaming\Fade In (Vista/Windows 7 and later)

Mac OS X:
/Users/<UserName>/Library/Application Support/Fade In; or
/Users/<UserName>/Library/Containers/com.generalcoffee.fadein/Data/Library/Application Support/Fade In (Mac App Store version)

Linux:
~/.fadein

Author: Fade In Administrator
Last update: 2015-03-11 19:58


Resolution on Windows HiDPI displays

If fonts appear jagged when running on Windows on a HiDPI display, it may be necessary to disable display scaling for Fade In. That can be done by right-clicking on the Fade In icon and choosing Properties. Then, in the Fade In Properties dialog, uncheck Disable display scaling on high DPI settings

 

Fade In Properties

Author: Fade In Administrator
Last update: 2016-05-19 18:18


Unable to save an open document

If you are unable to save an open document, please ensure that you have permission to save in the desired location. The means of checking and changing permissions vary between operating systems.

Also ensure that the folder containing the document has not had its name (or the name of one any of its parent folders) changed while the document is open, as this may cause problems on some systems.

Author: Fade In Administrator
Last update: 2015-05-04 18:32


Printing a page range or selection

When you choose File > Print, you will see Fade In's own Print dialog, which allows you to specify a variety of screenplay-specific output options, including revision colors, pages only for a certain character or scene, and others including the desired page range(s).

The page range is where you can specify screenplay page numbers such as 100A and A101B, which normally a print dialog wouldn't be able to handle because (a) the system print dialog generally accepts only simply integer numbers such as 100 and 101, and (b) the system print dialog has no idea about screenplay structure in order to construct a range out of something like "4A, 5-10B".

Once you select OK in Fade In's Print dialog, you'll see the system print dialog (i.e., the familiar one that appears when printing a document from most application).

You should not change the page range in the system print dialog. If you are, for instance, specifying the range "4A, 5-10B", Fade In will determine how many pages that is and report that to the system printing subsystem. (Let's say in this example that amounts to 9 pages in total.) The system print dialog will, depending on your system and settings, show either "All pages" or "1-9" as the range to be printed. This is fine; all the system knows is that the application is sending it 9 pages to print, and it's going to print all of them.

Author: Fade In Administrator
Last update: 2022-05-30 21:39


Bad formatting/punctuation alignment on Windows

If you are seeing misalignment of formatting (such as bold and italics) or of punctuation (such as the parentheses before and after a Parenthetical element), please check to see if you're using the stock "Courier" font on Windows.

For a number of reasons, that stock system Courier is a terrible font. It is known to be problematic for scaling and rendering.

(Technically it's known as COURIER.FON, and is a [very] old-style, non-TrueType font.)

It is recommended to use one of the dedicated screenplay Courier fonts such as Courier Screenplay or Courier Prime, both of which are available from http://www.fadeinpro.com on the Download page under “Extras”. 

You can change the font for the current document under Document > Change Document Font, and the default font for new documents under Preferences > General.

Author: Fade In Administrator
Last update: 2022-02-09 19:23


What is the difference between Create PDF and other PDF generation methods?

In addition to Fade In's built in File > Create PDF functionality, there may be other ways to create PDF files from the Print dialog, such as OS X's built-in PDF generation capability, PDF virtual "printers" on Windows, and PostScript conversion (or PDF output) on Linux.

For the most part, layout and metrics should be the same between the two, but there are a couple of differences:

1. PDFs created with the built-in Create PDF functionality tend to be noticeably smaller. As an example, one 120-page screenplay results in a 222 KB PDF file using Create PDF, while the same screenplay, output to PDF on OS X using the Print dialog and its Save as PDF option, is 1.5 MB. (This is just one example. File sizes/differences will vary.)

2. Most of the time it won't be an issue, but it's worth noting that the built-in Create PDF functionality has more limited font behavior. The reason for this is that Create PDF uses exactly what fonts are explicitly specified in the document. Sometimes, however, especially when mixing languages/character sets, a particular font may not contain the specific glyph(s) in question. What happens in this case is that the system will generally substitute that glyph from a different font — but Fade In won't actually know it's doing that. So when Fade In goes to output the PDF using Create PDF, it tries to output that character from the font it thinks it's using. When a PDF viewer then goes to display that PDF, it does not find the missing glyph and typically shows a placeholder (like an empty square). "Printing" to PDF, on the other hand, generally uses the system's same font substitution that is used for onscreen display.

(The way to guard against #2 when using Create PDF is to explicitly specify the font. So, for instance, if you're pasting in some Chinese text to an English-language document, also select that Chinese text and specify using Format Fonta font that contains the required Chinese characters.)

Some additional information on this topic is here:

http://www.fadeinpro.com/kb/content/1/34/en/unicode-pdf-output.html

and here:

http://www.fadeinpro.com/kb/content/1/37/en/alternative-methods-for-generating-pdfs.html

Author: Fade In Administrator
Last update: 2015-07-25 02:19


Antivirus software

Many antivirus software solutions, particularly on Windows, may occasionally and incorrectly misidentify software as unsafe. This is referred to as a "false positive" and is essentially a malfunction of the antivirus software.

Additionally, these antivirus solutions occasionally attempt to provide added-value tools and utilites that are, arguably, of little benefit.

For instance, Norton Antivirus has a questionable "feature" where if not enough Norton users have installed a particular version of software, that software may not have a high enough "reputation" and therefore be flagged as potentially unsafe, despite the fact that no problems or vulnerabilities have otherwise been identified with the software: http://community.norton.com/en/forums/clarification-wsreputation1-detection (Every Fade In update is treated as "new". Since relatively few users will have downloaded it — at least compared to something like Photoshop — its "reputation" will be, in the antivirus software's eyes, low. One thing users can do is complain to Norton or similar vendors about their ineffective algorithms.)

Every Fade In package for Windows is scanned with one or more of the major antivirus packages before release. Only use Fade In packages and installers downloaded from the Fade In website or from other authorized sources such as the Mac App Store.

Typically third-party antivirus software is the worst when it comes to false positives and unhelpfully helpful features, although Microsoft's own built-in protection software is not entirely without fault.

For instance, with Microsoft's SmartScreen, identifying a new update of Fade In as "unknown" (because, just possibly, it's new) will generate a warning like this in Windows 10:

SmartScreen warning (Windows 10)

After pressing More info, you'll be given the option to Run anyway if you trust the Fade In installer to be safe:

SmartScreen More info

It is worth reinforcing that in general you should not run any software/installer that you are not sure about. If you are uncertain about the reason for any alert you are receiving from your antivirus software, please contact your antivirus software vendor for clarification.

Author: Fade In Administrator
Last update: 2018-04-07 20:21


What is the refund policy?

Obviously the hope is that you'll be totally satisfied with the software, and every effort will be made to address any issue or difficulty you're encountering.

If, however, you require a refund, purchases made directly through the Fade In Professional Screenwriting Software website can generally be refunded the same way the purchase was originally handled, through the third-party payment processor via the original method of payment, within 14 days of purchase.

In such a case, the registration information for that copy of the software will be cancelled and the personalized download link for the software will be deauthorized. It will no longer be possible to download, register, or update that copy of the software.

Purchases made through the Mac App Store, the iTunes App Store, Google Play, the Amazon App Store, or any other third party vendor are subject to their respective refund policies. You will need to contact their customer support in order to inquire about the terms and conditions for a refund. (These stores generally do not allow individual developers access to transaction information, so Fade In cannot issue a refund on their behalf.)

 

Author: Fade In Administrator
Last update: 2020-01-02 07:30


Does Fade In come in a boxed version and/or on disc?

Fade In is a digital download product; no physical discs are shipped. That’s for a couple of reasons:

  1. Because Fade In is updated frequently for free with new features and improvements, any copies on disc would soon be out of date; and
  2. It would increase the price of the product to have to prepare and ship it in a package.

Digital delivery enables each Fade In order to be as fast, up to date, and inexpensive as possible.

Author: Fade In Knowledge Base
Last update: 2015-12-12 16:58


Adding a word to the spell checking dictionary

To add a word to the dictionary for the current document, right-click on the underlined word (i.e., what the application thinks is misspelled) and select Learn.

To add a word to the global dictionary for the entire application, i.e., for all documents, hold down the Alt/Option or Shift key and right-click on the underlined word, then select Learn Globally.

 

Author: Fade In Knowledge Base
Last update: 2023-01-24 16:46


How to use templates in other page/paper sizes

By default, included templates are US Letter size. But what you can do is select the new page/paper size under Document > Page Layout, then File > Templates > Save as Template as something like “Template Name (A4)” (or whatever you’d like, really).

You can also choose the option to automatically install the newly saved template when saving. 

Then you can use select that template from File > Templates > New from Template, or even set it as the default startup document under Preferences  > General.

 

Author: Fade In Knowledge Base
Last update: 2016-02-10 21:26


Export to Movie Magic Scheduling or Movie Magic Budgeting

Currently it is not possible to export directly to Movie Magic Scheduling or Movie Magic Budgeting. Normally that would be done using Movie Magic's Scheduling Export (.sex) file format, but as that is a closed, proprietary format, and Movie Magic (the company) has not provided any information on how to work with it, Fade In is not able to export to it at the moment.

 

Author: Fade In Knowledge Base
Last update: 2016-04-02 16:28


Fade In fails to start on Linux

If Fade In fails to start after installing when, for instance, double-clicking the launcher icon, try starting it from the command-line, i.e., ./fadein from the directory /usr/share/fadein.

If you receive an error about failing to load shared libraries, please see this Knowledge Base article.

 

Author: Fade In Knowledge Base
Last update: 2016-06-11 06:49


How to use Fade In on a Chromebook

Although Fade In does not currently run directly on Chrome OS, there several ways to run Fade In on a Chromebook at the moment. (Chrome OS is essentially an operating system where the Chrome web browser functions as the user interface, and applications run as web pages.)

Intel-compatible Chromebooks can run the Linux version of Fade In if you are able to run the Linux operating system on your Chromebook.  Note that running Fade In for Linux on ARM-based Chromebooks is not currently supported. Please see this article.

(As an an alternate method, it may also be possible to use Crossover to run the Windows version of Fade In.)

 

Author: Fade In Knowledge Base
Last update: 2024-02-16 09:21


Does the software come as a download or as a physical package?

Fade In is a downloadable software product. It does not come on disc or other media.

This is for a couple of reasons:

1. It ensures that you're getting the latest version of the software. Fade In has frequent (free) updates, and any packaged version would quickly be out of date.

2. It helps keep costs down. Removing the additional costs of packaging and distribution helps keep Fade In affordable.

If you ever need to, of course, you can always copy the installer to a disc, USB stick, etc.

Author: Fade In Knowledge Base
Last update: 2020-04-29 07:17


Does Fade In include a grammar checker?

While Fade In includes both live and on-demand spell-checking (with additional third-party dictionaries available in many languages) it In does not currently have a grammar checker.

One reason for this is that screenplay grammar tends to break a lot of the rules of "proper grammar", and would therefore get flagged by any standard grammar-checking algorithm as being incorrect. (And additionally, every language would need its own screenplay-specific grammar checker.)

 

Author: Fade In Knowledge Base
Last update: 2017-03-01 17:32


Why isn't my PDF file being imported?

PDF has been referred to as a "write-only" file format1, since it's so difficult for applications to extract useful information from it. A PDF file is only required to contain what's necessary to reproduce the visual representation of a document, but it notably isn't required that there's any orderly record of what's in the document.

PDF documents also are by design not particularly editable because nothing is ever deleted from them: even tools that are able to modify/edit documents can only do so by adding new information. The old information — text, images, structure, etc. — is still retained within the file. And it can get to be a bit of a mess in there.

Fade In is, however, able to import a wide range of PDF screenplays. Sometimes, however, it may run into problems importing, and there are at least a couple of reasons why that might be.

The first reason is related to screenplays that were scanned from a printed copy. Scanned PDFs are generally just comprised of images of the text rather than the text itself. (Unless during the scanning process the additional step of OCR — Optical Character Recognition — was taken to add an separate, invisible layer of actual text reflecting the contents of the images of text.)

Another reason that a PDF file may not be imported correctly is this:

PDF insides

That's what the inside of a PDF document looks like.

There really are no requirements for structure or layout within PDF: it's essentially just a container for an arbitrary collection of "objects". These objects can be stored in any number of ways, and in any order. For instance, a PDF document may store the words "quick", "The", "fox", and "brown", in that order, along with instructions to display them onscreen as: "The" "quick" "brown" "fox". (And some PDF creators basically do that.)

The problem then comes with trying to figure out exactly what the layout of the objects is supposed to represent in logical terms. (This is one of the things that human beings are way better at than computers. For now.)

There's also no requirement that PDF store the word "fox" as "fox". It could store it as "D&!" or almost anything else, as long as it also stores the — sometimes byzantine — rules of transliteration.

The greatest obstacle to reliable PDF import is the wide variety of PDF creators and methods of creation which can result in all sorts of variables to be taken into account when trying to extract the content. There may still be a few instances where things don't work perfectly.

In those cases, what you may have to/be able to do is select the text from a PDF viewer and paste it into Fade In. With that method, however, a certain amount of reformatting is almost guaranteed.

 

1By this author

 

Author: Fade In Knowledge Base
Last update: 2020-06-07 04:35


What internet port(s) does Fade In use?

Fade In uses standard web browser ports to contact the server for updates, etc.

It uses port 2200 for realtime collaboration.

 

Author: Fade In Knowledge Base
Last update: 2020-04-29 07:07


I got a warning about running 32-bit apps on my Mac

Please update to the latest version using Help > Check for Updates.

Author: Fade In Knowledge Base
Last update: 2019-03-23 04:22


Enabling Mac dictation

First of all, please make sure you're using the latest version of Fade In for Mac (using Help > Check for Updates or, if you're using the Mac App Store version, by check for updates there).

In order to use dication, it may be necessary to enable advanced commands under System Preferences > Accessibility > Dictation > Dictation Commands by making sure Enable advanced commands is checked.

Please note that as of macOS 10.15 (Catalina), Apple has removed the functionality from Dictation that Fade In and other software has been using. We are currently looking at additional means to continue supporting voice input in Fade In. (See: "Dictation changes in Catalina – for the worse?")

 

Author: Fade In Knowledge Base
Last update: 2021-02-05 21:21


Navigating windows and dialogs by keyboard on a Mac

If you're on a Mac, in order to use Tab and Enter to navigate dialogs and windows, you may need to make sure System Preferences > Keyboard > Shortcutss > All controls is checked.

 

Author: Fade In Knowledge Base
Last update: 2020-04-29 07:05


A regular letter key on my keyboard isn't working properly

It may be that the key is bound to a shortcut. You can check Preferences > User Interface > Shortcut Keys to see if that's the case, and clear the shortcut if so.

For instance, some Turkish users on Mac, for instance, have found that the "Ş" key in a default installation is interpreted as a fullscreen shortcut. This can be fixed by clearing that shortcut association.

 

Author: Fade In Knowledge Base
Last update: 2018-07-02 17:50


Windows Alt+NumPad combinations aren't working

On Windows, you can use Alt+NumPad combinations to type accented or other Unicode characters.

If for this seems to not be working — and particularly if it's selecting element styles instead — double-check Preferences > User Interface > Shortcut Keys and remove any Alt+NumPad shortcuts (likely under the Format menu shortcuts). 

Author: Fade In Knowledge Base
Last update: 2018-07-18 18:00


Can't select text on macOS

If you're clicking and dragging with your mouse and seemingly unable to select text, please check to see if the following are true:

  • You're using your Mac in "Dark" mode (under System Preferences > General); and
  • Your selection color, under the same control panel, is set to "Graphite" or something similarly non-contrasting.

If that's the case, then likely what's happening is that you are able to select text — just you're unable to see that it's selected.

To fix that, please try one of the following:

  1. Change your Fade In custom page/text colors to light-on-dark under Preferences > User Interface > Page Colors
  2. Uncheck Preferences > User Interface > Use system selection color to use Fade In's built-in color instead (which shouldn't have the same problem)

Author: Fade In Knowledge Base
Last update: 2021-04-18 03:18


How does realtime collaboration work?

Fade In Professional Screenwriting Software offers session-based real-time collaboration.

What that means is that two or more collaborators can share an editing session where they can work on the same document, see what other collaborators are doing, and communicate using the in-application chat system.

One user — let's call them User #1 — will choose Collaborate > Start Collaboration. Fade In will connect to the collaboration server and start a collaboration session. It will give User #1 a session ID to provide to any other collaborator(s), whether by email or instant message or any other means.

User #2 will then, having received that session ID, enter it under Collaborate > Join Collaboration.

Both users will then be working in the same document. While each will be prompted to save the local copy of the collaboration session document, any changes made in their copy will be sent to the other(s), and vice versa.

Note that Fade In by design does not save a persistent copy of your work on any sort of proprietary cloud server, and collaboration sessions are — as the name says — for that session only: once all users leave the session, it is ended.

Author: Fade In Knowledge Base
Last update: 2019-05-08 15:22


There is a shortcut Copy/Pase as Fountain (if enabled) What is it and how can it be enabled?

Access denied

Author: Paul
Last update: 2019-02-21 09:53


Are updates free?

All Fade In current version updates are free.

But really, all Fade In updates and upgrades, since it was introduced, have been free.

And there is no plan to charge for any future updates or upgrades*.

 

*In the interest of total transparency, it is not impossible that at some point in the future, due to currently unforeseen circumstances, it may be necessary to charge, for instance, a fractional price for a major upgrade. But at this point there are no plans to do so, and it's not anticipated that at any point there will be.

Author: Fade In Knowledge Base
Last update: 2021-02-10 17:04


Syncing using a cloud storage service

You can sync your work to a cloud storage service for access from, for instance, another computer, your mobile device, etc.

(Services supported by Fade In Mobile are Dropbox, Google Drive, and OneDrive. Fade In Mobile for iOS also supports iCloud.)

On your computer, generally you can use either the web interface for the cloud service or a synced folder. Any changes made in the folder automatically synced with the online/cloud version. For Dropbox or Google Drive (or OneDrive on Mac) you'll need to install the additional client software from the respective website to have it do this. When using the web interface for a service, you'll need to manually to sync a file, usually by dragging it from your computer into the web browser window (or vice versa).

(On Fade In Mobile, you'll need to import/export from the cloud service in order to sync.)

For more information on both locally synced folders and web interfaces for each cloud services, please see:

Dropbox: www.dropbox.com

Google Drive: drive.google.com

OneDrive: onedrive.live.com

Author: Fade In Knowledge Base
Last update: 2022-12-13 18:57


Methods of collaborating

There are various ways you can collaborate using Fade In.

The old, tried-and-true method is to work independently on separate copies of the screenplay and have one collaborator be responsible for combining the work. The Document > Compare to Previous function to find changes between versions can be very useful for this.

You can also save a common copy in a shared folder on a cloud service, such as Dropbox, Google Drive, or OneDrive and give each collaborator access to that folder or copy. (Although this has the disadvantage that changes made at the same time to the same copy may conflict.)

Syncing using a cloud storage service

A third method is for one or more collaborators to work together in real time using Fade In's collaboration function. In that case, one user starts a collaboration session and invites one or more other users to join. Collaborators can then work independently on their own locally copy, and any changes they make are propagated to the other participants in the collaboration session.

How does realtime collaboration work?

Finally, depending on the situation, some collaborators have used Google Docs as a method of collaborating, writing in Fountain format and importing into Fade In, which can readily open Fountain files.

Author: Fade In Knowledge Base
Last update: 2019-06-26 23:17


How does one get a total page count of the entire document?

Access denied

Author: julian shore
Last update: 2019-06-07 18:47


How to take a screenshot

Windows

Using the Snip & Sketch app

Press the Start button and enter Snip & Sketch in the search field. Press the New button to start snipping with the snipping bar.   The snipping bar allows you to capture the following types of snips:

Rectangular snip. Drag the cursor around an object to form a rectangle. Free-form snip. Draw a free-form shape around an object.

Full-screen snip. Capture the entire screen. Once you snip an area of your screen — the snipped image is added to your clipboard and you can paste it immediately in another app. A screen prompt will also allow you to annotate, save or share it using the Snip & Sketch app.

Using the Print Screen key

If your keyboard has a PrtScn key, you may be able to use that to take a screenshot of the screen.

While the PrtScn key already captures your full screen and sends it to your clipboard, opening the snipping bar provides you with more snipping tools you can use for precise snipping. For better control of your screen capturing options, you can opt to have your PrtScn key open the new snipping bar instead of having to type Windows logo key  + Shift + S.

To turn on the new snipping feature keyboard shortcut Select Start  > Settings  > Ease of Access Keyboard

Using the Windows+Shift+S shortcut

Pressing the S key + Windows logo + Shift keys down initiates the snipping bar at any time.

Source: https://support.microsoft.com/en-ca/help/4488540/how-to-take-and-annotate-screenshots-on-windows-10

Mac

To take a screenshot of the whole screen, press Shift+Cmd+3.

To take a screenshot of only part of the screen, press Shift+Cmd+4 and select the rectangle of the screen you want to include.

Source: https://support.apple.com/en-ca/HT201361

Linux

If your keyboard has a PrtScn key, you may be able to use that to take a screenshot of the screen.

If not, there is likely a utility included with your distro that enables taking screenshots. The specific application may vary from distro to distro.

 

Author: Fade In Knowledge Base
Last update: 2019-08-08 01:24


Can I disable checking for updates?

Some users may feel that the reminders that an updated version is available to download may be more frequent than is desired.

Fade In really tries not to overwhelm with frequent updates. It lets a given update sit on the server for a while after it's been uploaded before Fade In prompts the user to download. That way, especially when multiple updates are released in relatively quick succession, users are not notified every time that a new one is available.

On the other hand, there are occasionally updates that provide significantly improved features, functionality, and stability.  In those cases, it's of greater importance that the updates are distributed to users as efficiently as possible.

The current approach is intended to try to balance a reasonable frequency of updates with making sure that everyone is running the best version of the software possible.

Author: Fade In Knowledge Base
Last update: 2019-08-11 08:11


Does Fade In have a dark mode?

You can set custom page colors (including dark mode) under Preferences > User Interface > Custom Page Colors.

Then, you can easily toggle custom page colors on and off using View > Custom Page Colors.

Author: Fade In Knowledge Base
Last update: 2020-04-29 07:03


Installing additional fonts

Author: Fade In Knowledge Base
Last update: 2020-01-13 05:15


Installing additional templates

Author: Fade In Knowledge Base
Last update: 2020-01-13 05:23


Installing additional dictionaries

Author: Fade In Knowledge Base
Last update: 2020-01-13 05:24


Does Fade In have a "Track Changes" feature?

Fade In is, like other professional screenwriting software, designed to produce output with industry standard markup for revisions, indicating changes between drafts through page colors, markers for changed lines/sections, etc.

Normally you will turn on revisions by setting the current revision level under Production > Revisions. The default revision level is white pages, i.e., no revisions. Setting the revision level to a higher level/color will result in revisions being marked with the selected mark in the margin (by default an asterisk, "*").

You can also use Document > Compare to Previous to create a separate document showing differences between two documents by highlighting additions and deletions.

 

Author: Fade In Knowledge Base
Last update: 2020-02-17 18:09


Missing punctuation after text or Fountain import

If some punctuation is wrong/mixed up — particularly things like quotation marks such as “...” and ‘...’ — when importing from a text or Fountain file, please check the encoding of your original text-format file.

The best encoding for import to Fade In is UTF-8. Older encodings, such as Western (Mac OS Roman), Windows-1252, or ISO 8859-1 may result in some punctuation, etc. being imported incorrectly.

Author: Fade In Knowledge Base
Last update: 2020-04-29 07:28


Enterprise deployment/installation

(Please note that this article refers only to deployment/installation in an enterprise setup. For licensing information, please contact Fade In directly.)

Windows

Installation on Windows currently uses an executable installer. The installer can be executed from a script, and has a number of switches that can be supplied on the command line, such as: /SILENT (or /VERYSILENT) and /SUPPRESSMESSAGEBOXES.

Further information about these and other command-line options can be found here.

Mac

The Mac package is distributed as a .dmg, and can be mounted from a custom installation script. The application simply needs to be copied to the Applications folder.

Linux

Multiple options are available for Linux installation, including .deb, .rpm, and basic .tar.gz distribution.

 

Author: Fade In Knowledge Base
Last update: 2020-04-29 07:00


Can I install Fade In on more than one computer?

Your individual license allows you to install Fade In on multiple computers that you personally own and use.

For multiple users, each user requires their own license.

For larger numbers of users for organizations, etc., please contact us.

Author: Fade In Knowledge Base
Last update: 2020-08-06 00:07


How to find the Fade In data folder

Fade In stores some information in a special folder on your computer. This includes things like dictionary files, templates, autosave backups, shortcut key mappings, system reports, and other things (but not document files).


Windows

Press the Windows key, then R to show the Run window. Then type:

%APPDATA%

and hit Enter. That will bring up an Explorer window with a number of folders in it. One of them will be called Fade In. Double-click on that.

Note: %APPDATA% is a shortcut for C:\Users\<Username>\AppData\Roaming.

Mac

From the Finder, choose Go > Go To Folder, and type:

~/Library/Application Support/Fade In (don't forget the leading "~")

For the Mac App Store version you'll need to type:

~/⁨Library⁩/⁨Containers/com.generalcoffee.fadein⁩/Data⁩/Library/⁨Application Support⁩/Fade In

Linux

~/.fadein

Author: Fade In Knowledge Base
Last update: 2021-11-29 21:49


Does Fade In charge tax when I buy it?

Fade In purchases are handled by several different third-party payment processors, including FastSpring, Apple, and Google. Each of these payment processors has their own guidelines and practices for collecting and remitting tax to the relevant tax authorities.

Please see:

FastSpring tax information

Apple tax information

Google tax information

Author: Fade In Knowledge Base
Last update: 2020-06-19 17:29


Does the mobile version save automatically?

Fade In Mobile will automatically save any changes to the currently open document when you close the document and return to the main document selection screen.

It will also periodically save timestamped backups, accessible from the Recover menu from the main document selection screen.

Author: Fade In Knowledge Base
Last update: 2020-07-26 20:53


I didn't receive my download and registration information

When you purchase Fade In Professional Screenwriting Software through the Fade In website, your download and registration information will be emailed to you immediately.

If you do not receive that email right away there are a couple of possibilities. (Hotmail and Outlook, Microsoft's email services, are particularly known for vanishing emails.)

  1. Make sure you entered the right email address (it happens to everyone)
  2. Check your Junk or Spam folder in case your email is filtering it

If neither of those is the case, try adding confirmation@fadeinpro.com and confirmation+noreply@fadeinpro.com to your email allowed senders list, sometimes called your "whitelist".

(Please note that those email addresses are not monitored, and emails sent to them will not be seen.)

Author: Fade In Knowledge Base
Last update: 2021-03-11 16:37


Unable to purchase online

If you are having difficulty ordering online — if your payment is declined or otherwise not completed — it may be due to a number of factors.

Ordering through the Fade In website is handled by a third-party payment processing company that specializes in online ordering. Normally they accept a range of payment methods including major credit cards and other popular online payment services such as PayPal and Amazon Payments. (Note that the availability of cards or payment services may depend on the country of ordering.)

A payment may not go through for a number of reasons, including availability of the payment method, verification difficulty, a card being declined, delays in bank processing, or simply connection issues. You can try contacting the payment processor's consumer support if there seems to be a problem with being able to pay.

 

Author: Fade In Knowledge Base
Last update: 2020-11-11 22:37


How to send a document to someone to read

Normally when sending a screenplay or other document to someone to read, it is done as a PDF (Portable Document Format), and sent as an email attachment.

(Note that this is different from sending a .fadein file to another Fade In user in order for them to be able to work on/edit it.)

To send a PDF copy, to someone:

  1. Create a PDF using either File > Create PDF or File > Print > PDF. This will create a <your filename>.pdf file in the folder on your computer where you specify.
  2. Attach that PDF file as an email to the recipient.

 

Author: Fade In Knowledge Base
Last update: 2021-01-11 16:53


Mac version won't launch

If Fade In won't start up at all on your Mac, you might try removing the application's preferences .plist as detailed here: Startup problems

Author: Fade In Knowledge Base
Last update: 2021-01-13 16:58


Additional Table Read voices

Access denied

Author: Fade In Administrator
Last update: 2021-03-22 20:56


Additional Table Read voices

The virtual table read function under Document > Table Read uses the voices installed on your system for its built-in speech functionality.  (These are different on Windows, Mac, and Linux — Fade In keeps track of what voices are selected on which operating system.)

The method for installing additional voices depends on what operating system you're using.

Windows

You can install additional text-to-speech languages under Windows Settings. Click Start then select Settings, then type "voices" in Settings search. It will show you the settings page for managing installed voices.

Install a new Text-to-Speech language in Windows

Mac

You can install additional languages by opening System Preferences from the Apple menu. The actual location of speech settings changes slightly between macOS versions. In macOS 11 (Big Sur) it can be found under Accessibility > Spoken Content. From the "System Voice" dropdown, select Customize to access the list of available/downloadable voices.

Change the voice your Mac uses to speak text

Linux

Fade In currently uses the espeak-ng speech synthesis package.

espeak-ng - Voice and Language Files

espeak-ng - MBROLA Voices

 

Author: Fade In Administrator
Last update: 2021-03-22 20:57


Unwanted autocorrections

Sometimes, due to interaction between Fade In, the dictionary used for the document, and the way something is typed, it may be "autocorrected" incorrectly, i.e., changed to something unintended (if autocorrection is enabled under Preferences > Editing). There are a couple of ways to prevent this.

1. Add the word or sequence that should not be corrected to the global dictionary under Document > Check Spelling. For instance, if you find that a particular sequence of letters and/or punctuation is being incorrectly changed to something else, you can add that sequence to the global dictionary. (The global dictionary applies to all documents in Fade In.)

2. You can simply Edit > Undo after an unwanted autocorrection, as it will undo the correction and leave the text as originally typed.

(3. You can also turn off autocorrection under Preferences > Editing, but that will disable it entirely, and for all documents.)

 

Author: Fade In Administrator
Last update: 2021-03-29 10:11


Autoupdate not working

If you use Mac or Windows and selected Help > Check for Updates and/or are told that a newer version is available, the software will offer to automatically download and update to that latest version.

If for some reason it does not successfully complete the automatic update, you have a couple of options:

1. You can always (re)download the latest full version of the software from your personalized download link, from the email that was sent to you at purchase time; or

2. If a download link appears directly in the automatic update notification, you can click on that to go to your personalized download link.

(Note: this does not apply to the free demonstration, Mac App Store, or Linux versions.)

 

Author: Fade In Administrator
Last update: 2021-04-26 16:45


Problems printing to a laser printer (or PostScript printer)

Laser printers are weird. The quality is great, but generally they're also PostScript printers. PostScript is not new technology. In fact it's quite old, and was designed to — among other things — ensure output consistency. Part of that is the fact that PostScript printers have a certain standard subset of fonts built in, including Courier (and others).

Normally all the data for printing with a particular font is sent to the printer at the time of printing. But if you're using plain "Courier" in your screenplay (which you shouldn't be, really) or one of the other standard PostScript fonts, then the printer will use its own built-in font instead. This can cause conflicts.

If you're using plain "Courier" or one of the other standard PostScript fonts and are having issues with printing stopping, not starting, or otherwise just not working correctly, try changing the font. (For instance, you can change the overall font to something like Courier Screenplay using Document > Change Document Font.)

 

Author: Fade In Administrator
Last update: 2021-07-28 20:09


How to make scene headings bold

Go to Format > Element Styles > Modify Element Style, select Scene Heading, then Font and make sure the Bold checkbox is checked.

If you want to make this is preset for future documents, you can create a new, blank document, make Scene Heading elements bold, and save it as a new template.

 

Author: Fade In Knowledge Base
Last update: 2022-04-09 17:50


Change the default language for new documents

Access denied

Author: Fade In Knowledge Base
Last update: 2022-10-22 23:24


Change the default language for new documents

You can change the default language for new documents under Preferences > General > Default language for new document.

 

Author: Fade In Knowledge Base
Last update: 2022-10-22 23:49


Scroll bars cause editor window to jitter on Linux

Some Linux configurations may experience jitter of the editor window due to scroll bar functionality. There are a couple of things you can try:

  1. Check your system settings for scroll bar behavior. Scroll bars that dynamically appear/disappear may contribute to the problem, depending on how they're implemented.
  2. Try starting Fade In with the --no-overlay-scroll command-line switch, either directly from the command line or by adding it to Fade In's startup options in your launcher.
  3. Try disabling scroll bars using Preferences > User Interface > Show scroll bars.

Author: Fade In Knowledge Base
Last update: 2023-03-17 01:18


Getting Started

Where can I download the free demo version?

You can download the free demo version of Fade In Professional Screenwriting Software from the Fade In website. Click on Download, and scroll down to your operating system.
 

Author: Fade In Administrator
Last update: 2012-03-10 20:09


Installing on Windows

Once you have downloaded the installer executable (.exe), double-click it to begin the installation process. (Your browser may give you the option of running the installer directly.)

Depending on your version of Windows and your system settings, you may get a warning/confirmation dialogue asking you to authorize the actions of the installer.

Please ensure that you have quit any currently running copy of Fade In before installing.

Author: Fade In Administrator
Last update: 2013-02-26 03:25


Installing on Mac

Once you have downloaded the application disk image (.dmg) double-click it to mount the image. Open the disk image either by double-clicking the silver disk icon that appears on your Desktop, or by selecting the "Fade In" disk from the Finder sidebar.

Once the disk image is open, drag the Fade In application into your Applications folder. (The big arrow points the way.)

Please ensure that you have quit any currently running copy of Fade In before installing.

Mac installer

Note: Make sure that you're not creating a link when dragging (a link is indicated by a little arrow, just like the one in the corner of the Applications folder, above). It should be a green "+" instead, to indicate that you're copying the application file to your Applications folder. You may need to hold down the Command (⌘) key to do this if it doesn't appear automatically.

 

Author: Fade In Administrator
Last update: 2022-04-09 23:31


Installing on Linux

Download the appropriate package for your Linux installation:

  • .deb - Debian and Ubuntu
  • .rpm - Fedora and SUSE
  • .tar.gz - General installation

Either open the package from the command-line as appropriate for your system (i.e., using dpkg, rpm, or tar), or use a GUI utility.

The program will be installed to /usr/bin/fadein, with resources in /usr/share/fadein/. 

Please ensure that you have quit any currently running copy of Fade In before installing.

Author: Fade In Administrator
Last update: 2013-02-26 03:24


Registering the full version

If you purchased the full version of Fade In Professional Screenwriting Software and it requires you to enter your username and registration key, you'll find that information in the email sent to you after purchasing.

You can enter your username and registration key under Help > Register.

Be sure that you download and install the full version from your personalized download link (also provided to you via email). You cannot enter your registration information in the free downloadable demo.

(Mac users may want to make sure that there isn't an extra copy of the demo version floating around. You can search for it in Finder by searching for Applications named "Fade In".)

...

If you find that you are unable to to enter your username and registration key, it's possible that you have inadvertently downloaded the demo version. Please make sure you've downloaded the full version from your personalized download link.

Also please make sure you've entered your username and registration key exactly as given in the email. Copying and pasting from the email may help ensure this. If, for instance, the registration does not match a valid format/pattern, the Register button will remain grayed out:

Register dialog

 

Author: Fade In Administrator
Last update: 2018-06-19 17:30


Getting the full version

To get the full version of Fade In Professional Screenwriting Software, you'll need to buy it.
 
One way you can do that is from the Buy Now link on the Fade In website. Once you've purchased the software, you will receive your username, registration key, and personalized download link by email.

 

Author: Fade In Administrator
Last update: 2022-11-07 21:18


What's the difference between the full version and the demo?

The free downloadable demo offers the same functionality as the full version, aside of realtime collaboration. It will also pop up an occasional purchase reminder after 10 pages, and includes a watermark on print/PDF output.

Author: Fade In Administrator
Last update: 2020-11-12 07:58


Buying for Mac from the App Store vs. directly from the website

 

It's the same application in terms of features and functionality. Here are the differences between buying Fade In Professional Screenwriting Software for Mac directly from http://www.fadeinpro.com and buying it from the App Store:

  1. Both the website version and the App Store version feature easy, integrated updating.
  2. However, the App Store version may be updated less often. This is because, during times of heavy development, new builds of Fade In have been released more frequently. Since Apple's application approval process can take a number of days, the latest will be submitted to the App Store once it has been out long enough. Then, once the approval process is complete, it will be available on the App Store. (And if the decision has to be made to replace a build waiting for approval with an updated build, it will move it to the end of the queue and reset the waiting time.)
  3. If you purchase from the App Store, you will get the full version of Fade In Professional Screenwriting Software for Mac only, linked to your Apple ID. If you purchase directly from the website, you will receive a registration key for the full version enabling you to use it on Mac, Windows, and Linux. Apple does not currently provide a way to transfer App Store purchases to non-App Store purchases and vice-versa.
  4. Please note that there are some minor functional differences between the App Store and non-App Store versions due to Apple's sandboxing restrictions for App Store programs. Any such differences should not currently affect the overall capabilities of the application, but may occasionally require additional steps to manually select a file or folder, etc.
  5. The price on the App Store may also vary from non-App Store price on the website due to Apple's pricing structure.

 

Author: Fade In Administrator
Last update: 2021-02-11 05:25


Site licenses

Access denied

Author: Fade In Administrator
Last update: 2013-09-07 04:55


Differences between the Mac App Store and non-App Store versions

Some small differences exist between the Mac App Store version and the non-App Store version of Fade In Professional Screenwriting Software.

  • The Mac App Store version does not require a registration key. Instead it uses a receipt generated by the Mac App Store.
  • The Mac App Store version can only be used on OS X. 

Certain differences are due to "sandboxing" restrictions and limitations that Apple places on the functionality of Mac App Store programs:

  • The Mac App Store version saves autosave backup files in the folder /User/<username>/Library/Containers/com.generalcoffee.fadein/Data/Library/Application Support/Fade In/autosave instead of /User/<username>/Library/Application Support/Fade In/autosave.
  • Installing a user dictionary on the Mac App Store version requires the user to select both the .dic file and the accompanying .aff file (whereas the non-App Store version selects the .aff file automatically).

Author: Fade In Administrator
Last update: 2018-10-15 09:51


I can't install the application

If you have downloaded the installation package but cannot install the application:

Please ensure that you have quit any currently running copy of Fade In before installing.

Search here for "installing" to find the specific installation instructions for your platform.

Author: Fade In Administrator
Last update: 2013-02-26 03:27


Error code 5 when installing or updating: Access is denied

This may happen when updating or reinstalling on Windows, if Fade In Professional Screenwriting is currently running when you try to update/reinstall it.  The installer will tell you "DeleteFile failed" or "Access is denied".

Please ensure that you've quit any currently running copy of the software before upgrading or reinstalling.

Author: Fade In Administrator
Last update: 2020-03-18 18:37


Startup problems

In the rare situation that Fade In has trouble starting up (such as a crash, etc.) it may be necessary to delete the application's saved preferences.

This solution to startup problems should probably be attempted only after other solutions have not worked, as it will require re-entering any registation information, as well as window layout and any other customized setup made under Preferences.


Mac

From Finder, click the Go menu, hold down the Option key and select Library. Once Finder shows the Library contents, double-click on the Preferences folder. Find the file com.generalcoffee.fadein.plist and move it to the Trash.

(For Mac App Store users, the Fade In .plist file can be found in ~/Library/Containers/com.generalcoffee.fadein/Data/Library/Preferences.)

Note: Delete only this .plist file. If you are uncomfortable deleting preference files, you can also rename the file to "com.generalcoffee.fadein.plist.old" or something similar.


Linux

Remove the hidden dot file ~/.Fade In in your home directory by typing either of:
rm ~/".Fade In" or rm ~/Fade\ In

Note: Delete only this hidden dot file. If you are uncomfortable deleting hidden files, you can also rename the file to ".Fade In.old" or something similar.


Windows

Please note: Changes made to the Windows registry happen immediately, and no backup is automatically made. Do not edit the Windows registry unless you are confident about doing so. Microsoft has issued the following warning with respect to the Registry Editor: "Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious, system-wide problems that may require you to re-install Windows to correct them. Microsoft cannot guarantee that any problems resulting from the use of Registry Editor can be solved. Use this tool at your own risk."

Start the Registry editor by typing Win+R and entering "regedit". You can also search for regedit.exe from the Start menu's program search field.

Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\General Coffee Co.\Fade In.

To make an optional backup of the Fade In configuration, right-click on the Fade In key (folder icon) and select Export.

Then, to delete the Fade In configuration, right-click on the Fade In key, ensure that the status bar shows HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\General Coffee Co.\Fade In, and select Delete.

Author: Fade In Administrator
Last update: 2021-01-13 16:53


I bought Fade In for my Mac. Can I use it on my Windows computer, and vice-versa?

Yes, you can use the same download and registration information on both.

(Note that this applies to the website download version only. If you purchase through The Mac App Store, it is tied to your Apple ID and usable only on your Mac computers.)

Author: Fade In Administrator
Last update: 2015-03-02 15:10


Enabling Online Services in the File menu

Access denied

Author: Fade In Administrator
Last update: 2023-07-29 07:48


OS X is telling me that "Fade In is damaged and cannot be opened"

Under rare circumstances, OS X may claim that "Fade In is damaged and cannot be opened. You should move it to the Trash." when you are trying to run it after installing (i.e., after dragging it from the mounted installation .dmg to your Applications folder).

This may be due to a bug or glitch that some users have encountered with OS X's Gatekeeper security functionality.

There are a couple of things that can be tried if this is the case, if you're comfortable:

1. In System Preferences > Security & Privacy > General, temporarily change Gatekeeper settings to “Anywhere”. Then try to open Fade In. Then immediately change Gatekeeper settings back to what they were.

or

2. If you’re comfortable using a command line, then from Terminal:

cd /Applications
xattr -d -r com.apple.quarantine "Fade In.app"

Either of these should remove any "quarantine" attribute that has been mistakenly assigned to the Fade In application package an dallow it to be run.

 

Author: Fade In Knowledge Base
Last update: 2020-04-29 07:04


Linux: "error while loading shared libraries"

If, when running Fade In from the command line on Linux, the application fails to start and you receive an error like:

fadein: error while loading shared libraries: <libraryname>.so.1: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory

that is an indication that you may have installed the 32-bit version of Fade In on a 64-bit version of Linux, or vice versa.

Please double-check that you've downloaded the correct version of Fade In for your architecture.

. . .

You might also check if your repository has updated to a more recent version of a particular library. If so, you may be able to download the required version of the library in question and install it alongside the current newer version. 

. . .

One more thing you can try is compiling the missing library from source. For this, you'll need to download the source code (generally as a .tar.gz archive, and preferably from the official project site). Then, unarchive it into its own folder.

The steps for compiling and installing are the similar between libraries. Usually a file called INSTALL or something similar will give specific instructions, but generally speaking it involves basically typing:

./configure
make
sudo make install

 inside the directory where you unarchived the source tarball.

 

Author: Fade In Knowledge Base
Last update: 2018-05-17 10:10


Linux version won't launch

Different Linux distributions update their included supporting libraries at different times. A more "bleeding-edge" distro will often have more recent libraries while a more "stable" distro might stick conservatively to older library versions.

Generally speaking, Fade In is built on what is hoped to be a good, representative "standard" set of libraries. But there can be launching issues if it can't find linked-to library versions.

One thing you can do is this:

1. Start Fade In from a command line. It should tell you there if it is failing to find a particular library version.

2. Install that (probably older) library version alongside the newer version shipped with your distro. The Linux library versioning system generally makes this quite straightforward. (Although you may have to search for how to find and install legacy library versions for your system.)

 

Author: Fade In Knowledge Base
Last update: 2021-01-13 16:48


I've paid for Fade In — how do I download it?

To get the paid version of Fade In onto your computer, if you purchased it through the website, you just have to download it from your personalized download link, install it, and enter your username and registration key.

The same thing applies if you're downloading Fade In onto another computer that you personally own: just click on the your personalized download link, this time from your new computer.

The email was sent to you from confirmation+noreply@fadeinpro.com (an unmonitored email address; please do not email that address) and titled "Fade In Professional Screenwriting Software user information". If you use a web-based email address like Gmail, it's easy: just search and you'll find it.

Note that if you purchased from the Mac App Store, you can simply download it (again) from the app store as long as you're logged into the purchasing Apple ID.

 

Author: Fade In Knowledge Base
Last update: 2020-04-18 18:15


Third-party tutorials

Fade In includes in-program help under Help > Fade In Help. Additionally, a number of tutorials have been created by third parties. At the time of this writing, they can be found at:

Roland Stroud - PDF tutorials

Writer's Territory by Bela Lampert - video tutorials

Beginner's Guide to Fade In - video tutorial

Fade In Survival Guide by Moviola - video tutorials

Script Coordinator - video tutorials (geared toward stage production)

(Please note that these tutorial materials are not produced by Fade In, and the creators of the materials are not officially affiliated with Fade In.)

Author: Fade In Knowledge Base
Last update: 2023-12-21 06:38


Installing the full version

(The following applies to users who purchased the full version from the website.)

1. At purchase time, you received an email with your username, registration key, and personalized download link. Make sure you've downloaded the full version installer from your personalized download link. (Please note that the free downloadable demo page explicitly says for paid users not to download the demo. Use your personalized download link instead.)

2. Install the full version of the software on your computer.

3. Once you've installed the full version, open it and select the Help menu, then Register.

4. In the Register window, enter your username and registration key, then click the Register button.

5. You should receive a message that your copy of Fade In has been successfully registered. If you do not, please double-check to make sure that your username and registration key have been entered exactly as given in the email, including all capitalization, punctuation, etc. Copying and pasting may help to ensure this.

For additional installation information, please see:

Installing on Windows

Installing on Mac

Installing on Linux

 

Author: Fade In Knowledge Base
Last update: 2022-11-07 21:19


Why can't I see .fadein files via my file explorer?

Access denied

Author: Anna Tatelman
Last update: 2018-09-17 03:39


I can't find my registration key and/or download link

If you purchased the software through the Fade In website, your registration key would have been sent to you in an email with the subject "Fade In Professional Screenwriting Software user information", along with your username and personalized download link. (If you purchased the software elsewhere, such as the Mac App Store, you won't have a registration key.)

Please check that you still have access to the purchasing email account to which the information would have been sent.

(Note that some email services like Gmail do not by default delete emails unless you do so specifically, so past emails are usually easy to find by searching.)

The email with your download and registration is important. Please keep it safe as you would any other purchase.

Author: Fade In Knowledge Base
Last update: 2021-05-13 16:13


Upgrading to the full version from the demo

How do I upgrade from the full version to the demo?

You can simply purchase the full version from www.fadeinpro.com, then download and install the full version of the software. You may find it more straightforward to remove any installed demo version first.

Will I lose my work? How do I get my documents into the new, full version?

As long as you've saved your work to your computer as .fadein file(s), you'll be able to (re)open them in the full version once it's installed. The demo version and the full version use the same file format.

 

Author: Fade In Administrator
Last update: 2021-04-29 16:11


Fade In says I'm using an unregistered or demo version

Please make sure you have installed the full version from your personalized download link, and entered your username and registration key under Help > Register.

Your username, registration key, and personalized download link can all be found in the email you received at purchase time.

(Note that this applies only to the version purchased via the Fade In website. If you purchased from the Mac App Store, you can simply re-download the software from the app store using the same purchasing Apple ID.)

Getting the full version

Installing the full version

Registering the full version

 

Author: Fade In Knowledge Base
Last update: 2024-03-12 04:32


Formatting

How do I change the font for an entire screenplay?

What you probably don't want to do is just Select All and hit the Font button — that will apply a new font over any existing formatting.
 
What you want to do is change the underlying formatting for the document. Do that by going to Document > Change Document Font.

You can also use Format > Element Styles > Modify Element Style > Normal Text and change the font. Changing the font for Normal Text will affect all other element styles based on it (meaning any of the built-in elements). This has the same effect as Change Document Font.

To change the font for all future documents, set the font under Preferences > General > Default font for new documents.

Author: Fade In Administrator
Last update: 2024-02-16 07:01


What parameters are available to customize an element style?

The following aspects of an element style can be customized under Format > Element Styles > Modify Element Style, whether it is a built-in or custom element:

  • Name
  • Font
  • Uppercase
  • Left/right/first-line indentation
  • Space before (in terms of lines)
  • Line spacing
  • Alignment/justification
  • Column
  • Keep with next
  • Page break before
  • Act break
  • Base element (that the element style is derived from)
  • Element to change to upon typing the Tab key before/after a line
  • Element to change to upon typing the Enter key

Once you've set up elements, etc., the way you want, you may also save a template to be used for new documents using: File > Templates > Save as Template

 

Author: Fade In Administrator
Last update: 2022-01-28 23:29


Is there a ruler like Word or Final Draft?

To show the ruler for a single line, you can use Format > Adjust Line Length.  The ruler will automatically show for any element that has an adjusted line length.

Alternately, you can choose Preferences > User Interface > Always show ruler.

Author: Fade In Administrator
Last update: 2012-04-26 03:54


How to change the template of a document

You can easily change the underlying template of a document from the built-in screenplay template to, for instance, stage play.

With your script open, select File > Templates > Apply Template and choose from one of the built-in or installed templates.

Please see this article for information about installing additional templates.

Author: Fade In Administrator
Last update: 2012-08-02 07:09


Bold Scene Headings appear as bold-italic in PDF (Linux)

If your Scene Heading elements are bold but appear as bold-italic when selecting File > Save As PDF, it is likely due to a Linux-related font matching/substitution issue.

Until this issue is properly resolved, you can work around it with a single extra step by using File > Print instead, and printing to a PostScript (.ps) file instead.  You can then use the command-line tool ps2pdf to convert the PostScript file to PDF.

Author: Fade In Administrator
Last update: 2012-08-02 07:20


How to create a header or footer

To create a page header or page footer, use Document > Header and Footer.

In the format field, use # for the page number, * for the current revision color, and @ for the current date.  You can also insert any other arbitrary text.

For instance, the page number format "* revisions  @  Page #." will result in something like: "White revisions  08/26/12  Page 1." (depending on the default date format).

You can also use the field placeholders {Title}, {Subtitle}, {Writtenby}, {PageRevision} (or {PageRev}), {Revision}, {Page}, and {Pages} as well as date formatting such as {yy-mm-dd}, {d-m-yyyy}, or {mmm. d, yyyy}.

Author: Fade In Administrator
Last update: 2015-03-06 16:01


Windows font scaling

If you're experiencing font scaling errors when changing the zoom level and using a proportional font, try changing the font to a fixed-width or monospace font, such as one from the "Courier" family (although not the plain Windows "Courier" font). A font such as Courier Screenplay or Courier Prime is recommended.

Author: Fade In Administrator
Last update: 2022-02-09 19:23


Why is my script a different length than in Final Draft?

When importing a Final Draft screenplay into Fade In, the resulting page count may be different. There are several reasons this can happen:

  1. Margins and indents - Final Draft tends to push things a little closer to the edges of the page and element indentation is generally set so that more text fits per line. If you want to mirror Final Draft's measurements a little more closely, you can use the Final Draft screenplay template available from the Download page. (Although generally Fade In will properly use the metrics of the FDX file when importing it.)
  2. Line spacing - The Final Draft file may have line spacing set to "Tight" or "Very Tight" line spacing. Under Fade In, that can be adjusted under Document > Page Layout > Line spacing.
  3. Courier Final Draft - Screenplays are written using a 12-point Courier font (i.e., a "Pica" or 10-pitch typewriter font measuring 10 characters per inch). Note that Courier Final Draft is not 10 characters per inch — in Final Draft it is, for some reason, slightly more. Fade In respects the 10 characters per inch metric for screenplay formatting, which may result in some words being bumped to the next line.
  4. Page metrics - Final Draft's actual page layout does not always reflect the math of the page metrics. That is, it has some idiosyncratic behavior that will give slightly different layout results depending on the content, and it's up to a third-party application to try to figure out what these internal rules are. Final Draft document layout can even vary noticeably between different Final Draft versions.
  5. Printer settings - From version to version of Final Draft, printer settings may affect the layout and pagination (and therefore length) of a Final Draft document differently. In Fade In, printer settings have nothing to do with document layout.

(Also make sure that when you're looking at Final Draft measurements using the ruler that they accurate represent the actual element settings. Depending on the zoom level, etc., Final Draft's ruler seems to sometimes show the wrong indentation.)

Author: Fade In Administrator
Last update: 2021-02-09 23:29


An installed font isn't displaying properly

If you haven't already done so, please try exiting the application and restarting it.

Uninstalling and reinstalling the font (i.e., removing it from your Fonts, then installing it again) may also help.

If neither of those works, you can try:

Mac

Uninstalling and reinstalling the misbehaving font usually works best on Mac, but if after that the font is still not displaying properly, you may need to clear the font cache:

1. Close all applications.
2. Launch Terminal
3. Enter the following command at the prompt and press Return:

atsutil databases -removeUser

(You can also, optionally, clear the system font cache by typing

sudo atsutil databases -remove

for the first command, followed by the second two commands. Note that this will require you to enter your password.)

(You may also want to repair permissions, as well.)

4. Restart your computer

(To restart the font server without restarting your computer, use:

sudo atsutil server -shutdown then sudo atsutil server -ping)

Please also note that third-party font management software can sometimes cause issues with fonts appearing properly. If this is the case, try uninstalling/reinstalling the font using the system font management tool, i.e., Font Book on Mac.

Linux

If you're using Linux, you need to clear the font cache after installing a font (something like sudo fc-cache -f -v). You may also need to restart the font server lease see your particular system documentation on just how to do that. (It's generally along the lines of: /etc/rc.d/init.d/xfs restart)

 

Author: Fade In Administrator
Last update: 2022-02-07 16:20


Non-standard title page formatting

[Please note that this information is outdated as of version 2, and is retained here for archival/reference purposes only.]

It is possible to create a title page without using the built-in Title Page editor (which follows the standard screenplay title page format).

Go to Document > Page Numbers > Page Numbering and change Start numbering from to 0. Uncheck Show on first page.

Now you can edit the first page of your document however you'd like the title page to appear, and your screenplay itself will begin on the second page (numbered page 1).

Author: Fade In Administrator
Last update: 2015-03-06 16:03


How to type accents

Typing accents depends on the platform you're using. For more information see here: http://sites.psu.edu/symbolcodes/

Windows

You can bring up the Character Map utility and select the accented characters to copy and paste into your Fade In document. Alternately, you can use predefined key combinations such as Ctrl+' then the E key to type "é", or you can type character codes directly using Alt+0nnn, where nnn is the numeric code as per http://sites.psu.edu/symbolcodes/windows/codealt/.

See Microsoft's Keyboard Shortcuts For International Characters for more details. (Note that not all key combinations may be supported by Fade In, and/or some combinations may conflict with default or user-defined shortcut keys.)

Mac

Use the Keyboard and Character Viewer from Language & Text preferences to find the accented characters you want. You can alternately type the characters directly using the Option+<letter> key combination for a particular character. Note that some accents are produced using a two-keystroke combination. For instance, to type an "ñ", you would first type Option+N (to indicate a tilde ("~"), then N again.  To type "õ", you would type Option+N, then O.To type "é", first type Option+E (for "´"), then E. More combinations are here: http://sites.psu.edu/symbolcodes/mac/codemac/

Linux

Depending on your distribution, you may have a character map or equivalent utility, that you can use to find and copy/paste the desired characters into your Fade In document. Depending on your keyboard layout, you may be able to use some Windows-style predefined key combinations, as indicated above, and/or you may be able to use Compose key (sometimes called AltGr) combinations as described here.

Author: Fade In Administrator
Last update: 2023-04-14 02:50


Does Fade In Support right-to-left text?

Currently it does not, but it is hopefully something that can be added in a future update. 

Author: Fade In Administrator
Last update: 2014-03-16 15:49


Dual dialogue

To format dialogue by two characters as dual dialogue (i.e., simultaneously spoken), simply select/place the insertion point on the first character element and select Format > Make Dual Dialogue.

For example: 

          BOB
     I am saying this.
ALICE I am saying something else.

By placing the cursor on "BOB" and selecting Dual Dialogue, it will change things to:

      BOB                  ALICE
I am saying this.     I am saying something else.

 

Author: Fade In Administrator
Last update: 2014-11-28 07:46


A font is not appearing when using Create PDF

It is possible that a font which displays fine while editing and outputting using File > Print may not appear at all when using the built-in PDF generation under File > Create PDF.

There are several reasons this may typically happen:

1. All variants of the font are not properly installed.

Fonts are sometimes composed of multiple files, such as separate files for Regular, Bold, Italic, and Bold-Italic. Make sure that, if this is the case, all variants are installed.

Sometimes for whatever reason a font is just not registered/recognized properly when originally installed. In that case, uninstalling and re-installing a font can sometimes fix the issue.

2. The font is not explicitly specified.

Sometimes the application will actually use for display a font different than the one the formatting is currently set to use. This may happen when a character glyph not contained in the current font is used, such as typing Chinese text in a font that does not contain Chinese characters. In that case, the system will try to substitute an appropriate glyph from another font.

If you are going to be using a different/nonstandard font for a section of text, it is important to explicitly specify the font by selecting the text and choosing Format > Format Font (or clicking the Font button in the Formatting panel).

3. The font is not a compatible font file format.

The application's built-in PDF generation may not be able to handle every font type that a particular computer or operating system can. Generally speaking, it can handle fonts of the following formats: TrueType (.ttf and .ttc), OpenType (.otf), and Type 1.

That said, it is not uncommon that a readily available font will not comply entirely with the technical standard, which can lead to difficulty with portability and using the font in some applications. For instance, some True Type Collection (.ttc) fonts on OS X may be incompatible with built-in PDF generation. In those cases, it may be possible to convert the .ttc file into one or more .ttf files.

4. Do not use plain "Courier"

First of all, on Windows, plain "Courier" is a terrible font. Secondly, even on other operating systems, PDF viewers/readers/other programs that open PDFs may substitute their own  built-in "Courier" font instead of the one your document is using. This is a known issue with PDF.

If you're still not sure what font to use, please see here.

Finally, you can use a different method of PDF generation.

Author: Fade In Administrator
Last update: 2022-05-27 21:15


Can Fade In be used for other types of scripts such as stage plays, radio plays, etc.?

Yes, Fade In comes with basic templates for a number of formats including screenplays, teleplays, and stage plays. Other formats including radio plays and multimedia scripts are available for download.

All templates are highly customizable.

Author: Fade In Administrator
Last update: 2015-03-02 15:10


Creating a Character List or List of Locations

For some purposes, you may need to create a list of characters or locations to appear before page 1 of the script.

The easiest way to do this is to switch to the title page (Document > Title Page) and add the required page(s) after the title page, where they'll appear before the script itself.

Author: Fade In Administrator
Last update: 2015-05-04 18:31


Inserting a page break

You can insert a page break by placing the insertion point on an element and selecting Format > Page Break Before. To remove page break from before a given element simply uncheck Page Break Before.

 

You can see page breaks in a document using View > Show Invisibles

Author: Fade In Administrator
Last update: 2015-05-04 18:31


What font should I use?

For screenplay documents, it is recommended to use a screenplay-specific Courier font. These can be found at www.fadeinpro.com on the Download page under "Extras". Courier Screenplay and Courier Prime are both available and free for download.

Note, however, that these fonts primarily support Latin alphabets. If you are writing in a language that uses a different alphabet, such as Greek or Russian (or other Cyrillic languages), etc., it may be necessary to use a font with broader character/glyph coverage, such as Courier New or a language-specific Courier. (There exist, for instance, separate Courier Greek and Courier Cyrillic fonts.)

If you are writing in a language such as Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese, Hindi (or other Devangari languages), etc., you should use a font that includes the appropriate character set.

Trying to write in a language with a font that does not properly support that language may result in words appearing incorrectly, blank spaces, or white rectangles.

(Note for Windows users: it is recommended not to use the default plain "Courier" font, for these reasons.)

Author: Fade In Administrator
Last update: 2024-03-12 03:07


Quick Reformat on a Mac

If you're on a Mac, in order to use number-key shortcuts for Quick Reformat, you'll need to make sure System Preferences > Keyboard > Shortcuts > All controls is checked. This will allow keyboard navigation of the Quick Reformat dialog (and other dialogs).

 

Author: Fade In Administrator
Last update: 2015-11-28 20:55


Creating a title page

A title page is like a little “sub-document” within your screenplay document. It just isn’t visible all the time. You can switch to it to view it, edit it, etc. using Document > Title Page > Show Title Page.

Title pages can also have various parts of the text (title, author, etc.) bookmarked so that they can be found when adding placeholders to a header/footer, or when automatically generating the metadata for various output formats such as PDF.

The title page is always saved as part of your document. You can choose to include it or not when printing or creating a PDF.

(When editing the title page, Fade In will display a "Title Page" indicator at the top of the page. This is part of the output when printing/PDFing.)

Author: Fade In Knowledge Base
Last update: 2021-01-25 17:05


How to cheat or adjust page and line length

There are a number of things that you can do to adjust (or cheat) page and line length.

1. Use Format > Adjust Line Length and either adjust individual line(s) or automatically adjust all lines within a certain threshold to pull up words that just bump down to the next line. This will have the affect of removing some lines that just have a single word on them.

2. Use Page Layout > Element Spacing to adjust the spacing between elements. Tightening that spacing a little is fairly unnoticeable.

3. Use Page Layout > Line Spacing to adjust line spacing overall. Tightening line spacing can be more noticeable and is probably the most visually conspicuous method of “cheating” to shorten a script.

4. Use Page Layout > Margins to make a (small) adjustment to the page margins.

 

Author: Fade In Knowledge Base
Last update: 2020-04-29 07:12


Creating a custom template

It's easy to create a custom template with your own setup, including element styles, customized autocompletions for Scene Intros, Scene Times, Character Extensions, etc., and even default document text.

Just create a new document and customize it the way you would like. Then, choose File > Templates > Save as Template to save the file as a new template (as a .fadein.template file instead of just a .fadein file).

You'll be given the option to automatically install the newly saved template for use with Fade In. (Otherwise, templates have to be installed under File > Templates > Manage Templates before you can use them.)

You can even set the new template, once installed, as the default template for new documents under Preferences > General.

 

Author: Fade In Knowledge Base
Last update: 2016-12-06 17:21


Why is (cont'd) after dialog lowercase when in Final Draft it is (CONT'D)?

Interesting story:

First of all, the reason Final Draft does it that way seems to be that since it adds it as part of the Character element (i.e., after the character name, as if you'd typed it) then it has to necessarily assume the same formatting as the Character element. Since the Characer element is typically all-caps, the (CONT'D) text has to be, too.

So it's really a what's-easiest-for-the-software explanation.

Note that it didn't used to be this way. Before screenwriting software, it used to be a separate line below the character name, like:

          CHARACTER
(continuing)
And here is where I have more
to say...

But that's a little harder for software to do automatically.

Fade in attempts to split the difference. Because it automatically adds the (cont'd) in a different manner, it's not required to retain the same formatting as the Character element style and therefore doesn't need to be forced to uppercase. The result is intended to be more discreet and unintrusive than the all-caps (CONT'D).

At any rate, if you'd like to change it, you can easily do so under Document > More and Continued.

Author: Fade In Knowledge Base
Last update: 2020-04-29 07:32


Is there a way to justify text?

Access denied

Author: John Duval
Last update: 2018-12-21 05:05


How can I print Index cards correctly on Mac OSX? When I start the print dialogue and view the results it never prints the whole project, only one or two pages with some cards on it...And I don't find any settings to influence the layout. Thank you for your help!

Access denied

Author: Hannes Schuler
Last update: 2019-01-24 12:31


Is there any way in "Fade In" to assign shortcut keys with character names so that I can use them as macros and I don't have to type them each time?

Access denied

Author: Krishnendu Bhattacharyya
Last update: 2019-06-17 07:27


Removing blank pages at the end

If you have blank pages at the end of your document, it's likely because there are blank lines. You can drag-to-select any blank lines at the end and Delete to get rid of them.

(You can see the blank lines by temporarily turning on View > Show Invisibles.)

Author: Fade In Knowledge Base
Last update: 2020-07-14 17:22


Why are Fade In's left/right margins 1.25"/1.25"?

Why are Fade In's margins 1.25" on both the right and left, when other screenwriting software defaults to 1.5" on the left and 1" on the right?

Because those older measurements were common when screenplays were distributed  as physical copies: photocopied onto three-hole-punched paper, one-sided, and bound on the left with brass brads.

Now, however, very few screenplays are printed for distribution. They are almost exclusively sent as PDFs and read on iPads, computers, e-readers, etc. A PDF generated with other software will appear off-center with too much space on the left in that case.

Fade In, on the other hand, is modern software designed with modern needs in mind, and it will produce perfectly centered PDFs for reading. (And, really, 1.25" is easily enough margin to accommodate binding such as brass brads should that be required.)

If you really want to shift things over in Fade In, though, you can: under Document > Page Setup just change the left and right margins from 1.25"/1.25" to 1.5"/1.0".

 

Author: Fade In Knowledge Base
Last update: 2020-12-27 17:55


Enter and Tab key behavior

You can customize the default behavior of the Enter and/or Tab key for a given element style under Format > Element Styles > Modify Element Style.

For instance, if you want pressing Enter after a Dialogue element to always go to a new Character element, you can change the Enter key setting for the Dialogue element style to "Character".

You can do the same thing for the Tab key, noting that there are different behaviors for whether you press Tab at the start of the current line (Tab key before) or at the end of the line, after any existing text (Tab key after).

 

Author: Fade In Administrator
Last update: 2021-02-25 06:24


Page numbers are missing

If page numbers have disappeared from your document or are otherwise not showing up, check to make sure that there is a page number placeholder ("#" or "{Page}") in the header* of your document under Document > Header and Footer. (See: How to create a header or footer)

* Normally page numbers will go in the header of a screenplay, but other types of documents may put them in the footer.

Author: Fade In Administrator
Last update: 2021-02-25 20:46


How to override "(cont'd)" after a Character element

To remove all occurrences of "(cont'd)" to indicate the same character speaking again, you can turn it off under Document > More and Continued.

To override only a single occurrence, you can (currently) just add a single space after the character name. That shouldn't affect inclusions in lists or reports, or anything except the automatic addition of "(cont'd)".

 

Author: Fade In Administrator
Last update: 2021-08-19 23:10


Multiple revision colors, multiple draft dates

Sometimes you may want to put date of a specific revision in the header along with the revision color, i.e., "Blue 2021-08-31". A later revision might have a different revision date, such as "Pink 2021-09-01".

The easiest way to do this is simply to edit the revision name(s) under Production > Revisions > Edit, and add the date to the actual revision name. Then, any revision name placeholders will insert the full name+date combination.

 

Author: Fade In Knowledge Base
Last update: 2021-09-01 08:28


Fade In Mobile

How do I log into Dropbox?

Access denied

Author: Fade In Administrator
Last update: 2019-05-08 15:34


Why can't I see my files in Dropbox?

Access denied

Author: Fade In Administrator
Last update: 2019-05-08 15:26


Syncing/exporting to cloud storage

To export a document from your device to a cloud storage service, first ensure that you are properly authenticated (logged into) the service. Then tap the ... button next to the document name in the list, and select Export to <Service> from the menu.

Author: Fade In Administrator
Last update: 2019-05-08 15:28


Does the mobile version support revisions?

The mobile version does not currently have a revision mode, but support for revisions is on the list of things to be added.

It should, however, preserve revisions and the current revision level.

Author: Fade In Administrator
Last update: 2012-03-23 19:57


Why are Fade In Mobile's page numbers approximate?

Fade In Mobile's page numbers are approximate/estimated.  The option to display them is currently marked "Experimental" as of version 1.2.395.

The reason for this is that the mobile version is specifically designed to be able to display screenplay-type formatting on any device, regardless of the font size, pixel dimensions, or aspect ratio.

Fade In Mobile attempts to estimate the approximate page number based on the current position and page size of the document (which defaults to 8.5" x 11", or US Letter, and can be changed in the desktop application).  Depending on the device, display font size, orientation, and density of text compared to a standard baseline screenplay, the estimation may be more or less accurate.  For instance, an iPhone in portrait (vertical) orientation may report a lower page count then an iPad in landscape (horizontal).

Estimated page numbers are primarily useful for those users who wish to have an approximate idea of where a particular scene, etc. is in the screenplay in terms of pages.  If in any case they are too inaccurate to use for a particular document or configuration, they can be turned off in the settings.

Author: Fade In Administrator
Last update: 2012-09-22 22:00


How do I print (or make a PDF) from the mobile app?

Fade In Mobile does not currently include any built-in capability for printing or PDF generation.

The best way to print is to export to Dropbox, open the script in the desktop version, and print or create a PDF from there.

Author: Fade In Administrator
Last update: 2012-12-15 04:33


Keeping documents when upgrading from Fade In Mobile Free to Fade In Mobile

Here are the (detailed) instructions for transferring your documents from Fade In Mobile Free to the paid version of Fade In Mobile:

1. Sign up for a Dropbox account (http://www.dropbox.com) if you haven’t already.

2. Tap the Dropbox icon in Fade In Mobile Free to connect to your Dropbox account.

3. Tap the arrow beside your screenplay in Fade In Mobile Free to export to your Dropbox account.

4. Verify (either at http://www.dropbox.com, or on your computer if you have the Dropbox client installed) that your screenplay has been exported to the “Fade In” subfolder of your Dropbox folder.

5. Install Fade In Mobile (paid version) on your device, and connect it to your Dropbox account as in #2.

6. Tab the Dropbox icon to get a list of your Fade In documents. You should see your screenplay(s) there. Tap one to import it to Fade In Mobile on your device.

Once you’ve verified that things are transferred correctly to Fade In Mobile, you can delete the free version.

Author: Fade In Administrator
Last update: 2014-06-16 17:04


Transferring documents to and from Fade In Mobile

The first method for transferring .fadein documents to and from Fade In Mobile is via a supported cloud service, such as Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, or iCloud (on iOS).

You'll need to select the relevant service from the menu, authorize Fade In Mobile to access it, then browse to the document you'd like to import and tap the filename.

To export a file, you can long-press the name in Fade In Mobile's document list (or tap the three dots to the right).

Fade In Mobile will give an indication of the status of a document, whether the Fade In Mobile version is newer or the source version is newer (i.e., if it's been modified since it was imported or last exported).

Android

You can also access files in the user storage of your device using "Device Storage" as the source, the same way you would use a cloud service.

iOS

You can also access files via the "Files" interface of your device by selecting iCloud as the source. (iCloud and Files share the same interface.)

Author: Fade In Administrator
Last update: 2019-06-19 15:50


Problems adding Dropbox account to Fade In Mobile

If you get a blank screen when trying to authorize Fade In Mobile for your Dropbox account, try scrolling the window to the right a little: what you're looking at is actually Dropbox's secure webpage, but in some cases it seems to be rendered at full-size, and the content is appearing off-screen on smaller devices.

Author: Fade In Administrator
Last update: 2015-03-02 15:32


Syncing with other online services

Access denied

Author: Fade In Administrator
Last update: 2019-05-08 15:28


Unable to type in a mobile document

If you are unable to type in a mobile document (i.e., you type but nothing appears), please tap on an existing line of the document to ensure that the insertion point is there.

For instance, in a new mobile document, the first line is "FADE IN:". If you tap after that and hit Enter, you will begin a new line.

(There is a currently a grayed-out, non-editable box that appears at the end of a mobile document. This is a known issue.)

Author: Fade In Knowledge Base
Last update: 2020-03-09 20:59


How do I log into a cloud storage service in Fade In Mobile?

First you'll need to select the desired cloud storage service — Dropbox, Google Drive, or OneDrive — from the main menu.

You'll then find yourself on the file browsing screen for that service. Normally if you haven't authenticated/logged in yet, you'll be prompted to do so. If not, tap the Account button to forget any current login.

You'll be prompted to log in through the service's own login page. This is where you'll enter your username/email and password for the service. Note that Fade In Mobile does not see this page, or any of the information stored on it. It is only for the service to give access to Fade In Mobile.

Note that Fade In Mobile currently works only with .fadein files. Any other type of file can be easily converted using the desktop software.

Author: Fade In Knowledge Base
Last update: 2020-04-29 07:12


What format(s) can Fade In Mobile open?

Fade In Mobile works with Fade In (.fadein) files.

To convert from other formats — including but not limited to Final Draft, Fountain, PDF, Rich Text Format, plain text, etc. — you can use the desktop version of Fade In (even the free demo version).

Author: Fade In Knowledge Base
Last update: 2019-06-19 15:53


Does Fade In Mobile come with the desktop version?

Fade In Mobile is a separate $4.95 app from either the iOS App Store (for iPhone/iPad) or Google Play (for Android).

Unfortunately neither Apple nor Google allows developers to bundle app store purchases with separate products bought outside the app store.

 

Author: Fade In Knowledge Base
Last update: 2020-12-18 16:49


Does Fade In Mobile sync automatically?

By design, Fade In Mobile will require you to tap Update To/From... in order to sync with one of the supported cloud storage services such as Dropbox, Google Drive, iCloud, Google Drive, etc. This is is the document has been changed on either the device or the cloud storage service.

If the document has been changed on both the device and the cloud storage service, it will be necessary to manually Import or Export to overwrite one of the copies.

All of this is designed and intended to prevent inadvertently overwriting a working copy due to any sort of problem on mobile.

Author: Fade In Knowledge Base
Last update: 2020-06-22 18:27