Final Draft is a program made to perform one task with excellence – the writing of a screenplay – by people who support Final Draft users with passion and understanding. Final Draft actually makes getting to the final draft faster, easier and more fun than any other screenwriting program I’ve tried. Final Draft 7 combines powerful word processing with professional script formatting in one all-purpose screenwriting tool. Use your creative energy to create the story that burns inside you. Final Draft handles the technical details - all you have to supply is the heart.
At a Glance
Expert’s Rating
Final Draft 7 Response Code
Pros
- New 24-hour support toll-free line offers customer support
- Bug fixes improve stability and usability
Can Final Draft 12 / 11 / 10 / 9 / 8 open scripts written in older versions of Final Draft and vice versa? Number of Views 11.84K Can Final Draft 7 / 6 / 5 open a script written in Final Draft 9 / 8?
Cons
- Application ignores screenplay-style text-case formatting when outputting scripts to RTF
- Sporadic screen-redraw issues remain
Our Verdict
In the August 2004 Macworld , our review of Final Draft 7 ( ) stated that the program didn’t live up to its predecessors’ good reputation. We noted problems with screen redraw, instant crashes when trying to print, text-editing goofs, general instability, and horrible telephone support. Two updates later, Final Draft has released version 7.0.0.52.
This update brings Final Draft 7 to a usable level, similar in stability to version 6. Text editing is much more reliable. The scrolling artifacts are gone. We still noticed sporadic screen-redraw issues, most notably text creeping into the toolbar and ruler area (it disappeared after about 20 seconds).
We discovered another bug while testing this time. When outputting scripts to Rich Text Format, Final Draft 7 ignores the screenplay-style text-case formatting (putting lowercase letters where capital letters should be). And some punctuation marks, such as em dashes (—), are handled incorrectly.
Previously, it was impossible to reach Final Draft support. The company has since established a 24-hour toll-free support line. They do charge for support, but the first 20 minutes are free for new customers.
Final Draft 7 Activation
Final Draft’s 7.0.0.52 update puts its flagship product back on track. The support hotline is also welcome.