How to Import a PDF or Final Draft Script with AI
How to import a PDF or Final Draft screenplay without retyping a word: attach it in the AI assistant and ask it to import the script. Then three quick checks give you a clean, editable screenplay.
Chapters (7)
In this lesson you will learn
- Where the Import tab is and why importing goes through the AI assistant
- Which formats you can import: PDF screenplays, Final Draft files, WriterDuet JSON, plain text
- How to attach a file with the paperclip or drag and drop, and ask "Import this script"
- What the confirmation shows and when to use the Retry apply button
- The three checks after an import: format, names and story elements
- Why a PDF exported from screenwriting software imports better than a scan
Already have a screenplay as a PDF, a Final Draft file or a scene in a text file? You do not have to retype it. This lesson shows how to import a script into ScreenWeaver through the AI assistant: open the AI Center, attach the file with the paperclip or drag and drop it, and type "Import this script". Supported formats are PDF screenplays, Final Draft files, WriterDuet JSON and plain text, so even a scene from a notes app can come in.
You will see the confirmation with the number of elements applied, the Retry apply button, and three checks that catch most problems: format, character names and duplicate story elements. Then a few tips for a clean PDF import, and the checkpoint that keeps your previous version safe. Lesson 4.4 of a free screenwriting course.
Full transcript
0:04Maybe you already have a screenplay, a draft in Final Draft, a PDF, a scene in a text file. You don't have to retype it. ScreenWeaver imports it through the Assistant.
0:16Open Import slash Export in the sidebar, then the Import tab. It tells you exactly how it works. Importing is handled through the AI Assistant. Click the paperclip icon in the chat input, or drag and drop your file into the conversation. Then ask the Assistant to import it. For example, Import This Script.
0:38The supported formats, PDF screenplays, Final Draft files, WriterDuet JSON, and PlainText, or any text -based format. So even a scene written in your Notes app can come in.
0:52Let's do it. Open the AI Center. Click the paperclip, choose the file, and type Import this script. The Assistant reads the file, recognizes the scene headings, the action, the characters, and the dialogue, and writes them into the Editor as real screenplay elements.
1:10When it's done, you'll see a confirmation with the number of elements applied. If the Editor didn't update, a Retry Apply button lets you apply the import again without starting over.
1:21Then check three things. The format are the headings, headings, and the dialogue, dialogue. The names, did every character come in with one single spelling? And the story elements. Open characters and places in the sidebar and remove any duplicates.
1:39A few tips for clean imports. A PDF exported from screenwriting software imports best, because the text is real text. A scanned PDF, a photo of paper pages, is much harder to read. Type it, or export it again if you can. For a very long script, you can import it act by act. And after any import, read the first and last pages carefully. That's where problems usually show up.
2:05And your previous version is safe. An import creates a checkpoint in the version history. So if anything looks wrong, restore the version from before the import.
2:15Your exercise. Import a scene you've already written, or the script of the night ferry from the resources. And check the format, the names, and the story elements. Then take the section quiz. In the next section, we adapt everything we've learned to three formats. So if you want to see the next section, we're going to be able to see the next section.