Rating: 
Summary: If you're a new user, DON'T BUY IT!
Review: I've used Final Draft since version 5 through version 6, and although it was antiquated and clunky compared to contemporary word processing software, it was at least useable and relatively stable. HOWEVER - I recently upgraded to FD7, and it's a mess. It implemented new features in such a way as make them impractical in daily, minute by minute by use, while simultaneously dumping several genuinely useful features from previous versions. It's been through two patches since it was released already, and it's still clunky, bug ridden, crash prone, and less usable in practice than the previous version. If you are a first time buyer, I'd recommend delaying your purchase for at least six months till they sort out the bugs (assuming that's possible), or consider buying another of the many products available, e.g. Screenwriter or Sophocles. ADDENDUM: I'd also recommend you read some of the reviews on this site with a pinch of salt - there are a couple that I would consider suspiciously glowing. There's nothing to stop someone from the manufacturer adding a review, is there...?
Rating: 
Summary: A HORRID PIECE OF SOFTWARE!
Review: I've worked as a professional writer in Hollywood for a decade and Final Draft is the worst screenwriting program I've ever encountered. It's buggy, non-intuitive, clunky, slow, and supremely frustrating to use. I actively discourage writers I work with and hire from using it. How this became the "industry standard" is beyond me. Final Draft will kick-out a professional-looking script, but as far as actual "writing" Final Draft gets in the way of the process. If you like having to battle a program that's always trying to second guess you - then you may love it. But I certainly don't.
Rating: 
Summary: It formats everything to industry standard
Review: If you want your screenplay to look like an industry standard screenplay then FD7 will do exactly just that. It is also simple to use and the learning curve is like 10 minutes. It is so easy to format a screenplay that you will no longer need to pay attention to the format - really. It is almost impossible to print a script that is in a bad format or where there are mistakes in the format. Once you understand how it works your ideas will flow from you brain and will almost automatically format themselves correctly on the page making this a must for any screenplay writer. However FD7 will not write you a good screenplay! But it goes without saying that this onus is on you.
However this package is a waaaaaay toooooo expensive!!! Please lower the cost of this thing by a $100. People need software like this for school theatre work and other community scribes.
Rating: 
Summary: Disagree with the other reviewer. No crashing problem.
Review: The first reviewer says that this program quits whenever "go to" is used. Not with me. Works like a charm in OS X. Maybe he needs to reinstall or check something else. Everything going good so far.
Rating:
Summary: Disagree with the other reviewer. No crashing problem.
Review: The first reviewer says that this program quits whenever "go to" is used. Not with me. Works like a charm in OS X. Maybe he needs to reinstall or check something else. Everything going good so far.
Rating:
Summary: Another writer back to using V6
Review: The people at Final Draft really should have worked out all the bugs in Version 7.0 before releasing it to the public. I've used Final Draft for years and this new version is the first that has actually crashed my computer just trying to use it. Go To has problems, as does Index Cards, and even Spell Check doesn't perform properly for me. It doesn't even fix the spelling of the word after I've approved the change. Like the other writers here, I have returned to Version 6 until Final Draft gets the bugs out of this new version. So far, a complete waste of time and money. In this case, newer does not mean better. Stick with V6 if you want to get any work done!
Rating:
Summary: FD7: use at your own risk
Review: There seems to be a growing trend to release unfinished software, and then issue endless patches to fix it post-purchase: thats the situation with Final Draft 7.
If you buy this product you MUST download repair patches for it at once, it is not safely usable out of the box. There have been three (or more) patches already, there may be more due.
I noticed within 10 mins the select and paste function was dodgy. What I didn't expect was the unforgivable sin: losing work because of a program crash.
That's when I went online and discovered similar tales of woe.
Get it together guys.
I'm going back to using FD6 (I've been using FD since version 3, on floppy disk) until I hear its safe. Maybe the new patches finally fix the program - but I'm not going to use my work to find out.
Rating:
Summary: Don't Believe the Hype
Review: This software is not worth the money you pay for it. It has a ridiculous and time consuming installation process which doesn't work on some systems and they do not bother to tell you this in advance. The company is unreliable and difficult to communicate with. They have now twice promised me update CDs to correct the problems with their software which have not arrived (the first time they promised me was about 8 months ago and the last being over 2 months ago.) Not all the features that are supposed to come with this software actually work.
There are other programs for screenwriters out there. Save yourself the money, the time and the headache - try a different one.
Rating:
Summary: ScreenStyle Customers Love Final Draft
Review: We have been a long time user and seller of Final Draft. It's been our most popular product for over 4 years. As a screenwriter myself, I love the new Panels features and additional features Final Draft has added to make Final Draft not just more user-friendly but more writer-friendly.
Joe Mefford
President
ScreenStyle.com
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