Supported file formats

SceneItAll imports screenplays in eight file formats. This reference lists the accepted formats, how reliably each one parses, and the file-size limit, so you can pick the best format before you upload a script.

Accepted formats and size limit

The maximum file size is 20 MB per file. The upload screen lists the accepted formats as FDX, PDF, CELTX, HIGHLAND, FOUNTAIN, DOCX, RTF, TXT.

Format	Extension	Notes
Final Draft	.fdx	Full screenplay markup. The most reliable format to parse.
Fountain	.fountain	Open plain-text screenplay markup. Designed to be machine-readable, so it parses very well.
Highland	.highland	Highland’s format, based on Fountain. SceneItAll reads it with the Fountain parser.
Celtx	.celtx	Celtx’s format, with structural markup similar to FDX.
PDF	.pdf	Text is extracted from the file. Accuracy depends on how the PDF was made.
Word	.docx	Structure is inferred from the document’s formatting.
Rich Text	.rtf	Like Word — structure is inferred from formatting.
Plain text	.txt	Read with the Fountain parser, so it relies on screenplay text conventions.

How reliably each format parses

A script that carries explicit structure (scene headings, dialogue, action) parses far more accurately than one where SceneItAll has to infer the structure from formatting.

Format	Structural data	Parsing reliability
Final Draft (.fdx)	Full	Excellent
Fountain (.fountain)	Full	Excellent
Highland (.highland)	Full	Very good
Celtx (.celtx)	Full	Very good
PDF (.pdf)	Extracted text	Good to fair
Word (.docx)	Inferred	Fair
Rich Text (.rtf)	Inferred	Fair
Plain text (.txt)	Inferred	Fair

Tips for the best parse

• When you have a choice, export your script as .fdx or .fountain. These produce the most accurate results.
• For a PDF, use one exported directly from screenwriting software rather than a scan of a printed page.
• If a script parses poorly, convert it to Fountain first, then upload.

Related

• Upload a script
• Glossary