Final Draft Inc. has updated its self-titled scriptwriting software
to version 8.0, adding more features and templates. The new and
improved features are designed to further help scriptwriters outline,
write and produce their scripts, says John Cornelius, chief technical
officer at Final Draft.

Customers who have already purchased version 8 can get the additional
features by downloading the free update from the Final Draft web site
(http://www.finaldraft.com). New features include text highlighting,
Spotlight search (Mac only), newly added templates, and the Send to
Script feature. The text highlighting feature allows users to use a
variety of highlight colors to select and highlight text, a function
that can be accessed by its toolbar icon.

Also new is the Send to Script feature. This feature is extremely
useful since it allows the writer to select one or more individual
Index Card Summaries and copy the content directly into the script,
says Cornelius. Another addition is the inclusion of the new 1-3-5
Story Structure outlining template. It's based on the book, "The
1-3-5 Story Structure Made Simple System," which guides writers
through including the nine essential elements needed to sell their
first script."

Other improvements to the software have been with the Script Compare,
Print to PDF, and Locked Pages/Revision Mode features. All of the
improvements and added enhancements have been based on user feedback.

Final Draft 8.0 costs US$249 for either a downloadable or boxed
version. Registered Final Draft owners can upgrade to the new version
for $79. On the Mac, Final Draft 8.0 requires Mac OS X 10.4.11 or
higher.