I am currently using a subscription-based platform similar to Scrivener, and would like to be able to import all the work from it. This includes timelines, scene plotting cards, manuscript, and some photos and other reference material. Will I be able to import everything into Scrivener, or would I basically have to transcribe all the .gif files, .pdfs, etc.? I can only find information about the manuscript. Thanks in advance for any info you can share!
Best practice would be to export to DOCX, and invoke File > Import > Import and Split.
Nested scenes will be the result of Levels set in the Paragraph Styles, Otherwise you’ll get a flat structure based on a token in your source material.
I don’t think Scrivener understands the source’s definition for Index Cards, so that would need copy and paste in the Synopsis pane in the Inspector.
Scrivener has no Timeline feature based on dates, but there are workarounds for that.
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Agree with Antoni. Any images, pdf’s, gif files outside the document can be imported in the Research section in Scrivener. If there are key images you could if the software allows, right click on image and save in a one folder on your computer (can have subfolders) so all the images are in one place and can be easily added to Scrivener in bulk, in case any images do not come over.
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Remember, you can use Scrivener for 30 non-consecutive (usage) days. It’s fully functional and if you buy afterwards, you just carry on after registration.
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The Research folder in a Scrivener project can house any kind of file. So, you can keep all your stuff in one place.
Some common kinds of files can be viewed right in Scrivener – like image files and pdfs. Some third-party file types can be kept and accessed within Scrivener, but would open in the relevant third-party app.
So, as others have suggested, export your manuscript as, say, docx, and that will import directly into Scrivener. Then also you can drop photos and pdfs and other standalone files into Scrivener’s Research folder (or folders within that folder).
Timelines and scene plotting cards may be a more complicated matter. It depends on what exactly these are. If you are exporting these items out of your software as static, standalone files of some general type, then you can just drop them in and all is good. If they are software-specific structures in your software, and you want to retain their interactivity, that is another matter.
Scrivener has an index card / corkboard functionality. We would need to know more about the form in which you would be able to get your scene plotting cards out of your software, in order to know what your import options are.
As for retaining an interactive timeline… Scrivener does not have a built-in timeline functionality – so there will be no importing of a “live” functional timeline system. To maintain an interactive timeline, you would need a third-party app. Aeon Timeline is often mentioned in this context – as the developer built it with Scrivener in mind and it can interface with Scrivener to some extent. (I myself do not use timelines, so I can’t say much more.)
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