Heya Keith!
First of all, Scrivener has easily become my preferred writing tool by far. So thanks for creating this piece of software, it makes my life so much more productive!
I write to you with a request today which I think has not been asked of you before. I apologize if I overlooked a similar post.
Since I am an artist both in writing and drawing, I often sketch artworks for scenes I am writing about, whether it being the location, the characters or a specific moment. I use these as backdrops in Composition Mode to make the writing process more immersive and keeping my mind in the moment.
So far I’ve always switched to another artwork when needed. But when quickly varying between sections for reference or espescially when I’m brainstorming for multiple scenes, this of course becomes tedious and hinders the creativity and productivity more than it is helping.
I would love the option to select backdrops for specific text pages and folders instead of for the whole project. (It would also be amazing if one could open an additional page in Composition Mode on a second monitor but that is another topic. So far I just copy-paste the necessary page into another project to display it in C.M. on another monitor as a makeshift solution.)
Thank you for your consideration and your time!
(Edit: I added a screenshot of my two monitor setup to give a better impression. Here shown are simply two projects side by side.)
Why not just make your desktop background for your monitors the same image as the backdrop in composition mode then would look uniform? or am I missing something.
When you’re working in Composition mode, do you have a multiple monitor system?
For example, I have a large, external monitor connected to my laptop where I do the bulk of my work, but I also have my laptop’s clamshell open so I can use its built-in screen as well.
For times when I’m referencing an image, map, or other visual medium while working in Composition mode, I’ll have that resource in my project’s Research section.
Then, I can open it as a Quick Reference window on my laptop’s screen while working in Composition Mode on my external monitor. That allows me to switch around through different documents in the Binder and view my inspirational materials as needed.
Hi GoalieDad!
I did try this approach but unfortunately, it did not work out for me. For one, there are weird overlaps if the image is not cropped perfectly to both screen and Scrivener. Furthermore, it still makes me do less writing and more clicking to select the proper backdrop.
Thank you!
Hi @RuthS !
I do have a multiple monitor system and if I need to do work like you described, I work just like you!
Unfortunately, this is not what I was on about. I hope for a button that lets me choose a backdrop specifically for one text or folder so when I have an idea for a scene, I merely have to open Scrivener and hit F11 to start writing instead of having to “set up” the backdrop every time I launch the software.
You can assign an image to a specific Binder item using the Synopsis/Image pane of the Inspector, and then you can enable the Inspector in Composition Mode to see it.
That won’t give you a backdrop as such, but you can resize the Inspector to make the image as large as you like.
