I think a great new feature would be a watermarking feature that would come in handy in the compile section. Sometimes you want to send out copies of your work in PDF and other various formats and it would be great to be able to add a watermark to the document so you could add things like COPYRIGHT BY or COPIES? Just a suggestion!
Thanks!
I agree. Watermarking pages to send to folks to review is a great idea.
Have a look at the “Proof Copy” compile preset. This will add some notices to the footer as well as each chapter title. It’s not a watermark, but those things are not terribly effective as a protective measure, anyway. If you want to protect the PDF, you should use a tool to obscure the text of it so it cannot be exported or copied and pasted. This is usually done by inserting dozens of garbage characters around the real ones, and making the garbage ones invisible to the eye.
I finished a screenplay and am baffled to now realize Scrivener can not watermark it.
All screenwriting apps I just looked up can do it, FinalDraft, Celtx, StudioBinder, WriterDuet ect.
Even the free Trelby offers watermarks for PDFs.
I’ve got it to work with a quirky workaround within MacOS. This should not have been necessary with a professional screenwriting app.
Hi @stip,
Thing is, Scrivener isn’t a professional screenwriting app. It’s a generalist app for developing long form manuscripts.
It isn’t a dedicated screenwriting app. Nor is it a dedicated app for writing novels, academic papers, scientific papers, or whatever. But it offers capabilities to do all of those things as well as others.
There are pro screenwriters who hang out here who use Scrivener to support aspects of their story development and writing, but in many cases they also use dedicated screenwriting tools like the ones mentioned in your post for the “finishing” phases.
Best,
Jim
I get your point Jim. But then again, from the website:
“Scrivener is the go-to app for writers of all kinds, used every day by best-selling novelists, screenwriters, non-fiction writers, students, academics, lawyers, journalists, translators and more. Scrivener won’t tell you how to write—it simply provides everything you need to start writing and keep writing.
(…)
Once you’re ready to share your work with the world, compile everything into a single document for printing, self-publishing, or exporting to popular formats such as Word, PDF, Final Draft or plain text. You can even share using different formatting, so that you can write in your favorite font and still satisfy those submission guidelines.”
And if even a free and simple screenwriting tool like Trelby offers it, Scrivener should too in my opinion. Not a deal breaker by a mile but I have to say it left me quite baffled.
Yeah, I hear you. As a novelist, there’s things Scriv can’t do that I wish it could.
But I bet their wish list for what seems (to us) to be relatively simple things, when looked at across the various disciplines of their customer base, is miles long. As a generalist tool, they have to draw the line somewhere. Outside looking in, that line is likely to seem arbitrary.
Best,
Jim
Well, well, it is what it is then. Maybe in another 10 years they’ll have it implemented 
Meanwhile, user Popcornflix mentioned a nice workaround by compiling to .fdx and then using the free WriterSolo to add watermarks.
Given that you’re only the third person in the last ten years to raise this, with none in the five years before that when Scrivener was launched, I wouldn’t put too much hope on it!
Lots of views though. Don’t know how much of an indicator it is.
Popcornflix is the pro screenwriter I was thinking of in my post above. It’s worthwhile reviewing his/her posts, as Popcornflix frequently shares useful tips for how Scrivener is incorporated into their process.
Good to know, thanks!