April 3, 2013

• Celtx Review

  As promised...

  It's not horrible. When it comes to not having anything and having something, it's good to go with something. Hell, it's free software, but you have options to upgrade. Upgrading won't break your wallet, but I'm the type that wants everything in the box, so to speak. I don't like waiting around for programmers to see things my way.

  With that said, I'm spoiled rotten by Final Draft. There were all sorts of features I was searching for and Celtx didn't have it. Dual Dialogue is one thing they should add in the next update. Another thing that bugged me was the lack of Courier font. That's a major flaw because courier happens to be the standard font for screenplays. I doubt anyone with the power to say yes or no would take me seriously if I handed them a script that wasn't properly formatted---even more so with incorrect font.   

  Of course, the main reason why I even downloaded it first place was the PDF feature. Like I mentioned in the previous entry, my old version of Final Draft doesn't allow me to write PDFs unless I use a third party PDF conversion software. Now, I can make PDFs, but the title page is always missing. Celtx is good in that area. The only problem is that I have an entire script, but it's not in the proper font. Shit, the format is off, too. I got 2 extra pages out of a simple copy & paste.

  The verdict is simple. I'm going to wait around, save money (from where ever) and purchase the Final Draft upgrade. The question is, do I get version 8 or do I wait even longer for version 9? Right now, version 9 is in beta testing and it's been in that phase since March. An upgrade to version 8 would be $75.95... I'm telling you, those bastards have me by the balls.

  For anyone wanting free script writing tools, Celtx is alright. It's basic as fuck, but that's all you really need. You're going to want to write your story down and complete a draft. That's the goal. Now, if you want to polish the bastard, you're gonna want to upgrade your writing tools to make sure everything is up to specs.

  I didn't even mess with the other features, so I'll leave Celtx on my PC for further exploration.

  -KG  

   

  • 5:16 pm
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