While Final Draft Cloud will regularly create Versions automatically so you can restore and maintain your work you can also create a Snapshot of your script.
A Snapshot is a save point you take on purpose and give a name, such as "Before network notes" or "Table read draft."
Once you've taken one, you can cut scenes, restructure an act, or try a new ending, knowing the earlier draft is waiting for you in Versions.
Snapshots are available in Final Draft Cloud in your web browser. They are not available in the Final Draft 13 desktop app or in FD Go.
How a Snapshot is different from a save or a Version
Saving keeps your script up to date with your latest changes, but it doesn't mark a moment you can come back to. Versions are created automatically in the background while you write. A Snapshot is one you take yourself and name.
Snapshots appear in the same Versions list as your automatic versions, with a green "Snapshot" label so they're easy to spot. A Snapshot is a saved point in the same script, not a separate copy, so your file keeps the same name and the same sharing settings.
How to take a Snapshot
- Open your script from the Vault in Final Draft Cloud.
- Click the Final Draft logo in the top left to open the menu, then choose File > Snapshot. It's just below Versions.
- The name field already contains the current date and time, selected so you can type over it. Keep it, or type your own name (up to 253 characters).
- Click Snapshot, or press Enter.
A message confirms that your Snapshot was created. To close the dialog without taking a Snapshot, click Cancel, press Esc, or click the X.
Final Draft saves your script first and then takes the Snapshot, so your latest changes are included. Because of that save, you may also see an ordinary version appear in your list next to the new Snapshot. This is expected.
How to find a Snapshot
- In your script, go to File > Versions.
- Look for entries with the green "Snapshot" label.
From there, you can preview, restore, rename, or delete a Snapshot the same way as any other version. For step-by-step instructions, see How do Versions work in Final Draft Cloud, and how do I go back to an earlier version of my script?
Snapshots can be deleted like any other version, so delete with care. Restoring a Snapshot on a shared script changes the script for everyone who has access to it, not only for you.
Who can take and manage Snapshots
What you can do with Snapshots depends on your role on the script:
- Owner: take, view, preview, restore, rename, and delete Snapshots.
- Editor: take, view, and preview Snapshots. Only the Owner can restore, rename, or delete them.
- Reviewer: no access to Versions, including Snapshots.
If you're viewing a script in Reader Mode, you have Reviewer access, whatever role you were invited with.
For more on roles, see What is the difference between sharing with a Collaborator as an "Editor" and as a "Reviewer"?
Tips for Snapshots
- Snapshots work even when Versions is turned off in Preferences. Turning Versions off only stops automatic versions.
- You can't take a Snapshot while you're looking at Versions, because that view is read-only and has no File menu. Choose Go to > Writer to return to your script, then choose File > Snapshot.
- If your script was imported from a PDF, its first version is named "Initial Import" and carries the "Snapshot" label, since it's your starting draft. This only happens with PDF imports.
If you don't see Snapshot in the File menu, or a Snapshot doesn't go through, see the below article for troubleshooting:
Common Snapshot issues and how to fix them