Highland App Reviews

I needed to do breakdowns of a script from a .fdx and only had a pdf version. This software saved me having to reformat copy-pasted text. It took about a second to convert, and the exported .fdx file worked seamlessly with StudioBinder.

QUICK SUMMARY: Highland has a clean interface. Writing with Fountain, which interprets most things without help and interprets the rest easily, required a very short learning curve. It’s seriously easy. + conversion into PDF and Final Draft file + .fountain extension can be read by ANY text editor, which rules LONGER VERSION: Like many aspiring screenwriters, I spent serious money on Final Draft when I started out. I also use Celtx when working within a team, since indie filmmakers rarely want to spend much on software. Why, if there’s an alternative? Now, as I wrote more and more, I found that I’m doing my best writing in plain text. I wrote in notes, in icloud pages, in google docs… then copying that into Final Draft was annoying and took some time to format. Through the Scriptnotes Podcast, I heard of HIghland. Now that I have my first ever paid screenwriting gig, I knew I needed to upgrade from Final Draft 8, but the update clocked in at $80… quite a lot for someone on a budget. Plus, my co-author works with Movie Magic, causing serious concerns regarding compatability. I love the Scriptnotes app as well as Weekend Read, so I figured I should trust John August in developing a screenwriting app that I’ll be able to work with. … and I was right! You can quickly jump from edit to preview, the conversion is amazingly fast so you see if something doesn’t look right, but at the heart it’s just plain text. You get a Fountain syntax cheat cheat, four buttons (edit, preview, word count/page number, export), have dark mode, and much more. If you’re on a budget and enjoy plain text writing - THIS is the app for you!

I was a long time user of Celtx, stubborn about the idea that at their core, all screenwriting software did the same thing and there was no reason to spend money on one. Thankfully, a colleague of mine who has been using Highland for a while convinced me to take a chance and purchase the app when I was starting my latest script. The simplicity and direct functionality take the thought and tedium out of screenwriting, allowing you more time and brainpower to devote to actually writing your STORY rather than messing around with formats all day. Additionally, the Fountain language’s ability to translate plain text into a screenplay format means that I can conceivably work on my screenplay anywhere, on any device, should the need arise. If you aren’t satisfied with other screenwriting programs, or even if you think you are, I highly suggest using Highland.

I love Highland. Writing in Fountain and having the tool to export to either Final Draft or PDF is fundemental. But ... Highland desperately needs an additional feature added to the Print/Export functionality. Many agencies, producers and competitions require that scripts have specific information (ie. TITLE, AUTHOR, DRAFT or what-have-you) printed at the top of every page. This is a function that most scripting apps like Final Draft have. But Highland does not. Which means, that to meet the requirements of many of my submissions, I need to own Final Draft just to add those top margin elements to my scripts. That is a huge flaw in Highland that makes it less than the perfect solution it could easily be. Please prioritize adding this feature to the next Highland update. It should not be too difficult to do and it will get your loyal Highland users one step closer to ending their need for Final Draft. Also, please add the choice of outputting UNDERLINED SCENE HEADINGS. I, and many others, finding this endlessly useful. Thank you for hearing these feature requests.

I love Highland. Writing in Fountain and having the tool to export to either Final Draft or PDF is fundemental. But ... Highland desperately needs an additional feature added to the Print/Export functionality. Many agencies, producers and competitions require that scripts have specific information (ie. TITLE, AUTHOR, DRAFT or what-have-you) printed at the top of every page. This is a function that most scripting apps like Final Draft have. But Highland does not. Which means, that to meet the requirements of many of my submissions, I need to own Final Draft just to add those top margin elements to my scripts. That is a huge flaw in Highland that makes it less than the perfect solution it could easily be. Please prioritize adding this feature to the next Highland update. It should not be too difficult to do and it will get your loyal Highland users one step closer to ending their need for Final Draft.

Such a great application! Love using it with Slugline too. Keep up the great work.

I used to get too hung up on format. Highland simplifies the process so I just think about words and ideas. It’s also fantastic if you want to do your writing in plaintext in a different app. My workflow involves writing in Google Docs, then copy-pasting into Highland to convert to a formatted PDF. It’s a very easy way to collaborate on a piece without convincing your writing partners to download some obscure software. My only complaint is that there isn’t a Windows version for my friends.

Highland is the most enjoyable screenwriting app I have ever used. I own Fade In and Final Draft, both solid programs that aren’t going to stop anybody from finishing a screenplay. But Highland is the first application that truly sets the formatting aside and allows you to write. I know that’s the slogan for about a thousand minimalist writing apps out there, but Highland actually accomplishes this. The ability to switch between the text mode and the resultant formatted pages is a great little reward for those who hold themselves to a particular number of pages per day. I get lost in the actual writing process, only to discover that I have hit my page quota without realizing it. Given what those of us with traditional screenwriting apps are used to paying, $30 is an incredible bargain.

I write film and television professionally. I know the process — when it’s hard and when it’s easy. I’ve used Final Draft for 10 years. Highland is better. Write on your phone. In a text. An email body. On your iPad. On a friend’s computer. Send it to yourself, open Highland, drag and drop. THAT is appealing. It takes a little getting used to. You’ll need to practice the rules of Fountain, simple as they are. But once you get them down… it’s just effortless. And that’s what writing should be.

It really is like magic how Highland works out the formatting so that the writer can go on writing. I had Final Draft 8 and instead of upgrading to 9, I upgraded to Highland. My only, constructive criticism is that it would be great to have the software remember some of the names that will repeat themselves somehow. This way we can save more time from setting up the names for Highland to format it. Again this is a minor, spoiled-bratty request from a truly grateful writer. This software actually makes me believe that I am a writer writing, rather than a programer trying to write a screenplay.

If you are a fan of plaintext writing in Markdown or Fountain, Highland is simply fantastic. No worrying about formatting, no worrying about future accessibility of your files. Everything is stored as plain text and will always be readable. The PDF import is also pretty much magic. It also plugs into your workflow across devices because of its plaintext basis - drop your screenplay on Dropbox and work away on it on any device knowing that Highland will format it beautifully later. I love it and can highly recommend it and from listening to John Augusts Scriptnotes podcast, even greater things are to come. Update for 1.7.1 - It just keeps getting better and inspires me to write.

The headline says it all. It’s a pretty good app for this sort of writing. It’s fun. And I am curious how the markup language and this app will develop in the future.

Simple to use. Great results.

As someone who is just getting into writing screenplays and scripts, who is also familiar with Fountains sister formating language Markdown, Highland is the perfect way for me to create, edit, and then export a properly-formatted script. Though I do wish the app included colaboration functionality, I realize that this is a 1.0 release, and it definitely delivers on what it promises.

does not save any tabs, or any formatting, from pdf docs that import with perfect formatting into both movie magic screenwriter and final draft So it is pretty much useless, you have to do way too much work, decided to try it in order to save some pdf to then be able to import into iOS for revisions, but useless Waste of Money So disappointed

Highland crisp, clean and simple interface lets me focus on words on the page. The Fountain syntax language was easy to learn. This app was designed by a writer for writers and that makes all the difference.

…back to just writing the words. Writing my first draft in Highland is such a joy, because I’m not distracted with how the screenplay is looking as a scipt “on the page", or by little boxes popping up to autocomplete things, taking me out of the moment. It’s just typing. It’s just words. And I especially love the interface. The Highland Sans font is so easy on the eyes, and really shows off the text so beautifully. The program is very tastefully presented, elegant and simple. John August and his team are miracle workers. I hope more people in the industry jump on board with the Fountain standard.

Highland keeps its promise: its distraction-free writing. I had been dealing with writers block for a long time, which even would not let me open Final Draft anymore. Highland took away the block. It lets you write freely without those little breaks inbetween forcing you to format your script that make you overthink your decisions. In Highland, you just keep on writing without any interruption in your creative flow. Highland will do the formatting for you and you can easily exchange files between Final Draft and Highland. I wish, I had used Highland earlier.

I use Highland as a text editor for Fountain files, and for exporting those files as formatted script PDFs. Fountain is a tremendous move forward in the screenwriting process, but its a separate concept from Highland, so thats all Ill say about it. Highland does the job. The text editor interface is big, bold, and clear, and Quote-Unquote Apps has made the exporting process quite easy. I cant comment on the "melting" of PDFs, one of Highlands key features, I havent used it yet, same with the export-to-FDX function. One final note of praise: Highland uses Courier Prime for its PDFs, a variation on Courier thats easier to read and has all-new, more natural italics. Bravo! One big problem: Highland will sometimes close for no reason. Why does it do this? I deduct one star because of it. Still, its the best way to write Fountain files, much more natural than Windows Notepad, or OSXs TextEdit. Although Final Draft will remain the norm for production scripts, I would recommend Highland for absolutely any other screenwriting situation.

I love the updates made in the 1.5 version of Highland. Composing and editing within this version of the app is so much more pleasant - its now my go-to for writing on my laptop or desktop. The screenplay formatting works great; Ive not experienced the issues with dual dialog that some have reported. I have not experimented with stage play or manuscript. And, of course, being able to melt a PDF into an editable document is terrific. iPad version, please?