by poetic piXie

THE WRITER’S GUIDE · 09 / 14

Make the Workspace Yours

Choose the light, the page size and the panels that help you write.

4 min read · Mac & Windows
In this chapter

Day, Dusk / Mixed, and Night

The appearance button cycles through three modes. The app labels the middle setting Mixed Mode: dark surroundings with a light page. It is the dusk-like option. Its tooltip names the current mode.

Day Mode: light controls and a light screenplay page.
Day Mode: light controls and a light screenplay page. Open full size ↗
Mixed Mode (the dusk-like setting): dark controls with a light page.
Mixed Mode (the dusk-like setting): dark controls with a light page. Open full size ↗
Night Mode: dark controls and a dark page.
Night Mode: dark controls and a dark page. Open full size ↗

Room for the controls you need

In the Format tab, all Format controls remain visible. Drag the seam above Style & Terminology to resize the lower panel; double-click the seam to reset it. The divider stops before it would hide the Format controls. Panel headings collapse and reopen their sections.

Format and Style & Terminology share the sidebar. The seam between them controls the lower panel’s height.
Format and Style & Terminology share the sidebar. The seam between them controls the lower panel’s height. Open full size ↗

Fit the page to your screen

The bottom zoom controls change the document view. Use Command/Ctrl + 0 for actual size, + 1 for Fit to Length and + 2 for Fit to Width. They do not add a separate app-interface zoom setting.

If every Windows control is unusually small, check Windows display scaling. That is separate from screenplay page zoom.

Find a word—or a tool

Command/Ctrl + F opens Find. Use its options to narrow text searching, and use the toolbar’s word-or-tool search to locate an unfamiliar command. Command/Ctrl + J opens the jump palette. A descriptive tooltip is often the quickest way to identify a toolbar icon.