Slugline App Reviews

The 1.2.2 update came for me upside-down The accents that were fine until then, stoped working. When I type an accent and then a letter, instead of having “é”, “à”, “ô”, what I get is: “´e”, “`a”, “ˆo”. This is only happening in Slugline. All the others applications are working fine.

I never leave reviews in the Mac App store for a reason: it takes time. Aside from that, I’m not one to get excited about a program I use. In this case, I’ll make an exception. By far, this program has blown me away at it’s simplicity, minimalistic design and ease of use. It is the definition of user intuitive. I love writing on it, which is helpful since I am writing a television series pilot using it. If you aren’t sure about paying for it, as I wasn’t at first, they have a free trial version on their website. Download it. Write with it. I guarantee you’ll consider getting it. I can’t imagine writing a script without it now. You may be forced to use FINAL DRAFT at the end of your scripts journey to television or film, but for the rest of that journey leading there, Slugline is my program of choice, bar none..

I love this app. I started trying my hand at screenplays recently, and I decided to give Slugline a shot as I found a lot of recommendations from those that like writing in Ulysses for novels and daily writing. I love Ulysses and hoped for something comparable. Much like Ulysses, it has a minimal, yet beautiful look and feel. It’s a joy to write in. I do hope for a dark theme and a revision mode, but even without those I whole-heartedly recommend this app.

I totally love it. Tech support is very responsive with answers and fixes. But after using it for over two years now, I cannot figure out why there is an EDIT mode and a PREVIEW mode. MACs philosophy has always been WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get), but SLUGLINE requires you to change to PREVIEW mode to get to WYSIWYG and you CANNOT EDIT in preview mode. It seems to be counterproductive and unnecessary. Why not simply have one WYSIWYG mode that allows you to EDIT and ditch the visible before and after command codes: "*" and "**" and "***" and "/*" and "*/" etc., in EDIT mode. We dont need to see them, they are distracting, and they throw off line counts when you are especially trying to keep dialog—and action—short and punchy. Seeing these codes in your script is like trying to manually code in HTML like the "good" old days. This is one point on which the creators of Slugline seem to disagree. One other annoyance: You can type an entire dialog and decide to UNDO. Sluglines UNDO function works ONE CHARACTER AT A TIME, so it can take forever to undo several words or lines and you have to be super careful not to go too far. I understand they are fixing this, but there hasnt been a new release in months. (Be careful about installing new releases. SAVE the old version. One time a new release had a serious problem... which they fixed fairly quickly.) (I also cannot figure out why the app store has such tiny type and does not permit enlargement with command-plus.)

Absolutely awesome app. The best thing about it is how little you have to do to format your script. You just write and slugline does the rest!

I like Slugline a lot, and find that Fountain fits really well into my workflow. For an initial draft of a screenplay, or for smaller pieces, it’s clean and easy to use. It’s no Final Draft, but if you don’t need all those features, this will do just fine. The lack of any global app preferences is kind of irritating, though. Scene headings options, character continued lines and choice of font all have to be set manually for EVERY document separately — instead of there being global Preferences in the app. (There is a Preference panel, but the developer uses it as a place to be cute and say “I prefer writing” with only a button that says “I agree”.) Not particularly helpful.

I am a professional screenwriter, with produced films and TV series to my account. I’m also sort of adicted to trying writing software and tools. I know them all, from old timers Movie Magic Screenwriter and Final Draft to all the recent fountain-based stuff. I have to say Slugline changed the way I work and did so for the better. It’s faster, more comfortable than any other screenwriting app. It gives me focus. It’s also great for rewriting. The only thing it lacks is import/export to final draft file format, but for that there are plenty of tools, including free ones. I do love it.

Slugline is a tool, i searched for so long. Don´t bother with special file formats, all you need is .txt and Slugline does the formatting for you. You can edit it on your phone or wherever with any text editor. That´s great. All your characters or places are automaticly detected from the text and you can simply select them when you type. On the left side you can have your outline where you can jump to specific scenes. The price is maybe a bit too high for what it does, but it´s a well done software and all in all - it´s great! Live long and Prosper!

Slugline is the perfect software for screenwriters who really want to focus on their craft. It’s lightweight, easy on the eyes and thoroughly embraces fountain - John August’s groundbreaking screenwriting markup language. Does what it advertises, keeps you writing without worrying too much about formatting issues and exports beautiful, universally compatible screenplay files. Very easy to use and absolutely worth the price. Recommended!

… I miss the Time Machine „Versions" integration - this feature would be great!

This is the screenwriting setup that should be available to all screenwriters from the get-go. My current setup is the opposite of simple and features a lot of terrible apps with bad integration that all do separate things. Slugline combines all of it with the Fountain syntax and gives me the creature comfort of seeing how my final work will look as I go. Its a huge winner, nearly a 10/10 perfect app.

Wow! At last a screenwriting app that removes all the usual clutter and focuses on the important part… WRITING! Intuitive, elegant and genuinely simple. Outlining feature implementation is just brillant. The act of writing screenplays on a computer has never felt so organic and this program suits my writing style perfectly, thanks! A vibrant RECOMMEND!!!

The best tools are simple. The interface is so tidy and clear that it BEGS you to START writing. Slugline AUTOMATICALLY puts your work into standard screenplay format. There are no extra features to procrastinate your time away. All you see is your screenplay and (if you choose) a helpful script outline. Initially, I was scared off by the price. I downloaded the trial version, saw the magic, and bought it. Easily worth it for me because of the amount that I use it. It makes sense to me to spend money for a nice mattress, a good kitchen knife, and, if you have a screenplay to write, Slugline.

I love the simplicty and power of the Fountain syntax but I still want to feel like I’m working on a screenplay while I’m writing. Slugline is the best of both worlds, with nimble formatting conventions built into a beautifully simple canvas — you really can just write and Slugline takes care of the rest. And the outlining features are incredibly useful. I can outline in the same document that I’m writing my screenplay in, simply and seamlessly. It’s amazing to watch your outline just become your screenplay over time. And you can easily choose to show or hide the outline material when you’re previewing/sharing your work, which is great for when a colleague giving feedback wants to see the scaffolding. I love it. Lastly I just want to say that support for Slugline is phenomenal. The few times I’ve had to reach out via email for a question, I received a prompt, enthusiastic and helpful reply. Very impressed. I went back and forth over the options that are out there for a while before deciding on Slugline, and I’m so glad I did. This really is exactly what I was looking for.

This is a superb screenwriting application. The simple design keeps you focused on writing, yet the input methods are perfectly customized for screenwriting. Its a fantastic, best-in-class, type of application. If you have any interest in screewnwriting, you really should have this app.

When I need to work on a script (not that often but regularly), the last thing I want to do is spend time learning the software Im writing with. I need professional results with an experience that stays out of my way and yet helps me feel successful quickly. Slugline (and the Fountain screenplay format under its hood) is brilliant for that. Its just right for me. Bravo!

The arrival of Slugline has at last satisfied a long time screenwriting program feature request of mine. I take a lot of notes before I begin a script. Over time this notes document can evolve into a detailed outline and finally a screenplay itself. Before Slugline this usually required creating documents in different programs and then merging all that work into a formal screenwriting program like Final Draft where I would write the actual script. With Slugline, I can just write whatever I want into a single document: notes, outline elements or a full script. Best of all, since Slugline is based on Fountain, my new script document is totally portable, allowing me to work in any text editing application on any device I have available at the moment (iPad, iPhone, etc.) Its hard to switch from a standard application like Final Draft, but Slugline combined with Highland makes it easy. Scott Stewart (Writer/Director - DEFIANCE (pilot director), DARK SKIES, PRIEST, LEGION)

I read the product description twice and studied their website and still didnt understand how the program really worked. Like the first line of its description, It forces everything to look just like Final Draft (normal screenplay format). I was thinking it would be a Fountain text editor like Highland but with the added bonus of autocomplete. (Guess I didnt realize the difference between autocomplete and auto-format) But instead this seems like the worst of both worlds of Final Draft and Highland. For instance, I start typing a Character name on the left side of the page (like im writing in Fountain) and when I hit enter, it automatically shoots the word to the center of the page (back to standard script format). If its moving stuff around like that and forcing it into standard script format as I write, why would I not just use Final Draft or the cheaper alternatives with equal amount of keystrokes and no jumping text? Wasted $40 bucks. For a new type of program like this, they should really have a demo on their website like most of their competitors.

Love this app for the most part. I really enjoy Fountain and writing in a plaintext environments. Especially given how much of my rewriting process takes place on an iPad. So the workflow of keeping Sluglines Fountain files on Dropbox, and then rewriting them in an iPad app like Byword or Notesy without converting anything is a great benefit. The app itself is very streamlined and very clean. The features of this app do not get in the way. And the auto-formatting really bridges the gap between working in a Final Draft environment and the plain text files of typical Fountain writing. Only thing really missing is spell check. Where is it? Seems like such a silly oversight with an easy solution. But that aside, really like this app. Would suggest this app if you have any interest in the Fountain format. Or if you just wanna get straight to writing with minimal delay.

This app does exactly what it says. It works great. And I LOVE it. Way better than Final Draft (for initial writing). And the fountain format is perfect for me. If you have an iPad, I highly recommend keeping your .fountain files on dropbox and using Writing Kit or Byword (I prefer Writing Kit because of the preview feature) to write on the go. Its a great solution. To Patmos_h, the reviewer that "Didnt get it," I have to just say, "Yeah. You dont get it." The whole point of this app is to autocomplete and auto-format your document as you write. It is in every screenshot for the app and explained in the video. Its a bummer you rate this app low when the developer did nothing wrong. The app does everything it says and excels at it! Even the creator of Highland (who knocks Final Draft from time to time) recommends this app. Im wondering what your goal with this app was, if Final Draft was a better option? To image0434, the guy that that gave this app one star less for not having a Spell Check. Check out the "Edit" option in the Menu Bar at the top. Its right there. And dont forget to change your rating now that you know it has the feature you didnt think it had. It bums me out to find an awesome app that fits the need Ive wanted for so long, to use it and realize how awesome it is, and then see that others knock it for reasons they really shouldnt. Those are my two cents. I love the app. If youre looking for a text based app to write your first drafts of a screenplay with, I highly recommend Slugline. Oh….and I Love the outlining and notes feature. So useful!