Annotations
Cues
Adding Cues
To add a cue to your script, you must first select the Cue Tool from the toolbar. You can click on the icon or use the keyboard shortcut “c” to activate the tool. You must also have an active cue layer selected in order to add cues. See Layers in Getting Started for more information about active layers.
You have two options for placing the cue. The first is to double-click on the PDF. This will drop a line in the location where you clicked on the PDF. The second is to click and drag. This will form a box corresponding to the size of the area you have indicated.
In both cases, you will be focused on the first field in the cue. If more than one field is visible, you can tab through them to input information. Hitting return or clicking back into the script will defocus the cue. Once you have placed the cue marker, the cue itself will initially appear on either the right or left-hand side of the page, depending on the cue placement preference you have selected in the Layer Menu.
You can also view your cues off the PDF page in the right or left margin. To view cues this way, you must be in the single-page layout view and toggle the Margin View switch (found on the right side of the navigation bar) to the ON setting. Toggling this switch will move cues on the right side of the page to the right margin and cues on the left side to the left margin. This switch will not affect untethered cues. This layout is only possible in the single-page view.
You can then click on the colored box on the left-hand side of the cue to add associated attribute information. For more information on this, see the next section of this guide on Modifying Cues.
Modifying Cues
You can modify a cue in several ways once it has been created. You can move the cue marker anywhere on your page by clicking and dragging it to its new position. If your marker is a resizable box, you can change the size by clicking inside the marker and using the handles to resize.
As discussed in the Editing Cue Properties tutorial, you can set your cues’ default position to be the page’s left or right side. However, you can also move an individual cue by clicking on the upper right-hand corner of the cue to untether it and drag it to a new position. Once a cue is untethered, it will not be affected by any default cue position changes. You can re-tether the cue by right-clicking in the same place.
You can also view your cues off the PDF page in the right or left margin. To view cues this way, you must be in the single-page layout view and toggle the Margin View switch (found on the right side of the navigation bar) to the ON setting. Only tethered cues will be visible in the margins. Untethered cues will remain where you previously placed them.
It is important to remember that all cue box placements are unique to your script and will not affect other users.
Many editing options are available in a menu that is accessible by clicking anywhere on the layer name inside the cue box. You can change the cue layer, size, and line opacity from this menu. You can also switch the cue marker between a line and a resizable box. In addition, you can make the cue number and/or label visible, move the cue to another page, or permanently delete the cue.
If you click on the colored box on the left side of every cue, you will see a place to enter any additional details about the cue. Depending on what attributes you have chosen from the cue menu, this could include labels, descriptions, notes, times, or other information specific to your lighting and sound consoles. You can also right-click that box to add a work note to any cue quickly, as long as the project is not connected to The Notes List. In a project with Show Sync switched on, new notes are written in The Notes List instead. You can remove a cue by clicking on the colored box or the layer name and choosing the trash icon. This will delete the cue and all associated information.
Notes
Adding Notes
On the right side of the toolbar, you will see several icons relating to different tools. Clicking on those icons or using the associated keyboard shortcut will activate the indicated tool. After selecting a tool, double-clicking on the PDF will add that annotation. The icons, from left to right, are the Text Tool, Drawing Tool / Line Tool, Highlight Tool, Stamp Tool, and Image Tool. The details of each of those tools are listed below. The Structure tool sits in this same group but works differently from the rest, and has its own section further down this page.
Text Tool (t)
Double-clicking anywhere on the PDF will cause you to add text notes. You will see the words “Enter Text” appear on your page, and your cursor will automatically focus in the text box. Three icons will appear on the left of the note. The top one will allow you to move the text box. The middle will allow you to modify the text, and the bottom one will delete this text. You can resize the text box by clicking on the bottom right handle and dragging the box to your preferred size.
Drawing Tool (d)
Clicking and dragging on the PDF will create a free-hand drawing. Three icons will also appear on the left of the note. The top one will allow you to move the drawing. The middle will allow you to modify the thickness, color, and layer, and the bottom one will delete the object.
Line Tool (l)
Nested below the Drawing Tool is the Line Tool. With this tool, you can add a horizontal line to your script. Double-clicking will drop a line that is movable and resizable. Three icons will also appear on the left of the note. The top one will allow you to move the drawing. The middle will allow you to modify the thickness, color, and layer, and the bottom one will delete the object.
Highlight Tool (h)
You can highlight any section of your script with the Highlight Tool. Clicking and dragging will drop a highlight to the size selected, and double-clicking will create a common-sized highlight that you can move anywhere and resize by clicking on the bottom right handle and dragging the box to the size you prefer. You can also change this highlight’s color, opacity, and layer by using the Modify icon.
Stamp Tool (s)
With the Stamp Tool selected, you can double-click to add a geometric stamp with three characters of text inside anywhere on the PDF. A stamp will appear with “000” inside, and your cursor will automatically focus on the text. You will also see the same three icons appear on the left of the stamp. The top one will allow you to move the stamp. The middle one will allow you to modify the stamp, and the bottom one will delete the object. You can resize the default stamp size inside the “Edit Note Properties” option in the Layer Menu. You can change individual stamp sizes by clicking on the bottom right handle and dragging the box to your preferred size.
On the lower left-hand corner of the Stamp Tool icon in the toolbar, you will see a small triangle. Clicking on that triangle will allow you to change the stamp shape, which will occur when you double-click. Your options are Square, Circle, Triangle, and Hexagon. You can also change the shape of existing stamps by clicking on the Modify icon inside the stamp and selecting your shape from the dropdown menu.
Image Tool (i)
When you have the Image Tool selected, you can double-click to drop an image file onto your PDF. Once you select the placement of your image, a menu will open, allowing you to choose the file from your computer. You can resize the image by dragging the handle at the bottom right-hand corner. You can also change the layer and page by selecting the Modify Image icon on the left. To change the image, click on the paperclip icon in the upper right-hand corner of the image.
Modifying Notes
When you click on the Modify icon of any note type, you will have the opportunity to change the note layer, move the note to a different page, as well as adjust the text font, size, and color where applicable. In addition, you can alter highlight opacity and line thickness from this same menu when you are editing lines and highlights on the page.
You can also copy and paste any note. To do this, you need to click on the note as if you are going to edit it. You can then use the keyboard shortcut CMD-C to copy the note and CMD-V to paste it. If you want to paste the note to a different page of your project, click anywhere on that page before pasting.
Structure
Adding Structure Marks
Structure lets you lay out the shape of your script: its Acts, Scenes, and Songs. Select the Structure tool from the toolbar (keyboard shortcut M) and click the page where the act, scene, or song begins. Scenes and Songs will nest inside of any Act information you add.
Structure is global: every collaborator on the project sees the same structure marks. For that reason, the Structure tool is only available to users who have been given edit permission on structure. If you do not have that permission, the tool will not appear in your toolbar.
Only the project owner and administrators can grant structure editing permission. It is set collaborator by collaborator in the Collaborator Access menu, using the Can edit Structure checkbox. For collaborators set as Administrator, the checkbox stays visible but is permanently checked and cannot be unchecked, because administrators always have structure editing access.
Navigating by Structure
Open the Navigation panel from the toolbar and choose the Structure tab to see every act, scene, and song in the project listed in order. Clicking on any one of them will take you to that page of your PDF. If you have edit permission on structure, you will also find a Manage structure button at the bottom of the tab, which lets you rename, move, and delete marks from a single list.
Hiding Structure Marks
If the marks get in the way of reading your script, switch on Hide structure marks on script in the Structure tab of the Navigation panel. This is a personal setting: it hides the marks on your script pages and in anything you print, and it has no effect on your collaborators. The marks remain listed in the Navigation panel, in the list view, and in Manage structure, so you can still navigate by them while they are hidden.