Skip to content
EpicDraft Docs

Using PDF Files

Importing a PDF

Open a .pdf file like any other. Before anything is read, EpicDraft shows the file's page count and asks two things:

  • Import as — Screenplay reads it as a script (scene headings, action, characters, dialogue) and adds it as a new script in the project's Library ▸ Scripts. Document reads it as plain text into a page under the project's Library ▸ Documents, next to the original file, where the AI can use it as reference material. Use Document for a treatment, a book, research, or notes. Neither choice changes your existing scripts.
  • Pages — All pages, or Choose pages to read only some of them, for example 1-5, 8, 12-20. An open-ended range like 12- runs to the last page. Only the pages you choose are read, so a long scan takes less time.

The import goes into the project you have open. If none is open, EpicDraft asks which project to use right after this, before any page is read (see where imports go).

Scanned PDFs

When a PDF has no text layer — a scan, or photographed pages — EpicDraft asks once to confirm, then reads each page with the best engine available:

  • AI Vision (Pro) — your connected vision-capable model reads the page: local through Ollama or LM Studio, or your own key with a cloud provider. The models downloaded inside the app are text-only, so they can't take this pass.
  • On-device OCR — a recognition model you download in Settings → AI (under Scanned pages). It is for the desktop and mobile apps, and nothing leaves the device.
  • Built-in OCR — always available. It runs inside the app and reads English.

Reading scanned pages does not need an account. The built-in and on-device engines work signed out, and only AI Vision needs Pro.

While the import runs, an interactive progress view shows a thumbnail for each page as it's read, with a Cancel button. When the pages have been read with one of the OCR engines, an Improve button runs an AI cleanup pass over the recognized text; it needs AI. A page that can't be read is skipped and the import continues with the rest. Scanned-image PDFs work everywhere — including on iOS and in webviews.

Exporting a PDF

There are two ways out:

  • File ▸ Save Script As…, then PDF — a straight export of the whole script.
  • The Download button in the Print preview — this is the one that applies page and scene ranges and the watermark.

PDF export embeds real fonts for non-Latin scripts, so Arabic, Hebrew, CJK, and other writing systems print exactly as they appear on screen. See Languages.

Library pages export to PDF too — see Printing.