Combine two passes of a script
You and a co-writer each rewrote the same draft in Final Draft. Put both passes back together and decide only the lines you both changed.
3 min readtopic 03 · Industry format
Writing together in Arqo never needs this — everyone is in the same draft. Combine drafts is for passes that happened somewhere else: a co-writer's pass in Final Draft, or two writers who each handed back an .fdx.
What you need
- Starting draft — the version you both worked from
- Your pass — your edited .fdx
- Their pass — their edited .fdx
Why the starting draft matters
Without it, Arqo can see that your pass and theirs are different, but not who changed what. With it, anything only one of you changed goes in automatically, and you only decide the lines you both touched. Don't have it? Use the file you sent them before they started.
How it works
- Open Combine drafts from ⌘K, or the ⋯ menu in the side rail.
- Add the three files and press Combine.
- Arqo tells you how much went in on its own, and lists the decisions that need you — each one labelled with its scene.
- For each decision, keep your line, keep theirs, keep the original, or cut it.
- When nothing is left to decide, Open as a new draft — or download the .fdx to send back.
What it never does
- It never overwrites a script. The result is always a new draft.
- It never uploads your files. Everything runs on your device.
- It never renumbers locked scenes. Cut scenes become OMITTED, the way production expects.