Importing

You can import files from Encore, Rhapsody, MIDIScan, and SmartScore into Finale. You can import various elements into your Finale documents from other programs.

To import Encore or Rhapsody files

Finale can convert Encore 3.0 through 4.2.1 files and Rhapsody 1.0 files regardless of which platform was used to create them. Finale will convert most items in your Encore file. The simpler the Encore file the fewer conversion issues you will have. If your file is more involved, it will take more time to convert and you may have more conversion issues. More information on the items Finale will not convert, or modifies upon conversion is given in Encore Conversion.

1. From the File Menu, choose Import, then Encore or Rhapsody. (Or, in the Launch Window, choose Encore or Rhapsody from the Import drop-down menu and click Import File.) The Open File dialog box appears.
2. Navigate to your Encore or Rhapsody file and double-click on the file. Your file is converted to a new, untitled Finale file, based on the Encore Default file.
3. From the File Menu, choose Save. Enter the new file name and save it as a Finale Notation File.

To import Score files

Like importing Encore or Rhapsody files, the quality of the conversion will depend on the complexity of the original file. There will usually be some cleanup necessary after importing the file. You will be able to import individual score files into Finale or several score files at once. For information on items that are lost or changed upon conversion, see Score Conversion.

1. From the File Menu, choose Import, then Score. (Or, from the Launch Window, choose Score from the Import drop-down menu and click Import File). The Open File dialog box appears. Highlight the file or files you want to open. To select more than one file, hold down the Shift key while selecting files (or hold down the Ctrl key and click to select non-contiguous files). Score files should have the extension .PGE, PAG. or .MUS.
2. Click Open. The Import Score Files Options dialog box opens. Choose the page size and specify how you want to determine the file order here. For more information, see Import Score Files - Options dialog box.
3. Click OK. If only one file was selected for conversion, or if Let Finale Determine File Order was selected in the Import Score Files Options dialog box, Finale will generate and open the converted document. If Specify File Order was selected in the Import Score Files - Options dialog box, the Import Score Files Order dialog box will appear. Choose page breaks and file order here and click OK to generate the converted file. See Import Score Order dialog box.

Note: Score files can appear as Finale Notation Files in your operating system if it they were saved with an .MUS file extension. Though these files will display a Finale Notation File icon, you will still need to use the Import Score feature to open them.

To import MIDIScan or SmartScore files

Finale can import MIDIScan 2.5 MND files and SmartScore FIN files, regardless of which platform was used to create them. Finale will convert most items from your MIDIScan or SmartScore files. As you compare your results, make sure that you compare Finale’s output to that of MIDIScan’s MND file or SmartScore’s ENF file, not the original scanned TIFF file. See Scanning. For tips on getting the best scanning results, see Musitek’s website at www.musitek.com. 

1. In MIDIScan or SmartScore, save the file as an MND or FIN file, respectively.
2. In Finale, click on the File Menu, choose Import, then MIDIScan or SmartScore. (Or, from the Launch Window, choose MidiScan or SmartScore from the Import drop-down menu and click Import File The Open File dialog box appears.
3. Navigate to your FIN or MND file and double-click on the file. Your scanned file will be converted to a new untitled Finale file, based on the SmartScore Default file.
4. From the File Menu, choose Save. Enter the new file name and save it as a Finale Notation File.

To import text

Finale won’t retain the tabs or character formatting if you import text from another word processor, but the text itself will transfer.

1. In your word processor, select the text. Choose Copy from the Edit Menu. In almost every word processor, you can press ctrl-C (for Copy) instead of choosing Copy from a menu.
2. Open your Finale document. There are two places the text might go: into your lyrics or into a text block.
3. To paste the text as lyrics, click the Lyrics Tool . Choose Edit Lyrics from the Lyrics Menu, and press ctrl-V (for Paste). The lyrics currently on the Clipboard appear in the Edit Lyrics window. You can paste text the same way when you’re creating text blocks (see Text blocks).

To import a MIDI file

See MIDI files.

To import graphics

See Graphics.

To open files from earlier versions of Finale or other MakeMusic products

 From the File Menu (or the Launch Window), choose Open. Navigate to the file. Double-click on the file. Finale opens and converts the older version’s document with a different name than the original file, keeping the older document as a backup. If you want to save the file using the same name, choose Save As from the File Menu. For conversion issues, see below:

From Finale 2004 or earlier:

• The option “Stop on Total Passes” has been removed from the Backward Repeat Bar Assignment dialog box. During playback of files created in 2004 or earlier, backward repeat bars with this setting would stop after the specified number of passes instead of jumping to the target measure. When opening an older Finale file with this setting, in the Backward Repeat Bar Assignment dialog box for these repeat bars, the Target drop-down menu is set to “Measure #” and “-1” is specified in the text box. Playback after converting to Finale 2007 format or later is not changed.

From Finale 2003 or earlier:

• Expressions convert to the Finale paradigm established in version 2004. For Expressions, the positioning settings are applied to the Positioning tab of the Expression Designer.

From Finale 2002 or earlier:

• Tablature staves from documents created in Finale 2002 or earlier will continue to use the old paradigm of a one line staff for each TAB line. In addition, if you are using a document converted from Finale 2002 or earlier, tablature staves with alternate tuning that are added to the document with the Setup Wizard will revert to the Standard Guitar instrument. For information on working with staves in Finale 2003, see Tablature.

From Finale 2001 or earlier:

• Slurs will not be converted automatically to the new Engraver Slurs. See Smart Shape Tool.

From Finale 98 or earlier:

• If you used Alternate Notation in a converted file, the appropriate Staff Style will be created. If you wish to use the pre-defined Staff Styles that came with your default file, such as transpositions and 1-line staves, you will need to load the Staff Styles library. See Staff styles.

From Finale 3.7 or earlier:

• If you use bitmapped fonts, converted files may display text items at a different point size than the original file. Finale 2002’s display of bitmapped fonts is limited to the actual point sizes installed in your system. We highly recommend the use of TrueType or PostScript fonts, which can be scaled to virtually any point size.
• Staff Names and Titles are considered text blocks in later versions. As a result, staff names and titles in files created in earlier versions of Finale will be converted to text blocks.

When converting text blocks, Finale will convert the text so it's unique for each text block. However, if the same shape is used, Finale will not duplicate the shape. Note that in Finale 2002, both the text and the shapes (Standard Frame or Custom Frame) are unique for each text block that you create.

The fonts selected in the Fonts portion of the Document Options dialog box for Text Blocks, Staff Names and Group Names will be used when the text block, or staff or group name is first created. Changing the font in Document Options-Fonts will no longer change the font used for all staff names in your document; nor will it change the first font used for text blocks in your document. To change a font, you must change the font in the document for text blocks created with the Text Tool, or in the Edit Text window for staff and group names created using the Staff Attributes dialog box.

• The conversion routines go through great lengths to ensure that the position of text remains the same in converted files. This has the following implications for Text Blocks, Titles and Staff Names.

Text blocks are positioned differently starting with Finale 3.7. If you display the Frame Attributes dialog box, for a text block created in an older version of Finale, Position from Edge of Frame will be deselected. (This option is selected for text created with the new Text Tool.) If you select this option for a converted text block, you will most likely need to adjust its position on the page.

Since titles are considered text blocks, Finale calculates the position of the title from the top of the name, using the specified font. Earlier versions (before 3.7) calculated the position from the baseline of the font. When converting files, Finale adjusts the values for the positioning of the titles to maintain their previous page positioning.

Since staff names are considered text blocks, Finale calculates the position of the name from the top of the name, using the font selected at the beginning of the name. Earlier versions (before 3.7) calculated the position from the baseline of the font.

When converting files, Finale recalculates the values for the default positioning of the staff names based on the font and point size selected in the Fonts portion of the Document Options dialog box. If alternate fonts or point sizes have been set for staff names, individual positioning for those staff name will be selected in the Staff Attributes dialog box. This automatic calculation of positioning values, and the selection of individual positioning for names using the non-default font and point size, will maintain the correct position of staff names in your converted files.

From Finale 3.5 or earlier:

• Finale offers better support of stem to notehead connections--its ability to sense the width of the notehead, particularly for upstem notes, is enhanced. However, this enhancement may change existing stem connection settings slightly in newly-converted documents. In general, these changes should provide subtle improvements, but you should double-check the on-screen and printed appearance if you have concerns.
• Due to the improved stem to notehead connections, Finale may change the appearance of on-screen and printed “blank” noteheads (e.g., noteheads set to Petrucci's space character). If you have documents that use the space character (slot number 32 in the Symbol Selection dialog box) as a notehead, you should create a new stem connection setting for this notehead in the converted document by following the steps outlined below.

To fix "blank" notehead connections

1. From the Document Menu, choose Document Options and select Stems. Make sure that Use Stem Connections is selected.
2. Click the Stem Connections button.
3. Click Create to display the Stem Connection Editor to create a new setting.
4. Click Select to display the Symbol Selection dialog box. Select slot number 32 (the space character created by pressing the spacebar), then click Select.
5. Enter a value of 24 EVPUs in the Upstem V: text box by typing "24 e" -- this automatically enters a value of 24 EVPUs regardless of the Measurement Units setting currently in use.
6. Click OK, then click Done, then OK. Your blank noteheads should now display properly.

• Finale may display certain unusual chords differently than earlier versions did. This depends on the setting of the Chord Menu command, Simplify Spelling. Using this command, you can more easily specify some chord spellings in any key, such as a B sharp chord in C major. Formerly, Finale would “simplify” this spelling to C (a change made in response to customer requests very early in Finale's history). Now, Finale offers you the choice of simplifying or not simplifying these spellings. To ensure that your chords appear as they did in earlier versions, choose Simplify Spelling from the Chord Menu, if necessary, so that a checkmark appears next to the command. For more information, see Simply Spelling in the Chord Menu.
• Finale has another small change that may affect your document, both on-screen and in printout. Finale now displays chords and lyrics on notes hidden with Speedy Entry Tool's O key; chords and lyrics attached to notes you've hidden in earlier versions' documents will now appear. If you do not want them to appear, delete these elements from the hidden notes.

From Finale 3.0 or earlier:

• Time Signature Libraries have been replaced by the Composite Time Signature dialog box.
• Output Route Libraries have been replaced with Instrument Libraries.

From Finale 2.2 or earlier:

• Shapes created in Finale 2.2 or earlier will appear in the new version but cannot be edited. If editing is required, replace the old shape with one you’ve created in the new Shape Designer.

To transport files across platforms

You don’t have to save a Finale file in a special format to open the file cross-platform; simply save it in the regular Finale file format.

Starting with Finale 2002a, files can be transferred across platforms while maintaining correct higher ASCII text characters and hard spaces (commonly used in lyrics). Finale is configured to do this by default, by having “Automatically Convert Text In Files From Other Operating Systems” selected in the Open section of the Program Options dialog box (see Program Options-Open). Alternately, this conversion can be done after the file is open by going to the Document Menu > Data Check > Font Utilities. Choose the Advanced tab and then check Convert Text for Windows and click OK.