> From: Dennis Bathory-Kitsz <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Since we're on the layout question, does anybody get layout work done > easily with Finale?
Yes. Each version of Finale has gotten better at layout, and 2003 almost does it on its own. OK, not that good but it really has been great in my usage. I primarily do choral, piano, organ and pinao-organ scores. >It always seems a massive trial-and-error effort. > Rubber-banding the staves doesn't move them fully where I want them (it > only moves them part way each time when I drag a distance), the group > selection of multiple staves turns off every time I drag a group's handles > (I have to select them all again), I have no idea how to choose staves to > move across different pages at once ... First, every engraver works differently. What may appall one person is S.O.P. for another. But for what it's worth, I virtually never moves staves with the handles (in Page View). That is "fraught with peril," as the saying goes. The exception, of course, is when using the bottom handle that is available only after optimizing systems, when needing to nudge a particular staff up or down. The place to use the upper handles, in my view, is in Scroll View. Adjusting them as to the distance from one save to the next, the distance of the top stave from the top of the window...these things are helpful as they affect the layout globally. Then after optimization you can use the bottom handles for nudges. I don't even think much about systems until I have virtually locked in which measures I want on which systems. Then I adjust system placement using the Edit System Margins box. I rarely use anything other than "0" in the Left, Right, Bottom or Minimum Distance fields of the System Margins settings. Exceptions: the first system gets a "144" (epvus) for a left-indent; when I want to make sure a system stays at the tops of a certain page I may use the "Bottom" field of the previous system to enter a number that virtually means the other system can't move onto that page; the top system of each page has a different "Top" value than the others. I use the "Top" field of system margins to enter numbers and use the system-number fields to indicate which systems that number should apply to. I hit Apply and watch the magic show. I fiddle with those until it's just like I want it. For me, it's very fast to work this way, as you can just Tab through the fields to change numerical values. The Apply button is a nice feature because it doesn't close the box. > (I can only work on the leftmost page > in multiple page view; the rest are just visual dummies). If only it worked > like PageMaker, I'd be at ease with it -- but there's just so much guesswork. If you have Show Multiple Pages on (in Page View), this is what happens. It's convenient to compare pages, and such, but yes you only can work on the leftmost page. You really should turn that off just to save redraw time. I can't agree with the guesswork thing. In my experience, Finale, when used as it was designed (not to ask it to be something it isn't, although I understand in spirit what you're saying) works well and layout is not a big issue. --Richard _______________________________________________ Finale mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://mail.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
