Finale Forum

I am writing an extended work for orchestra and frequently try a new idea that I ultimately reject for the composition - perhaps for a later point, perhaps for another composition - but don't want to simply throw away. I would like the capability of simply highlighting (salecting) the idea/fragment to save as a separate file that I could recall at a later date. I don't see any way to do this except to delete all the content outside the desired snippet.

Is there any capability in Finale to simply select and save the selection as a new file? It seems like a useful capability.

TDinDC

You can copy/paste to another file, but you'd have to have a blank document that had the same staves and maybe some other basic settings already set up. I can't recall another method.

Zuill

P.S.: After rethinking this, I believe your original workflow is probably the easiest way.

Save as a new file(name) is the best solution.Or take a screenshot. Or export page. Or work in a scroll view and place your ideas on the end of the file, measure 1000.

TDinDC wrote:Is there any capability in Finale to simply select and save the selection as a new file? It seems like a useful capability.

Yes, there is.

You can Cut, Copy, Insert or Paste to and from a "Clip File". On Mac, hold down Alt with the usual keys for those operations, and you'll get a file dialog to save or load a Clip file. You can create as many Clip Files as you like.

Thanks for the idea. I am on a PC - Windows 10. I tried CTRL-ALT-S and also did save as, but I see no option to save only the selected fragment I'm trying to save for later use as a motif.

In context, I'm writing for a full orchestra and have just introduced a new theme only for four F Horns. I like the theme (motif) but feel it's out of place.

I selected only the staves and measures with the new theme, but find no way to save only the selection.

ANy ideas?

TDinDC

BuonTempi wrote:… You can Cut, Copy, Insert or Paste to and from a "Clip File". On Mac, hold down Alt with the usual keys for those operations, and you'll get a file dialog to save or load a Clip file. You can create as many Clip Files as you like.

On Windows Finale, hold down CTRL, and pull down the Edit menu.

Quoting the manual for Windows Finale:

The Cut, Copy, Insert and Paste commands change to reflect the action that will occur.
For example, Cut changes to Cut to Clip File….

You will get a directory dialog box where you can name your clip file, and give it a place to live.

By The Way:
With CTRL down you also get
Insert From Clip File…
and
Paste From Clip File…

zuill wrote:You can copy/paste to another file, but you'd have to have a blank document that had the same staves ...

What don't you like about this solution?

All best done in Scroll view - select any group of measures and staves. You can then

!) Ctrl-C copy and insert them with Ctrl-V into your second "scratch" document,
which can be either just a blank document with few staves, or (if you want to retain your instrument set-up), make a copy of your original score, delete all the music, save just a few blank measures, and set all your sound settings in the Score Manager to "none" (or just keep one instrument) that way it will be easy to switch (with Alt-Tab) to your "scratch pad" qiuckly without having to wait each time for all your orchestra sounds to load

or
2) if you are using extra blank measures at the end of your original score, you can after selecting the source just Ctrl-left click there to insert a copy of your selection into any measure/group
if you want to be able to go quickly to your snippets/ideas at the end, create a book mark (wich you could also assign to a keyboard shortcut for fast access)

or
3) you could also have a couple of "scratch" staves at the bottom for that purpose, and copy your ideas to that (at the same measure numbers, unless you are actually deleting whole measures of course) then you will remember easily were the copied information came from

I use all of these all the time, works very well (for me ...)

Save as a new file(name) is the best solution

I 2nd this. I do it all the time on almost every single piece I write or arrange. Filename1, filename2, filename3, etc. When I get to the point I am finished I add the work "final" to the name.