Dear Finale Friends,

How do I convert a PDF file to Finale?

Generally, I have kept a Finale file present, just in case I need changing. But in this case, I failed to do so.

Hopefully, I won't have to re-compose an entire piece. (This is a SATB with piano).

Thanks very much for your assistance.

Always,

Ed

>How do I convert a PDF file to Finale?<

The easiest way I know is SmartScore64 Pro. There is a 30 day demo.

https://www.musitek.com/smartscore64-pro.html 

As an old Finale owner, you are entitled to 50% off because you owned SmartScore Lite. Per this chart, you have to click on the upgrade link inside SmartScore Lite to get that price. Good luck with that.

https://www.musitek.com/SSLiteUpgrade.html 

For current Finale owners, the discount is -25%, not -50% as above.

SmartScore Lite was bundled with Finale through 2014 but it's 32 bit and won't open on current Mac OS. If you can get it to work, it will scan into older versions of Finale without expressions, lyrics and other features. Beginning with Finale 25, scanning is no longer included—many threads on this going back 5 years as to why.

The app that was to be bundled with 25 was this iOS/Android app. It's available for $99.

https://www.musitek.com/m2xml.html 

Unlike SmartScore Lite, you can import the MusicXML file into any notation app and it scans lyrics & expressions (sometimes poorly). Like SSL, it's a black box meaning that you edit the results in your notation app only (with SS64Pro, you can edit first which saves time). No demo but Musitek will convert a file for free so that you can see the results. Like many of us, I consider the inconvenience of not being able to edit my scans first a very good reason to go Pro.

There are other apps and many other discussions. You can search this forum for then.

Mike,

Thanks as always for your fine responses, which will yield good results with Musitek.com. Thanks again!

Is there basically nothing available to converting Finale Legacy to Finale 25.5?  I have quite a few compositions from 1996-2000 or later, including marches and an orchestral theme. When I used a Dynex floppy disc to introduce compositions to my 2008 iMac, the computer responded: "AppleScript Utility cannot open files in the 'Finale Legacy Notation File' format." I cannot get my 2020 MacBook to read any of my floppy discs at all from my old computers. 

In the iMac, there are two Finale versions: Finale 2014 and 2014.5. For some reason 'Preferences' says also that it is 25.5, as well.

Ed

>Is there basically nothing available to converting Finale Legacy to Finale 25.5?<

If you can open it in Finale 25 or later, you can save it as a current version file .musx that should open in 2012 or later — though it won't have the features from later versions available.

>In the iMac, there are two Finale versions: Finale 2014 and 2014.5.<

When you installed 2014.5, it did not overwrite 2014—that was intentional. Downloading 2014 from your MM User account will download 2014.5.

>For some reason 'Preferences' says also that it is 25.5<

I have no idea what that's about unless it really is 25.5. If I was hands on your system, it's probable that I would know what your really seeing but your description is not giving me a clue. Right-click or click-hold on the file icon. What does Get Info say?