Finale 27 problems, case #493 - Update Layout no longer seems to work

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Jeff Whitmill Posted July 30, 2021 21:12

It seems like one by one Finale 27 is revealing to me that all the work habits I've formed over the last 32+ years will no longer function.

Command-U used to be such an easy way to adjust overall spacing in a piece or a section, eliminating crunches on one kind or another. Now, it just sort of sits there, glaring. Nothing at all happens.

OK, I give: What's the solution for this - manual resetting of each and every item on the page?

Did anyone at MM actually bother to test this train wreck on legacy pieces? And not even old legacy pieces, just some from a year or two ago? It certainly doesn't look like it.

9 comments

Date Votes

Jeff Whitmill Posted July 30, 2021 21:13

I forgot to include my system data: Mac OS 11.5 (Big Sur), Finale 27.0.0.782

MIKE ROSEN Posted July 30, 2021 21:42

-1

Jeff,

Are you doing a Space Music (CMD-4) first? In my experience, the Space Music is what adjusts the crunches; Update Layout is more of an “under the radar” thing.

Jeff Whitmill Posted July 30, 2021 21:53

Yes, though I see I neglected it before my last rant. It helps, but it doesn't solve everything. I'm still left with some manual adjustments to make, and God only knows if 27 will hold on to those.

MIKE ROSEN Edited July 30, 2021 22:33

I always have manual adjustments or tweaks to make. I guess something like Perfect Layout would eliminate a lot of it, but I don’t have the complexity of scores to justify it.

https://elbsound.studio/perfect-layout/

Jeff Whitmill Posted July 30, 2021 22:45

I'm working on a multi-movement work for full orchestra and chorus; Perfect Layout would be a dream.

MIKE ROSEN Posted July 30, 2021 23:19

The reports I’ve seen on it are pretty positive. Wess is a regular on the other forum.

JURAJ BARTOS Edited August 04, 2021 11:09

Perfect Layout is a real helper. I highly recommend it to every Finale user.

MIKE HALLORAN Edited August 04, 2021 16:36

The reliance on 3rd party plugins to accomplish what should be basic tasks* has always been one of my grumbling points when it comes to Finale. That said, if Dorico 4 doesn't win me over to the Dor'c' Side, I see myself getting Perfect Layout.

I was planning a couple large projects for my eventual retirement from ASCAP but when it happened, all this online music making for churches during lockdown wound up consuming all of that promised free time. That and dealing with old age crap like finances, medical and insurance forms etc. When Pete Townsend wrote, "Hope I die before I grow old." he hadn't a frickin' clue (it still beats the alternative).

*I am not talking about specialty plugins like Medieval 2. Something that unique that the vast majority of users would never need should be an add-on.

https://www.finalemusic.com/blog/robert-piechaud-releases-medieval-2/

ERNEST BIGGS Posted August 05, 2021 15:37

I did not know that Perfect Layout was available for Mac. Perhaps it is but I can tell you absolutely if it is not, than there is no way I would ever use a Mac for Finale. I probably never would anyway because of the price penalty but no PL is a deal breaker. I was not a believer at first but after using it for a while I am a total believer i it.

I use it on all my scores now and even have gone back and redone older scores. It doesn't matter if it is a brass quartet or a full concert band piece PL makes it right! It is certainly a plug-in that MM should include with Finale because it does something that Finale should do on its own.

Just one click and you get this. Keep in mind you don't have to make any adjustments about where Finale puts things. PL straightens them out. In PL Silver there are lots of settings you can personalize to your tastes but this is just with PL's default settings. One tip that may be slightly different is to make sure you reduce the % of your work so there is ample room on the page.

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