While working on my novels and scripts in Scrivener, I feel the constant need in sketching stuff out on a piece of paper, or post-it note, or flow-charting something on a whiteboard. I’ve a very visual person and doodling completes me. Here’s how to use the Templates feature to quickly scribble stuff out.
Make a new folder in the binder. You can name it whatever you wish, but I like to be clear about its purpose.
With the template folder selected, go to the project menu and select “Set Selection as Template Folder”.
You can use whatever drawing software you wish, but I like Autodesk’s Sketchbook Pro. It is quick and it’s easy to use with my Wacom tablet. Open up the app and save a blank file. This file is the template, so make sure the dimensions and resolution is to your liking. I prefer a low resolution and the dimensions to match my desktop’s. It’s easier to get thick lines and since these files get included into the project file, you might want to keep them as small as possible.
Save the file in the same folder as your Scrivener project and name it appropriately. This is the only image file that will exist outside your project file, so you might want to consider a way to back this file up along with your project file. Drag the blank image file to your Templates folder in the binder.
I’ve created a new folder in the binder to store my future whiteboard images, but you can make a whiteboard page anywhere in the binder (outside of drafts). Choose “New From Template” and select your whiteboard template.
You now have a new whiteboard file that’s contained inside the project file.
To edit this file, click on the application icon in the lower right hand corner of the screen. You’ll be given a few options, just choose the application you’re going to use. Scrivener will remember this, so next time you want to edit, just click once on this icon.
Back in Sketchbook Pro, just edit to your heart’s content. You’ll notice that the file name of what your editing is just a number (based on the number of objects you have in your project binder). This file actually exists inside the Scrivener project file’s resources path. When you’re done, you must hit “Save” for the changes to take place.
Back in Scrivener, click on the “Refresh” icon in the bottom right hand corner of the window.
And “That’s a BINGO”, you’re done. Remember, these image files are saved in your Scrivener project file, so it can bloat the file size pretty quickly if you’re not careful.
To export these files, simply open them back up in Sketchbook Pro as if you were going to edit them, and do a “Save As…” from the file menu.
(This tutorial is from http://travisestrella.tumblr.com - go there for all the screenshots, this forum only allows 3 attachments)