System Requirements

Mac	macOS 10.13 High Sierra or newer Recommended: macOS 13 Ventura or newer for best performance. Universal binary — runs natively on Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4) and Intel, no Rosetta required.
iPad	iPadOS 15 or newer — native iPad app, free on the App Store Same project format as the Mac version. Open a project started on your Mac right on your iPad, or vice versa.
Storage	~25 MB for the application Project files vary by size of imported photos, scripts, and floorplans.
Internet	Not required — CINEside is fully offline Internet is only used for software download, license activation, and software updates. All data stays on your device.
Display (Mac)	1280 × 800 minimum, Retina recommended

Native File Formats

.cnsd

CINEside Project

Main project file. Stored as a folder containing the project data and all associated photos. Open by double-click or drag onto the app. Shared between the Mac and iPad versions.

CINEside

.cnsf

Share Package

Project export for collaborators or your own devices. → Export Project offers three modes: Full — a complete 1:1 copy for moving a project between your own devices (e.g. Mac → iPad); For Director and For Cinematographer, which strip fields not relevant to the recipient. Fully editable by the receiver.

CINEside

.cnct

CONNECT Package

Read-only export for CINEside CONNECT. Allows collaborators to annotate and leave notes without access to the full project data.

CONNECT

.cnsn

CONNECT Notes

Notes package returned from a CONNECT collaborator back to CINEside. Imports directly into the corresponding project on double-click.

CONNECT

Import Formats

PDF Screenplay import (text extraction, scene detection, block-level anchoring). Also supported as photos and floorplans — each PDF page is converted to a JPEG automatically.

JPEG · PNG · TIFF · HEIC · WebP · GIF Reference photos, storyboard frames, floorplans, lighting plans, sun position screenshots. Compressed and stored locally in the project folder. Exotic formats (RAW, PSD, multi-layer TIFF) are not supported.

Export Formats

PDF — Shots & Script Facing-pages layout — shots on the left, script on the right. A4 or US Letter. Optionally includes scene photos, shot photos, floorplans, lighting plans, scene tags, and links. Generated entirely on-device.

PDF — Shot List only Shots without script pages. A4 or US Letter. Same include options as above.

PDF / CSV — Scene List A one-line-per-scene overview of the whole script — scene number, INT/EXT, slug line, and time of day. Landscape PDF or CSV, with INT/EXT and time-of-day filters and a live match counter. Useful as a quick production reference, a stripping starting point, or a hand-off to other scheduling tools.

PDF — iPad / Tablet Same facing-pages layout as Shots & Script, with larger text and a wider margin on script pages for Apple Pencil annotations. Useful alongside the native iPad app — when you want a fixed PDF to mark up, or to hand to someone who doesn't use CINEside.

PDF — Notes Sheet Scene-level notes, CONNECT annotations, and lighting notes compiled into a separate document, sorted by scene and recipient.

PDF — VFX / SFX Sheet Extracted list of all VFX and SFX-flagged shots across the project.

PDF — Schedule Multi-day shoot planning — assign scenes to shooting days, then arrange shots within each day by drag and drop, with optional Prep, Break, Company Move, and Wrap-out blocks between them. Export a PDF for one day or all days at once, with a clear day header. Optionally includes a scene overview with flags, crew, equipment, photos, floorplan, and lighting.

PDF — Location Dossier Per-location document for tech scouts and reccies. Covers notes, reference photos, floorplan, and lighting plan for the location, followed by all scenes and shots at that location. Supports locations and sub-locations — a theatre with separate rooms, a house with garden and interior. Multiple locations can be exported in a single document.

PDF — Addt'l Equipment All additional equipment entries across the project, filterable by category: Camera, Cam Support / Dolly, Lighting, and Grip. Useful for sending category-specific lists to individual departments.

PDF — Addt'l Crew All additional crew entries across the project, grouped by role — each role listing the scenes it applies to. Useful for generating a crew overview per department or role.

.cnct · .cnsf Collaboration packages for CONNECT and role-based sharing (see above).

CSV Shot List, Scene List, and Schedule export as comma-separated spreadsheets — importable into Excel, Numbers, Google Sheets, or any scheduling software. The Shot List CSV covers all shot data: scene, size, angle, movement, anchor, VFX/SFX flags, and notes. The Schedule CSV adds the day-by-day shooting order with estimated time per shot — designed for the AD.

Licensing & Purchase

CINEside for Mac & iPad — one license

€129 excl. VAT

Sold via Gumroad · Covers Mac and iPad · On iPad, sign in with your account

One-time purchase
Free updates — no subscription
Full offline use
Atomic saving & rolling backups
Unlimited PDF exports
CONNECT export enabled
No watermarks
Up to 3 device activations — Mac and iPad

Without a license, CINEside runs in demo mode: the app is fully functional for evaluation — including the Schedule — but saving, sharing (.cnsf), and CONNECT export are disabled. PDF exports work, but are watermarked. On the Mac, enter your license key once — a brief internet connection is required for activation, after which the app runs fully offline. On the iPad, sign in once with the account from your purchase. One license can be active on up to 3 devices at once. Replacing a device? Preferences → Deactivate This Device frees up a slot instantly.

CINEside for iPad — App Store purchase

€149 incl. VAT (EU price)

One-time in-app purchase · Unlocks the iPad app only

One-time purchase
Free updates — no subscription
Full offline use
Atomic saving & rolling backups
Unlimited PDF exports
CONNECT export enabled
No watermarks
Restore anytime via your Apple ID

The iPad app is a free download from the App Store and starts in the same demo mode as the Mac version. If you work on iPad only, unlock the full version directly in the app with a one-time in-app purchase. Already own CINEside for Mac? Sign in with your existing account instead — no extra cost.

The €129 license is billed in euros, with VAT added only where it applies. The App Store shows final pricing in your local currency; €149 is the EU price incl. VAT. Depending on your region, both routes come to a similar amount.

CINEside CONNECT

Free companion app for collaborators

Collaborators — directors, script supervisors, or anyone reviewing the shot plan — use CINEside CONNECT to receive a read-only view, leave annotations and notes, and send them back. No CINEside license required. CONNECT is currently available for Mac.

Free — no license required

Data & Privacy

Data storage	All project data is stored locally on your device. Nothing is uploaded to any server.
Cloud sync	Not built in — project folders can be placed in iCloud Drive, Dropbox, or any sync service of your choice. Avoid opening the same project simultaneously from two machines.
Backups	Project files are written atomically — a crash or power loss during a save can never leave a half-written file. CINEside also keeps automatic rolling backups in a hidden `.backups/` folder inside each project folder: the 3 most recent saves, hourly anchors (kept for the last 12 hours worked), one daily anchor per day worked (kept 14 days), and one copy taken before every script re-import. CINEside opens the most recent good backup automatically if a project file is ever unreadable.
License activation	Mac: a one-time internet connection to validate the license key. iPad: sign in once with the account from your purchase, or buy the full version in the app via the App Store.
Analytics / Telemetry	None. CINEside does not collect usage data.