Coming from another tool
There is no importer. Moving to Soleil Clusters means dragging your files in, which for a reference board is usually a single drag of a folder. What differs by tool is what you lose and what you gain — this page maps the concepts across from the six tools people most often arrive from.
There is no import button. For a reference board that is less of a problem than it sounds — dragging a folder of images in takes about as long as an importer would, and they auto-arrange on arrival.
What is worth knowing is how the concepts map.
What transfers
| Images and files | Drag them in. Any type on Creator. |
| Screenplays | Import Final Draft .fdx or Fountain — see screenplay mode |
| Text | Paste into notes or documents |
| Layout | Does not transfer from anything |
| Comments and history | Does not transfer from anything |
Concept mapping
| Their idea | Here |
|---|---|
| Board / canvas / project | Cluster |
| Folder | A nested cluster — nesting is unlimited |
| Frame / panel | A grid cell |
| Sticky note | A note |
| Tag / label | A tag, which can also be a typed entity |
| Comment | A comment, anchored to a card, group, point or text range |
| Share link | A public link, always view-only |
By tool
PureRef — the closest match for pure reference work. You gain collaboration, sharing and cloud storage; the tradeoff is that Clusters is a browser app rather than a native always-on-top window.
Milanote — very similar shape. Boards become clusters, nesting maps directly, and the card model is comparable.
Miro — the whiteboard-to-canvas mapping is direct. Clusters is built around media and reference rather than diagramming and facilitation.
Boords and Storyboarder — storyboard tools. Panels become grid cells, and the script side becomes a screenplay document on the same board.
StudioBinder — production management. Clusters covers the visual and document side and the schedule; it is not a call-sheet-and-crew-management system.
Comparisons and alternatives
Roundups of what else is out there, with pricing checked at the date shown:
Practical route in
- Pick one live project rather than migrating an archive.
- Drag its reference folder onto a new cluster; let it auto-arrange.
- Give things names — names are what search works on.
- Nest sub-clusters where the old tool had folders.
- Invite the team. Editors are free, so there is no seat maths.
Archives are usually not worth moving. Leave them where they are and start with work that is live.
Moving out again
Worth knowing before you commit: board exports as PNG and PDF, document exports as PDF, Markdown, HTML, .fdx and Fountain, every original file downloadable as uploaded, and the REST API can read everything programmatically.
Frequently asked questions
Is there an importer?
No. Reference boards move by dragging the images in, which takes about as long as an importer would. Structured formats are the exception — screenplays import as Final Draft or Fountain files.
Will my layout survive?
No. Positions do not transfer from any other tool. Dropped images auto-arrange, and auto-arrange by colour is usually a faster route to a good layout than reproducing the old one.
What actually transfers cleanly?
Files, and screenplays. Everything else is a rebuild — which is why this page is about mapping concepts rather than migrating data.
Machine-readable: /docs/migrating.md · /llms.txt