Articles on: Creating Comics

Importing and exporting scripts

The Advanced Script Editor can export an issue's whole script to a JSON file, import a script back in — including one generated by an AI tool like ChatGPT — and regenerate the script from scratch. These are handy for drafting a script outside ComicInk, backing one up, or reworking a script's structure in bulk instead of panel-by-panel.


On web only. Like the rest of the Advanced Script Editor, export, import, and regenerate are web features.


Exporting a script


Click Export script in the Advanced Script Editor's toolbar to download the current script as a .json file. The download includes every page and panel — settings, descriptions, dialogue, narration, action, and cast/asset assignments — plus any edits you haven't saved yet.


Exporting is free and doesn't cost credits.


Regenerating a script


Click Regenerate script to rewrite the whole issue from your story details. The create-story form opens pre-filled with the issue's current title, synopsis, theme, page count, and selected characters and assets. Adjust anything you like, then submit — ComicInk writes a brand-new script and streams it into the editor, replacing the current one.


Your previous script is kept in the issue's history, so a regenerate is never a dead end. Regenerating rewrites the script; generating the page artwork afterward is what costs credits (see What costs credits).


Importing a script


Click Import script to open the import wizard. It walks you through three steps:


  1. Copy prompt. Press the button to copy a ready-made prompt to your clipboard. It teaches the AI ComicInk's exact script format and includes your current script plus your existing characters and assets (with their descriptions and available looks), so the AI reuses them correctly.
  2. Write with AI. Open ChatGPT — or Claude, Gemini, any AI chat — and paste the prompt from the previous step. Chat with it to write or refine your story however you like. When you're happy, tell it: "Export the final script as JSON in the ComicInk format." Then copy its reply.
  3. Paste result. Paste the JSON the AI gave you into the box (or upload the .json file). ComicInk checks it automatically — if it looks good, the script imports right away.


If the paste needs fixing


ComicInk checks what you paste as you go, and helps you recover if something's off:


  • It isn't JSON. If the AI added extra text or forgot to export JSON, you'll see a Copy fix prompt button. Paste that follow-up prompt back into your AI chat to get a clean, JSON-only reply, then paste that in.
  • It's JSON but doesn't match the format. Use Fix with AI — ComicInk repairs the script to fit its format, keeping your pages, panels, and dialogue as written, then imports it.


Importing replaces the current script


Import does not merge with what's already on the page — it replaces the entire script in the editor. If you want to keep your current draft, export it first as a backup.


If an import doesn't turn out the way you wanted, press ⌘Z (Cmd+Z) right away to undo it — the whole import is a single undo step.


Matching characters and assets


Before an imported or regenerated script is applied, ComicInk shows a Match characters & assets step. It compares every character and asset name in the new script against your existing cast and assets, and for each one lets you choose:


  • Use existing — map the name to one of your comic's current characters or assets.
  • + Create new — create it as a brand-new character or asset.
  • Skip — drop that name; it won't be assigned in the script.


If a name is a near-miss for one already in your cast (say, the script says "Sophie" but your character is "Sophia"), ComicInk flags it as a suggested match so you don't accidentally create a duplicate.


New characters and assets


When you confirm a name as + Create new, ComicInk creates the character or asset and generates its reference image, the same as creating one anywhere else in the editor:


  • Defining a new character or asset is free, and so is its first reference image — this only costs credits once you're past your issue's free character slots. See What costs credits for the exact free-slot counts.
  • If you described a brand-new character or asset in your AI chat, ComicInk uses that description when creating it, instead of writing its own.
  • If the reference image can't be generated (for example, you're out of credits), the character or asset is still created without art — you can generate its image later. Either way, the import still goes through.



Updated on: 09/07/2026

Was this article helpful?

Share your feedback

Cancel

Thank you!