# Smart Score overview

Understand what a Smart Score adds to a PDF, which tools need one, and the quotas and limits that apply before you convert.

> Type: Overview · Status: Beta · Platforms: iPadOS 17+ · Last reviewed: 2026-07-18

## What a Smart Score is

A Smart Score is a structured, machine-readable version of a piece: every note,
measure, clef, and marking exists as data, not as pixels on a page. The reader
renders it as freshly engraved notation, and notation-aware tools can work on
it. A plain PDF or scan shows the page but knows nothing about the music on it.

| Version | What it is for | Limit |
| --- | --- | --- |
| PDF or image-based score | Reading the source edition, direct annotation, page editing, and printing | Notes and measures are not structured; notation tools stay unavailable |
| Smart Score (converted from PDF) | `Analysis`, `Auto-fingering`, `Transpose`, note-level Follow tracking, and notation overlays | Conversion can misread or omit notation; review it against the source |
| Imported MusicXML or MEI file | The same structured tools, with no conversion step | Accuracy depends entirely on the file you imported |

If you already have a MusicXML or MEI file for a piece, import it directly —
it behaves as a Smart Score without using a conversion.

## A version beside the PDF, never a replacement

Conversion adds a new version to the piece; the source PDF is not modified or
removed. Both versions live under the same piece, and the reader switches to
the Smart Score automatically when the conversion lands. You can switch back
to the PDF version at any time.

> **Important** Keep the PDF version. Printing works from the PDF, corrections
> with `Fix a Wrong Conversion` need the source page to draw a selection on,
> and the PDF stays the reference for checking what the conversion produced.

## Where conversion starts

There are three ways to create a Smart Score, all running the same conversion:

- **During import.** The import wizard offers a one-time choice to convert
  automatically. Nothing converts unless you agreed there; adding a PDF to
  `My Library` on its own never starts a conversion.
- **From the reader.** Open the piece, open `Toolbox` (the wrench), then tap
  `Convert to Smart Score`.
- **From the Trainer.** `Create Smart Score Layer` is step one of the
  Trainer's prepare-record-calibrate flow.

Running and finished jobs are listed in the `Smart Scores` sheet, newest
first, with `Open` and `Show in Library` actions. You can leave the app while
a job runs; a `Smart Score ready` notification arrives when it finishes.

Full steps and what to check afterwards: [Convert a PDF](/docs/smart-score/convert).

## What to expect from the result

- Each conversion comes back with a quality grade from `A` to `D` and a
  0–100 score (for example "quality A (94/100)"), based on how cleanly the
  notation was read. Treat the grade as a first signal, not a verdict — a
  well-formed file can still contain local musical errors.
- If your PDF matches an edition already in the Page Turner score
  library, you may receive that hand-engraved score instead of a fresh
  transcription. These results are typically cleaner than a conversion.
- When the notation cannot be read as structured music at all, conversion
  falls back to a visual follow map: Follow mode still works after you record
  a take and calibrate, but `Analysis`, `Auto-fingering`, and `Transpose`
  remain unavailable for that piece until a successful conversion.

Found a wrong passage? Fix it in place instead of reconverting:
[Fix a wrong conversion](/docs/smart-score/fix-conversion).

## Quotas and limits

> **Limit** A free account includes 10 conversions. This is a lifetime total
> per account, not a monthly allowance, and there is no paid plan yet. When
> the limit is reached, new conversions are declined — every Smart Score
> already in your library keeps working.

> **Limit** Conversion is designed for scores up to 30 pages and PDFs up to
> 50 MB. Automatic conversion at import skips longer scores. A long score
> started from `Convert to Smart Score` or `Create Smart Score Layer` stops
> with a `Conversion failed` message and no further explanation. Only the
> `Convert this PDF` button in Follow asks before running (`Large score` →
> `Convert anyway` / `Cancel`). Split a long score into movements with
> `Rearrange pages` in `Toolbox`, then convert each part.

> **Beta** A valid Smart Score file does not prove musical accuracy. Scans,
> handwriting, dense textures, unusual engraving, and incomplete pages reduce
> conversion quality. Compare the result with the source before relying on
> analysis, fingering, or live tracking built on top of it.