Evaluation Notes - Creating Original Art

From GIMP GUI Redesign
Revision as of 18:31, 19 March 2007 by Guiguru (talk) (Image window issues)
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introduction

These raw notes are provided as our documentation and for your insight and entertainment. They are not meant to start a flame war. Wait for our complete analysis before reacting.

TASK: creating original art, a collage of found images and wild brushwork.

Open New File

  1. Image Size: width and height should be chained
  2. Advanced options are hiding the resolution part, which is something we are trying to achieve.
  3. X, Y resolution should be the same by default
  4. Many possible resolution formats, but in 99% you know what ppi you want to achieve.
    1. We can create two radio buttons. one for screen images (72 ppi) and the second for other print resolutions.
  5. With closed advanced options you shall be able to express if it’s print or screen img.
  6. When choosing img for print, the default resolution would be something like 300 ppi, but user could type other value (the same for X, Y resolution). In advanced options user could change X, Y resolution independently.

Open PDF

  1. It needs Ghostscript, so this should come as an installer option.
  2. something wrong with sizing the pages preview

Image window issues

  1. When closing last image window, GIMP should not quit, an 'empty' image window (grey, or with with Wilber, or tooltip) could keep the instance alive.
  2. When minimizing image window also toolbox window(s) should be minimized. (however that might be disturbing when working on many images at the same time and shifting between them)
  3. In a task bar user should see just the image windows.
  4. Maybe we could dock dialogs in the main image window. User would be able to have separate dialogs all around, or all in image window.
  5. In View/Dialogs menu user could chose the view mode. We should decide about the default after evaluating a mockup of the all-in-one concept.
  6. Inspector (toolbox) windows are at the moment real windows, and in general they are too 'fat' comparedd to the image window. for an optimal working environment they should have more ‘lightweight’ look, trimmer, more ‘athletic’. We need to limit those big push buttons that are common.

Scanning

  1. We don’t like the fact the user has to install SANE plugin to scan. This should be one-click installation. After installing it should automatically see the scanner.

Aquire ScreenShot

  1. GIMP is partially duplicating functionality of a system, but we appreciate it also takes a print screen of a single window, or area.
  2. Delay is good idea, but the phrase needs to be changed. Description may depend on the option chosen by radio button. There should be also appropriate tooltips.
  3. Two delays is too much.
  4. We need to show that’s it’s counting down.
  5. Name: take a print screen of a single window
  6. Other options would be available in a plugin.

Acquire Scanner/Camera..

  1. Separate interface item for webcam, scanner, camera.
  2. Right now Source window enables choosing right device, but the Source window would be shown just when there are more cameras, or scanners connected.

Layers

We need organizing layers in folders.

Layer Modes

Their names should be as explicit as possible. We know there are a lot of them, but when using them for a longer time you can now/predict their result.


Alpha channel should be more treatable.

Posterize

Nice and straightforward, but effective rather only for low ranges (just below value 33 something really happens).

Colorize

  1. Works well, but it wouldn’t make the img realistic.
  2. Maybe it shouldn’t be grouped with all other major colour filters.
  3. The first 2 sliders should be replaced with colour wheel. Slider for lightness should remain.


Filters

Auto Filters

  1. Probable aimed at photographers, but they wouldn’t trust those filters.
  2. On contrary those filters make nothing spectacular for graph designers.

Components

Channel mixer

  1. Values should be in percents.
  2. It works for monochrome, to stop when you like what you see.
  3. For colour modes the UI is not good, it’s difficult to make the experiments, when changing the output channels .
  4. Save options are useful for creating filters. It would be a good idea to have easy access to different pre-sets (‘personal filters’). Other tools could work in a similar way.
  5. Not yet solution for experimentation.

Decompose

  1. Not very useful in this scenario

Adjust

Does nothing interesting.

Map

Alien Map

  1. Does sth radical, it is rather interesting.
  2. No reset button or saving.
  3. Three check-boxes are not a good idea. Also changing the modes in this way is not good.
  4. Sliders are too technical. We need something that would encourage to experiment, and also give user bigger control over what he does. Now the sliders are too long.
  5. Changing the mode keeps sliders at the same place, which is strange, since the sliders have completely different function.
  6. Different names, like instead of ‘red frequency’ – ‘red wobbles’, instead of ‘red phaseshift’- just ‘shift’ or ‘wobble shift’.
  7. Now using check box doesn’t mean deactivation, but invisible effect of those setting, so maybe we shall put an eye icon.
  8. New settings for default (0,7).

Color Exchange

  1. There should be different threshold set above zero, because the changes are unnoticeable.
  2. In color dialog Hue value changes per 30 when you click at some point, and it doesn’t stop in clicked point.
  3. In CMYK values changes per 10, but there is a reason for that. In CMYK you don’t see colors, on the right- HSV you see colors, and you chose exact color. ‘Look and feel wall.’

Map Color Range

  1. The direction of how the color changes from the first range to the second should be presented.
  2. It’s nice to specify 4 points, but tight now it isn’t controllable, because user can’t see what color points are included.

Gradient Mapping, Palette Mapping

Nice and quick

Rotate Color

  1. All values should go from 0 to 360. We like simplicity so we would like to remove the input fields, but maybe that would be ‘too easy’.
  2. There should be smaller icons, better describing what they do.
  3. Units tab should disappear, hue units should probable always be degrees.
  4. Gray mode probable has still some bugs. We are not sure why gray shift is implemented in Color rotation.

Sample Colorize

  1. Nice effects, but looks sloppy, because of bad update. It should update once per sec while user is sliding around.
  2. It seems the preview sometimes differ from the result.
  3. The names for input/output level should be different.
  4. ‘Get sample colors’ button is not well place. Choosing an image in Sample dropdown, should trigger ‘getting sample color’.
  5. Mulit tonning idea (?)
  6. Problems with show selection.(?)
  7. The dialog should be rearranged.
  8. There should be Apply, Cancel, OK buttons.


The creating a gradient for more complex colorizing is too difficult now.

Color Filters

Colorify

  1. It should have good color picker instead of few custom colors.
  2. Doesn’t seem to meet the goals of photographers.
  3. Make the inspector ‘invisible’, when you use them they are too prominent.They could be black&white for a big contrast.

Invert and Value invert

Nice and quick

Desaturate

  1. Most of the people don’t distinguish lightness and luminosity.
  2. It should have preview.
  3. Maybe change the names to brightness too.

Color to Alpha

  1. Color picker in general in all these dialogs should all be as good as the one in the color picker in toolbox.
  2. Controllability of it should be improved.

Filter Pack Simulation

Very badly implemented in UI. Not relevant.

Maximum RGV Value

Direct enough.

Retinex

  1. It’s very good for it’s original intent and experiments, but needs goal oriented UI.
  2. Technical parameters don’t make a use if you don’t write the parameters on some paper.


Artistic

Apply Canvas

Simple enough, although we wouldn’t recommend it to professionals. One trick pony.

Cartoon

Should stay, easy to control and gives nice effects.

Clothy

Rather not good for experimenting, because there is no preview.

Cubism

Shouldn’t stay in core GIMP.

Photocopy

Nice effects. We should keep it, however it is not very artistic.

GIMPrassionist

It is powerful, but there are too many options too even start experimenting.Why would a user start doing it in one dialog at the same time?

Oilify

One trick pony.

Predator

Interesting, but definitely needs a preview.

SoftGlow

Good, it does what it shows

Van Gogh

  1. It has 12 parameters and no preview, which is unacceptable.
  2. It doesn’t do what it ‘promises’.
  3. We need to take it out or improve it, so that it do what it says.

Weave

It has no preview but quite a lot of parameters. The effect is rather kitsch.

MAP

Bump Map

Interesting, but needs less and better parameters.

Displace

The effort spend on trying to understand the parameters is not worth the effect. The parameters are too difficult to understand.

Fractal Trace

Not useful enough for creating bg.

Illusion

Straightforward. Either the like the effect or not. Peter says- no, Kamila says, that used in a correct way might give good results.

Make Seamless

Very simple and straightforward.

Map Object

  1. Not for Web Desinger, not in this scenario.
  2. A plugin with light adding would be a good idea, but a specialized one.
  3. Material is interesting, but you could make it a new plugin.

Paper Tile

  1. Bad interface, because you need to set the things and see what happens.
  2. Does the values have to be connected together?
  3. Shouldn’t stay.

SmallTiles

  1. There should be separate vertical and horizontal slider for segments.
  2. Reset works in a odd way.
  3. If there is no important reason why the formula is there, then it should not be displayed.
  4. Useful but the interface should be simplified.

Tile

Is there any reason why it should be there? It is rather unnecessary to stay.

Warp

  1. Looks powerful but not at all straightforward, there are too many controls.
  2. We need to go back to the person who made it and ask what he wanted to achieve?
  3. If we can make it simple then, then it is ok, we need to find purpose for it.

Render

Create new graphic without taking care about the image. New things are being drawn for the user. That is not very professional. (...)

Blur

Simple and straightforward: Blur, Gaussian Blur, Motion, Pixelized. However in Motion Blur the angle should be set not by a slider but rather by a wheel. Most of the plugins having angle parameters should implement wheel.

Tileable Blur

  1. It can have vertical and horizontal parameter to set the border, and say how you want it to work.
  2. Also the two names IIR, RLE are wrong, they should say what they really mean (IIR : for photographic or scanned images, RLE: for computer-generated images).
  3. It appears twice in the menu in Windows version.

Enhance

Deinterlace

Quite good for adding missing rows when capturing img form camera.

Despectle

Maybe more for experiments than for despectling.

Destripe

Easy and straightforward for adding stripes.

NL Filter

Doesn’t improve the image in expected way, not for photographers.

Red Eye Removal

(...)

Filter values issue

What is better when using a filter second time… - should it keep the last setting? - should it have default ones? We need to answer these questions.

Distorts

Blinds

Rather not for professionals, not in this scenario at least.

Curve Bend

  1. This should be done in a direct way by a tool, not a filter.
  2. It should also enable vertical and horizontal changes.

Useful probable for creating flags.

Emboss

  1. The effect is interesting, but there should be better description of the parameters.
  2. For the light setting it would be better to have some kind of light rotation.

Erase every other row

  1. Gives a good effect; straightforward.
  2. But better controls would make it even better, probable some radio buttons instead of dropdowns.

IWarp

It should be done by a brush.

Lens distortion

  1. Too settle here (?)
  2. (not in Windows/version 2.3.11)

Mosaic

Not useful for this scenario; kitsch alert.

Newsprint

  1. Really good for this task, but it should have better controls, than now.
  2. It’s worth to spend time on this filter, great effect.

Page curl

Not useful for this case; kitsch alert.

Polar Coordinates

Not useful here, and probable nowhere.

Ripple

Quite essential distortion mechanism, but needs some better parameters

Shift

Straightforward, good enough.

Value Propagate

We are not really sure of its goal, seems not very powerful