Evaluation Notes - Icon Design

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: designing icons with in cooperation with vector programs.

Open/Hot link to vector images

1. Hot linking a vector file in not possible at the moment. However we think it should work by opening a file in a new layer. When changing vector img in Inscape, it should update on it’s own in GIMP. If that's impossible, then at least one-click manual refreshing.
2. imported vector images should stay vector for ever. there should be a priority to maintain their aspect ratio.
3. Changes wouldn’t affect the quality also for resolution changes.
4. The steps/parameters that are now in dialog for vectors should be available in a vector way whenever- even if the original SVG is not around after years, you could still change it in a vector way with those parameters.

icon view

1. a special icon view for the main window should be introduced. the canvas is split in two, and on the left are the icon in the different pre-defined formats (128x128, 32x32, 16x16) for a particular platform, and on the right one edits one of these.
2. the smaller sizes are by default automatically derived from the largest size, and then each can be optimised by the user.

Toolbox

There should be Toolbox categories, a bit of separation would improve the ease of use (speed) of the toolbox. Even 3px between groups of tools would help. No collapsing of groups or labelling. Also in some of the menus we need to introduce more separation lines to speed up the use of them.

Grid

There should be easy way to set up a pixel grid.

Palettes

1. We can think about importing a palette from Inscape (but it seems there are no real palettes there, right now), because the colors already exist. If that is not possible, it has to be easy to start and put together your own palette. User should drag his colors and save it (within a file.?).
2. At the moment it is possible to Save the palette but not Export it. It has to be possible because it’s more conscious and later on user could add it to his project files.
3. Maybe the effect/filter applied wouldn’t have to be on a new layer, because you could still enhance the img in Freehand, or Inscape.
4. There should be Website colors and VisiBone colors, because these are the standards. There might be those two that would be locked and you’d have to unlock them in FG/BG
5. If palettes would be in FG/BG dialog, user could use Palette mode, and from here he could chose his palette. On one hand it would be useful to split the palette in two.
6. User should be able to group palettes in folders, drag them around. New Palette, Delete Palette, Duplicate should be possible.
7. When picking a color, you can also edit a palette.
8. It all should be done within maximum two dialogs: FG/BG color editor connected with ‘palette editor’ that is now (but it would have to be sth different). Maybe it could be under the FG>BG color editor, so it would be a second optional subdialog.
9. Project repository- we need to be more file/project oriented.
10. There could be possibility to drag filters to fg/bg, as a metaphor for painting with filters.
11. Applied filters would be stored in history, it would be possible to drag out a filters, change its parameters and apply again.

Zoom

We are not sure what is the best zoom (100% or rather 400%) to work on effects like shadows.

Convert into smaller sizes and optimizing

1. At the beginning you would be able to see resized previews.
2. We keep all sizes of an icon in one file, as an icon container.
3. We need to decide whether to overwrite small resolution icons.
4. It shouldn’t be "completely" automated to apply changes from SVG to icon in GIMP.
5. Idea: super automated system. When the SVG gets updated, high resolution icon (the biggest one, you are working with at the beginning) would get updated and then small icon that would be derived from it. But there should also be a pop-up where user would chose which icon should be a basic for smaller one.
6. It would be possible to combined more SVG-es, but not split.
7. At the beginning user could set up his icon view like: 48, 32, 16
8. We assume there are just fixed aspect ratio like 16x16, with exception for MAC: 16x12.
9. When changing the color in SVG, all effects applied in GIMP stay the same.

Icon brushes

Having a paintbrush that is a square is necessary. Maybe also diamond shape.

Zoom

Separate zoom value should belong to one icon of a specific size. So when shifting between icons with different size, user always see the best zoom for selected icon.

Copy Layer

When creating a layer copy, after updating SVG, the copy doesn’t update, just the ‘source layer’.

Transparency concept

The concept of transparency is also important.

Selecting pixels

User should be able to click on a pixel and select it. No need to drag anything. Also when using Shift or Ctrl user could select few pixels and change its color/brightness. The one click would remove the selection that exists, and the second one would again select one pixel. This has to be done only in the icon view, but not for web designers for ex.(we need to be careful about that when creating design solution).

Dodge & Burn tool

Choosing one of the light ranges: shadows/midtones/highlights is disturbing in this scenario.