Color Menu Analysis

Main Filters of Color Menu

Color Balance

• It should be possible to balance 2/3 range of adjustment simultaneously. Idea: Replicate the 2 sliders for all 3 ranges and link the adjustment ranges by default
• User should have possibility to sample ‘a colour’ from the picture, and say "I want less/more of this". Then either the colour would be compensated for, or the balance shifted in the direction of this color.Taking one of 3 eyedroppers and changing for ex. hue, regardless of value and saturation, should be possible.
• Two dimensional solutions: specifying a location on the colour wheel with two sliders will deliver simplification of this process.

Hue Saturation

• Overlap concept is mystifying, probable it should disappear.
• option allowing to identify highlights, midtones, shadows on the picture would be very useful

Colorize

• The first 2 sliders should be replaced with a colour wheel.
• Slider for lightness should remain.

Brightness Contrast

it's nice and simple. we could think about better visualizing

Threshold

nice and quick

Levels

• if it's possible there should be history saved in the dialog. Undo levels in inspector would have step per control.
• separate options in toolbox for levels should disappear, and it’s options should be integrated within one dialog

Curves

• Separate options in toolbox should be integrated into the Curves dialog itself.
• There should be possibility to type number for point coordinates (with very fine precision) in a text box. Then we might consider removing mouse coordinates.
• Better coordinates - 100% or 255 (this needs to be investigated)Should we give user possibility to chose them?
• It shoul be possible to delete point not only by dragging it out, but also by using Delete key.
• There should be a Curve for the Saturation channel.
• When working on one of the RGB channels, it is useful to also see the curves of the other two channels (of RGB). Curves dialog would show editable active curve and semitransparent inactive curves under it. With some buttons user could shift between them.
• idea: squeeze levels and curves into docking panel

Posterize

Since it is effective rather only for low ranges (just below value 33 something really happens), we should expand the lower range and compress the higher range of values on the slider.

Desaturate

• Most of the people don’t know what's the difference between lightness and luminosity.
• Maybe change the one of the two to brightness.
• It should have preview

Invert

Nice and quick

Value Invert

Nice and quick

Auto

These aren't professionally tools for photographers. None of them has a dialog box with parameters giving control over the effect. However the results are often very good for enhancing small images used for creative art and web design.

Components

Channel Mixer

• it should stay in core GIMP with enhancements, it works particularly well when converting to monochrome
• values should be in percent
• changing output channels should have better UI solution
• 'save' option should be developed to enable easy access to different pre-sets ('personal filters'). User should not worry about the files. GIMP should store it in the right place and add pre-sets to a popup menu. User could manage pre-sets (delete etc.) via this popup menu. Other tools could work in a similar way.

Compose

• could be combined with Recompose
• better solution for unavailable options could be implemented

Decompose

Should stay in core GIMP. Simple and quick

Recompose

• could be combined with Compose
• problem: if original image is closed, it doesn't work

Map

Adjust Foreground and Background

It should be removed form the core GIMP. It does not work as expected at the moment. Other tools can achieve similar effect in a better way.

Alien Map

it should be possible to: - reset values - save parameters - experiment easily with better sliders (better default setting, maningful names, better behaviour of parameters), no check-boxes (modes should be changed in different way)

Color Exchange

- default threshold setting should be above zero, so that the changes at visible - improvement of color selecting (etc.)

Color Range Mapping

The hue direction (cw, ccw) of how the color changes from the first range to the second should be presented, to have better control over the effect.

Gradient Map

nice and quick

Palette Map

nice and quick, might become even more powerful when implementing 'blobs of paint' concept

Info

Histogram

It should be combined with other filters. It seems not to work as a stand alone dialog. After setting levels further judgement is more artistic (done by eyes), rather than technological wise.

Border Average

This should be done in a better way. Implementing color picker, that would enable to get an average color from selected area, will be a better solution, than choosing only border average.

Colorcube Analysis

Part of the functionality of this tool should be implemented in other dialog (like saving file), when given information is really important.

Draw HSV Graph

crushes, no description on docs.gimp.org

Smooth Palette

Creating a palette from the image colors should be done within palettes. This dialog should disappear and become a kind of palette feature. However then better parameters should be implemented.

Other

Color to Alpha

User control over this filter should be improved. Color picker should be as powerful as the one in the toolbox. see [effect]

Colorify

It should have a good color picker instead of few old-fashioned colors. Doesn’t seem to meet the goals of artists. see [effect]

Filter Pack

• Not relevant, other tools support its goals better.
• No-concept and not coherent UI.
• Should probable stay out of core GIMP.

Hot

"It identifies and modifies pixels which might cause problem when displayed onto PAL or NTSC TV screen."

• is it being used?

Maximum RGB

direct enough see [effect]

Retinex

• Should stay in core GIMP - good for original intent and experiments.
• Needs goal oriented UI.
• Better parameters needed, not too technical and with more meaningful names.
• There should be possibility to save the parameters.

see [effect]