Evaluation Notes - Creating Original Art

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
3. width and height should be chained, what happens if aspect ratio gets altered by the user: squash or cut?

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 the desktop environment, but we appreciate it also takes a screenshot 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 screenshot of a single window
6. more complicated options would be available in a separate plugin.

Acquire Scanner/Camera..

1. Separate sub-menu 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 multiple cameras, or multiple scanners connected.

Layers

We need organizing layers in folders.

Layer Modes

1. Being mostly mathematical operations, their names could be clearer to express what really to expect.
2. there are a lot of them, but we know that when using them for a longer time one can know/predict their result.
3. the browsing of the modes via the up/down keys is crucial just to see what each does

general comment: Alpha channel should be more directly editable.

Filters

Colors menu

Colorize

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

Posterize

1. Nice and straightforward.
2. effective rather only for low ranges (just below value 33 something really happens).
3. could expand the lower range and compress the higher range of values on the slider

Auto submenu

1. Probably aimed at photographers, but exactly they wouldn’t trust all-automatic filters.
2. On other hand, these filters don't do anything spectacular for graphic designers.

Components

Channel mixer

1. Values should be in percents.
2. It works for splendidly for converting to monochrome, to experiment until 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’).
5. the user does not need to worry about files. GIMP can store it in the right place and add presets to a popup menu. user can also manage presets (delete etc.) via this popup menu. Other tools could work in a similar way.

Decompose

1. Not very useful in this scenario

Map

Alien Map

1. Does sth radical, it is rather interesting.
2. No reset button or saving of parameters.
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 experiments, and also give user bigger control over what it 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, not so technical, like instead of ‘red frequency’ – ‘red wobbles’, instead of ‘red phaseshift’- just ‘shift’ or ‘wobble shift’.
7. unchecking a check box doesn’t mean deactivation of a pair of sliders, but not applying the effect of those setting, so maybe we shall use an eye icon instead.
8. New default settings (0,7).

Color Exchange

1. The default threshold settings should be above zero, because the else changes are unnoticeable.
2. In separate color dialog the Hue value changes per 30 when you click at some point, and it doesn’t get set to the clicked point. for sliders where one can see the direct result along the slider track, we should set the value to the clicked point.
3. other sliders, like the CMYK values, changes per 10, as guidelines prescribe. this is good, because one cannot predict what one gets.

Map Color Range

1. The hue direction (cw, ccw) of how the color changes from the first range to the second should be presented.
2. It’s nice to specify 4 points, but right now it isn’t controllable, because user can’t see what 2 paths through color space is set up.

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 probably 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 manual update (get sample colors). It should update once per sec while user is sliding around.
2. The names for input/output level should be different.
3. ‘Get sample colors’ button is not well place. Choosing an image in Sample dropdown, should trigger ‘getting sample color’.
4. The dialog should be rearranged.
5. There should be Apply, Cancel, OK buttons.

general comment: The creating of a gradient for more complex colorising is too difficult right now.

Color menu revisited

Colorify

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

Invert and Value invert

Nice and quick

Desaturate

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

Color to Alpha

1. in general: the Color picker in all these dialogs should all be as good as the color picker in the toolbox.
2. user control over this filter should be improved.

Filter Pack Simulation

Very cryptic, badly implemented UI. Not relevant these days.

Maximum RGB Value

Direct enough.

Retinex

1. It’s very good for it’s original intent and experiments, but needs a goal oriented UI.
2. Technical parameters don’t make sense.
3. parameters cannot be saved.

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