Paint plugin for MP: Discussion & Suggestions

[budz45]

Hi,

If this topic is best suited for the original paint plugin topic then I apologize. I just thought it would be better to create this topic on the matter since XnView Multi-Platform is whole new different game than old/existing/legacy xnview win 1.9x

here are my suggestions:


Most Important:
=Paint plugin could be (possibly) renamed to something like 'XnPaint'

=Default background color (canvas) should be the same as that as the MP's Viewer. With ability to configure background canvas color here too.

=Long awaited support for Undo/Redo fucntions in this Paint plugin

=Rotating of drawn shapes or selections i.e. holding down right-click to rotate like in Paint.NET and others.

=Likely a change of the screen postion of the toolbar (this time make it vertical on sides and not placed on top)

=Support for drop-shadows in any shape/line/manual drawing + anti-alias, bluring and darkness configuring for any drop shadows (like Faststone Capture)

=Support for a 'Line highlighter' drawing. Please it's in Faststone Capture's 'draw' and is a lovely feature. I believe if I'm not mistaken that both Paint plugin and Faststone Capture's 'draw' are using the same original open-source library?

=Newer QT based interface for Paint plugin window for that 'MP' look n feel.

=Keeping features relevant e.g. there could never be advanced editor features like 'Layers' or 'Custom Brushes' since the Paint plugin is not a dedicated editor, nor does it have to be IMO, it is just an auxillary editor to a main application (XnView MP).


Less Important (for later):
=More shapes for the "Selection" (mezich icons needed)

=Support for the 'Freehand lasso' draw / selection

=More shapes for the "Draw" mainly just 'Triangle', 'Rhombus' shapes but perhaps if ok then some 'Pentagon', 'Hexagon' and 'Octagon' shapes also (mezich icons needed)

=Support for a 'Smudge' tool (with sizes/user-configs). It would be better to place it here in Paint plugin than as a filter like in xnview win.

=Possibly in future a 'Nozzles' tool, like in Photofiltre Studio. It's a fun feature and would suit Paint plugin IMO

=Support for a 'Spray' tool.

=Support for 'Eraser' tool (with sizes/user-configs).

=A totally unique tool for Paint plugin that when drawn skews a picture in such a way or creates something. This would be to add some uniqueness to the Paint plugin.


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Related topic:
Subject: Paint plugin v1.0

[Clo]

budz45

Hello !

• You can find roughly all that you ask for here in my OLD DOC about the 1.9xx Paint…
- In that chapter are all the missing features¦tools making this add-on almost unusable for me,
especially the lack of a basic PEN(CIL) !

• Of course, I support your suggestion, as long as it could lead to a really usable painting tool, as you describe it…

KR
Claude
Clo

[Vapavite123]

Hello,

• Of course, I support your suggestion, as long as it could lead to a really usable painting tool, as you describe it…

Become a drawing program. There are already many !

nor does it have to be IMO, it is just an auxillary editor to a main application (XnView MP)

[JohnFredC]

Become a drawing program. There are already many !

In XnView's case, "drawing" does not mean "vector illustration". Instead, think of it as image "annotation"... boxes, arrows, some text.

A modicum of drawing functionality intimate to MP would be welcome, especially if it is implemented as a plugin (as in XnView Legacy). I prefer to stay in my chosen environment as long as possible... switching to outside applications for some (relatively trivial) functionality isn't "clean" IMO.

So... the drawing capability in the XNView 1.9x plugin is fine. It should have a few more features, though. A good example of the drawing features I would find appropriate in an MP drawing plug-in are nicely presented in Screenshot Captor, most esp. the object shadows and blurring capabilities...

A properly executed plug-in environment can keep the parent application "lean and mean", while allowing the user to select what additional functionality they want to embed...

However, IMO the success of a plug-in architecture depends in how intimately the plug-in is connected to the parent's GUI. I personally do not like (for instance) Photoshop's approach of floating windows whose GUI interaction paradigms/appearances do not have to match Photoshop. It would be better if "seamless" integration with the parent's GUI was the rule. This applies to XnView and MP, also...

[budz45]

Become a drawing program. There are already many !

In XnView's case, "drawing" does not mean "vector illustration". Instead, think of it as image "annotation"... boxes, arrows, some text.

Exactly, correct, spot on

So... the drawing capability in the XNView 1.9x plugin is fine. It should have a few more features, though. A good example of the drawing features I would find appropriate in an MP drawing plug-in are nicely presented in Screenshot Captor, most esp. the object shadows and blurring capabilities...

Yes... but please nothing like the UI of 'Screenshot Captor' but drawing features yes

[JohnFredC]

Yes... but please nothing like the UI of 'Screenshot Captor' but drawing features yes

Yes, just the functionality, not the UI!

[budz45]

I took this recent screenshot of faststone vs paint plugin: http://i56.tinypic.com/33cnhhj.png

Ok, later I will work on a QT ui mock-up idea for mp's paint plugin

[budz45]

I've just thought of a new idea for Paint plugin tool in XnView MP.

How about Paint plugin as a 'Tab' instead of a separate window?
The viewer mode toolbar would get greyed out and replaced by that of Paint plugin 16x16 icon toolbar This Paint plugin tab would be a separate 'modal' tab like how the Browser tab is.

My proposed "Effects" top menu item would not get greyed out; http://newsgroup.xnview.com/viewtopic.php?f=60&t=23325
For users that prefer separate window, 'Tab tearing' feature might get implemented in future; http://newsgroup.xnview.com/viewtopic.php?f=60&t=23806

Think of the possibilities if Paint plugin was an actual tab I could create some mock-up pictures later of how it could look.

Is this a Good or Bad idea?

[JohnFredC]

I also am in favor of a move toward modeless interaction with my images.

A tabbed approach to the paint function is a step toward a less modal way of working, an improvement similar to running the MP batch conversion tool in a tab (my preferred method of working, BTW).

But the "paint" (or "annotation", or "markup") functionality is a peer (or even a subordinate) of other functionalities that XnView already provides in the View tab for users to work with images (Levels, Rotation, Crop, etc.) and therefore logically should occupy the same UI interaction space as they do.

Why have a View tab AND a "Paint" tab, each containing the same image? Instead, it would be better to present all tools that act on a single image (including the "paint" tools) inside a single View tab. On the View toolbar, naturally.

However, I think the real issue (and stoppage) for implementation of this idea is that the "Paint" tool (as currently written) is a plugin, and that perhaps the design of XnView's plugin architecture only supports plugins in modal dialogs.

Maybe Pierre will comment about the current and future feasibility of this idea.

[xnview]

"Paint plugin" will be integrated in the view mode not as another tab

[budz45]

"Paint plugin" will be integrated in the view mode not as another tab

Yes that's what I thought it would be native this time in XnView MP Thanks for the news.

Ok you say "not as another tab" - so will Paint still be a tab? I means if I am viewing a picture and I press "Paint" then that currently viewed tab will turn into 'Paint' program tab am I correct?

[JohnFredC]

A truly modeless approach is best. This means either an additional toolbar or additional buttons on the current toolbar.

[budz45]

A truly modeless approach is best. This means either an additional toolbar or additional buttons on the current toolbar.

Yes,

..and any additional toolbars/menu buttons would have to temporarily replace the 'standard' viewer mode buttons/toolbar for when Paint application is in use.. That is what I believe.

I would like to draw some mock-ups

[JohnFredC]

..and any additional toolbars/menu buttons would have to temporarily replace the 'standard' viewer mode buttons/toolbar for when Paint application is in use

I surely hope not. Why would that be necessary? The idea is modeless interaction.

[budz45]

The idea is modeless interaction.

Well John I do agree with you but remember that some toolbar items would certainly need grey-ing out (not useable) for the fully modeless, such as 'next/prev file' , 'slideshow' etc. I know you may reply with the familiar expression "well duh" meaning that it's pretty obvious that those should become greyed out.

What about space for all the Paint-specific toolbar icons, where would they go? I pop-up toolbar like that of "crop" or "spotlight" toolbars, I don't think I'd like unless perhaps the icons were 16x16 maybe