XnView Software

helmut

• Hi !

Most graphic programs have a dashed selection, combined with inversion: …

• I think also that's THE way… In GFIE Pro (icon¦image editor), it's even animated ! Something like this :

   

Note : Limited to 50 loops here, press F5 to restart…

G.
Claude
Clo

helmut

• Hi !

• To show that the dashed selection is definitely the best solution, I made that example in GFIE Pro :



• The dashed frame here is only black and white, but it's visible on all colours…
When animated, one can see some virtual colours (variable with the sight of every one of users…).
• It's an optical effect similar to the Benham's disc effect

• Hoping that Pierre'll take ideas here.

G.
Claude
Clo

Thanks for the draft, Clo. Selecting and cropping really needs an update - the style of the selection box is one of the many issues in this area.

helmut wrote:Most graphic programs have a dashed selection, combined with inversion: - - - - - - - -. I think this is the way to go for XnView...

I agree. A selection marquee (“marching ants”) would be the best solution.

• 

XnTriq wrote:

helmut wrote:Most graphic programs have a dashed selection, combined with inversion: - - - - - - - -. I think this is the way to go for XnView...

I agree. A selection marquee (“marching ants”) would be the best solution.

• 

Yes, the animated selection would be best but might be irritating somehow. Perhaps a menu item "Start/stop ants" (the latter ist just a joke)

Irritating? Just about every image editor I can think of (and even Excel) has an animated marquee to visualize the boundaries of a selected area.
Don't get me wrong: I don't like distracting gimmicks either, but we're talking about a time-tested, established standard here.

XnTriq wrote:Irritating? Just about every image editor I can think of (and even Excel) has an animated marquee to visualize the boundaries of a selected area.

Often I temporarily hide the selection in Corel PhotoPaint because I find it the marquee ants distracting - especially when the selection is not just a block but has many individual areas like in your "XnView logo" sample above. But it may be just me who is distracted.

XnTriq wrote:Don't get me wrong: I don't like distracting gimmicks either, but we're talking about a time-tested, established standard here.

I do stick very much to standards: Standards help to make things consistent and thus intuitive. Standards should provide the best solution possible. But sometimes the best solution is not the best solution for all people - this is why applications are configurable. (Just my 2 cents).

helmut wrote:Often I temporarily hide the selection in Corel PhotoPaint because I find it the marquee ants distracting - especially when the selection is not just a block but has many individual areas like in your "XnView logo" sample above. But it may be just me who is distracted.

Hm, now that you're mentioning it I remember that I put a “Show Selection Edges”/ “Hide Marquee” button on my toolbars in both Photoshop (Extensis PhotoBar) and Paint Shop Pro for quick access.

Would you prefer an option for switching between animated & color-inverted marquee or for toggling the marquee on & off?

XnTriq wrote:... Would you prefer an option for switching between animated & color-inverted marquee or for toggling the marquee on & off?

Hard to say. Until now, in XnView selections are always rectangular and thus simple and do not play a really big role. In other programs you have complex operations on the selection and can even save and load selections (=masks).

I think in XnView a simple setting in the .ini file for the type of the selection (marquee ants or dashed) would be sufficient.

A more practical way to decide is that Pierre implements the marching ants selection and then we and other users decide, which options are really needed.

helmut

Hi !

• It's indeed ticklish to choose which new kind of selection could be implemented then used according to a bunch of options…

- It's worth a mock-up, I guess.

- From my point of view, generally "Marching ants" is not very distracting¦disturbing
when displayed during the time you need the selection for a usual operation.
- We miss at least lasso and circular selections, and that could be added in a next version,
so killing two birds with the same stone…

- We have to hear the Pierre's opinion now.

G.
Claude
Clo

Hello !

• Just a first approach about what such options could be :



• With dashed selections (fixed and marquee), the need to choose an appropriate cursor arises
(sorry for the saucisse, I couln't resist )

• Feel free to suggest any improvement, I bet that there are tons to add…

KR
Claude
Clo

pumb

Hello,
@Clo: Looks great! That's what meant!

I hope it will be implementet soon!

regards,
Stefan

PhotoFiltre Studio 10 beta now has "marching ants" for selections and I love it, looks great