Tags: Position

[xnview]

So let's put user-assigned characteristics (tag box, number rating...) in top-left corner and other items (EXIF, IPTC...) in lower-right corner.

I support this.
We are used to see important things at the top (cf: top-down reading, title...) and footnotes/info at the bottom.
This solution will also avoid the confusion seen here (as they won't be on a same line) and should reduce problems for small Thumbnails with lots of icons.

Someone can make a draft, please?

[marsh]

7 tag postions:

+

Other colours:


Current: Blue:
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[Troken]

Great work Marsh! Nice to compare all those images. I strongly recommend to compare the same ideas on a layout with standard white background and drop-shadows on the thumb-nails (I suspect this is a common layout). In my opinion, its bad to separate all icons to much, better to keep them toghether as in Marshs example M4, or else it can get messy.

For comparison (M1–M6):


Now, it might get more complicated. What if someone uses a really small thumb-size? You wouldn't see the image behind the icons (or? I haven't tried yet). Don't forget, some images have the IPTC-icon as well.

[nightflyer]

I am mainly for marsh M3, as I wrote. But I agree with any example with data on diagonal (like marsh M6).
This solves also Troken's problem. With 50x50 thumbnail size (pathological- less space than in Icons mode) there is place for 3 or 4 out of 5 info-icons and tag-box, rating and label at the same time, if they are put on different sides. This can be worse if you put all information in one line. I can not think of any software that puts so much information into one border.
If there is no space for all info-icons, ellipisis (...) should be drawn to indicate there are non-displayed info-icons, and non-overlapping neighbour thumbnails.

[JohnFredC]

I am mainly for marsh M3, as I wrote. But I agree with any example with data on diagonal (like marsh M6).

I agree. Diagonal placement.

[Dreamer]

I like this one, but I'm not sure what colors should be used.

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[helmut]

I still have one of Olivier's above post in mind showing that the info symbols cannot assigned properly when they are separated. So I think that it is essential to keep all info together. For this reason my favourite is the same as Dreamer's favourite:

[JohnFredC]

Sorry to respond so negatively, but I find all the symbols in a row (M10, for instance) confusing. On small thumbnails aligned close together, the "all in a row" indicators (if they even fit) will run together into a visually meaningless row across the screen (try it: pick a small thumbnail size in Alpha 3). The key is to keep the symbols visually associated with their own thumbnail, not the one next to it.

If in the future we might be able to click on, say, EXIF, to open an EXIF dialog for the thumb (image), then having the symbols so close together would be a problem for mousing, too. I even hope for a jpeg lossless rotation icon in the thumbnail someday. Think how much more efficient for mousing it would be if the control for rotation (for instance) is IN the thumb. You could select the thumb and move the mouse only a little to click a rotation icon in the thumb instead of all the way back to the toolbar.

So, IMHO, mixing active controls and passive indicators inside the pointing circle of confusion for the average mouse user is just not good interface design. There is plenty of room in the borders of the thumbnail to position symbols 360 degrees around the thumb. Position of symbol is equally if not more important to human recognition than its color. (Text is low on the recognition scale because it has to be read, which adds a step to the recognition process).

It's not just about visual aesthetics, even though programmers at M$ probably would think so.

[Olivier_G]

I don't like:
- in a same block (because it's too complex for quick memory/movement on actions)
- separated, but on the same line (because it can lead to wrong assignement as in this situation)
=> diagonal! (M3 preferred)

We haven't tried with vertical arrangements of icons, yet...

[marsh]

M3A
M10

M3A and M6A have info icons offset to avoid collisions.
M3 M6A
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[nightflyer]

-I keep up my support for Olivier_G and JohnFredC opinions. They point out meaningful topics.
-Also the precise placement of icons is not that important as long as they are placed in separated groups and visually balancing image (let's stay with M3 then?). So if some wants, they can be on left-top corner and lower-right corner.
-Icons put on diagonals will never "glue" with icons of other thumbnails.

[JohnFredC]

Here is a typical thumbnail from my LightRoom desktop:



I prefer large thumbs!

• The little circle on the upper left is a tag control.
  
  The lower left/right icons rotate the image.
  
  The stars are live. Drag the mouse over them to change the rating.
  
  The +/i icon indicates adjustments have been performed on the image.
  
  I haven't figured out what the little triangle in the lower left corner means.

[Olivier_G]

I think Tags & Symbols positions are quite good now (Beta 5). Let's see how it works for 1.90.

I have read suggestions with Position setting for each Info Icons: it would make this topic quite obsolete... -> closed for now.