Sven wrote,
GIMP already has such a dialog among the dockables that the user
can add
to their docks. The easiest and the most consistent way for adding a
magnifier view is to add it as another dockable.
easiest to implement, yes.
It should be pretty
much straight-forward to do that and it would solve most of the use
cases that have been brought up.
Again, I have nothing against a tracking view with a different
magnification than the main window. But it does not solve most
of the use cases that came up in this thread, only the exceptional
ones Raphael came up with.
Let's look at a couple of aspects:
affordance:
I see a lot of value in supporting work macroscopic, adjust/paint
microscopic. there is a lot more than selections that can benefit
from this. That is why I find it a pity to solve it in a way that
can only be afforded by users with seriously big screens.
I would like everyone with smaller than 1600x1000 screens to look at
their GIMP set-up and figure out where to put an extra 200x200 view.
I am on 1280x854 and would not know where to put it.
This is what I mean with 'the cost is too high to have it open
all the time.'
closeness:
Experiment for everyone: move your mouse cursor dead centre of your
screen. Focus your eyes on it. Now look quickly at one of the corners
of your screen (where the permanent view would sit). If you did not
turn your neck, you strained your eyes. Is this supporting working
swiftly, at a pro's pace? Do you want to strain yourself like
that all day?
Now compare this to focussing on the dead centre mouse cursor,
and quickly looking at an area beside it. Quicker and painless, no?
This is what I mean with 'it has to be close (but out of the way)
in order to support working swiftly.'
size matters:
The permanent dialog has to be compromised in size, exactly because
it is permanent. 200x200 is a lot of pixels in this context. A pop-up
loupe however, can easily be 400x400, showing a lot more image data
at the moment that is is needed.
final plea:
Again, I have nothing against a tracking view with a different
magnification than the main window. But is you want to make a real,
substantial and general improvement in GIMP and support work
macroscopic, adjust/paint microscopic, then a pop-up loupe is the
way to go.
It is a cool cairo project, and I'd be happy to specify it.
--ps
principal user interaction architect
man + machine interface works
http://mmiworks.net/blog : on interaction architecture
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