Re: [Gimp-user] Gimp for casual users
From the beginning, Macs had a certain WIMP interaction style based on selection of visible objects and (mostly generic) operations that could be selected from menus or invoked through keyboard shortcuts on the selected objects. In particular, there was a set of generic operations (cut, paste, ...) that would apply to all applicable types of objects. In a file manager these generic operations apply to files. In a text editor they apply to sequences of characters. I have never used the old Xerox ALTO computers but I guess that was already the case back then. Gimp uses a different model and I am trying to understand the pros and cons. Each type of object comes with its private operations. I delete selected image pixels with the Edit-Clear command. I delete layers with the Layer-Delete Layer command. In the Text tool, I delete selected text with a Delete command from a special context menu. I cannot use the operations from the main Edit menu for editing the text. When in path edit mode, I delete control points with Ctrl-Shift-Click. This deletes the point under the mouse irrespective of which points are currently selected. You get the idea. BTW, when I hit the Delete key while in path mode, guess what happens? An avantage of the Mac model is that there is a lot of consistency. The user learns once that if they want to act upon an object, you select it and then you pull down a menu and click on an action. The select-cut-paste paradigm works througout, whatever the type of object. Keyboard shortcuts are always the same. But you always need two steps: select, act. With Gimp, you do not first have to select the object to act upon. Ctrl-Shift-D duplicates the current layer in whatever mode you are in. You can duplicate a layer while in text editing mode, no problem. You can thus do certain actions more rapidly without first having to change the mode or tool. I would be interested in knowing if Gimp users consciously prefer the model with private non-shared operations. Or has it evolved like this for historical reasons? Clearly, the choice of interaction model affects the Gimp learning curve. Regards, Andreas ___ gimp-user-list mailing list gimp-user-list@gnome.org https://mail.gnome.org/mailman/listinfo/gimp-user-list
Re: [Gimp-user] Gimp for casual users
On 07/22/2012 11:21 AM, Andreas Lemke wrote: I would be interested in knowing if Gimp users consciously prefer the model with private non-shared operations. Or has it evolved like this for historical reasons? Clearly, the choice of interaction model affects the Gimp learning curve. I think the big difference here is that different types of objects in the GIMP are fundamentally different in nature. It may be possible to make generic operations on objects more consistent, but there is a limit to how far this can go - lots of judgment calls to be made. The one thing I am sure will not happen, is simplification past a point where functionality is lost. That's something that happens to commercial software... :o) Steve ___ gimp-user-list mailing list gimp-user-list@gnome.org https://mail.gnome.org/mailman/listinfo/gimp-user-list
Re: [Gimp-user] Gimp for casual users
In teaching the basics of GIMP to non-professionals I have found one of the more problematic concepts to be the floating selection. Even to users who have no previous experience with Photoshop (where pasting something on an image automatically creates a new layer), it seems to be non-intuitive. What often happens is they paste something, and begin to manipulate the floating selection before turning it into a layer. Then an accidental click with the move tool on the background fuses selection with background, and what they thought was a layer is suddenly immobile. I always have to go over this (the difference between floating selection and layer) several times before it really sinks in. The selection tools are comparatively easy to explain, except maybe scissors select, where losing sight of the first anchor makes it impossible to close the selection and where, unlike free select, anchors cannot be deleted by pressing back space. This, and having to click inside the line to make the selection, makes this tool unnecessarily hard to use IMO. isabel ___ gimp-user-list mailing list gimp-user-list@gnome.org https://mail.gnome.org/mailman/listinfo/gimp-user-list
Re: [Gimp-user] Gimp for casual users
(Hi this is Andreas - I am sending this from a different email address) I analyzed the following different selection types. It seems that in Gimp each tool uses its own way of making selections. Which introduces subtle inconsistencies. I am not saying they are critical, but this is a place I started my analysis. 1. The Selection – a set of pixels of the image Multi-selection: Press Shift or select mult-select icon The Select menu seems to apply only to this type of section. 2. Layers Multi-selection: Gimp uses a concept of chaining. Click chain icons to select more than one layer. This multi-selection only works for moving, scaling, flipping etc. It doesn't work for e.g. deleting or duplicating. 3. Layer Groups When a layer group is selected and the move tool is active: Dragging moves not the layer group but the layer under the mouse. 4. Alignment tool: Uses its own selection mode. Multi-select: Press shift. No toggle action. 5. Paths There are different selection types for paths: - In the path dialog a path can be selected (grey background). Path on canvas is shown in red - or with a blue background through clicking the path in the dialog - with the path tool active, a path visible on the canvas can be selected with a left click. Path becomes red and control points become visible. I guess I am now in path edit mode. - to select another path, I can Alt-click or select it in the path dialog So, when the path tool is activated, I can be in or out of edit mode. (Why are there these two modes?). Once in edit mode I cannot leave it without de-activating the path tool (?) 6. Path Edit Mode Multi-selection of control points: Shift click (has toggle action); drag moves the selection I am a bit inspired by the original work on GUIs at Xerox PARC and the later work on Windows and MAC, etc. The idea there was to have a consistent selection mechanism across all types of objects. Once again, I don't think these inconsistencies are critical but fixing them could be a contribution to an overall improvement. Best, Andreas ___ gimp-user-list mailing list gimp-user-list@gnome.org https://mail.gnome.org/mailman/listinfo/gimp-user-list
