[Digikam-devel] People tagging design

[Paristo]

On 22 May 2010 11:18, Alex Jironkin <alexjironkin at gmail.com> wrote:

> From usability point of view having an extra window that does the same job
> as preview, but draws rectangles and writes names, is a bit annoying and
> personally I think should be avoided at all costs as it will make digikam
> bulky.


Much as possible, the functions should be kept in digiKam main window. If we
can keep external windows in minimal it is better. Now we have digiKam
mainwindow, showFoto (Image Editor when launched from digiKam main),
Batchmanager, Advanced Search, HDR (Bracketing photos) at least.
By my opinion, we would need a somekind "task" manager what would show all
sub-tasks going. The separated window is nice some cases, like album and
editor. Where you can have them both open in two monitor sets. But I think
the batchmanager and advanced search could be merged to digiKam main window
if we could have a "progress going" -list easily accessible.

I believe that would help in most cases as well. Like the other GSoC project
of non-destructive editing and the editing in whole. You could set wanted
edits for preview in very fast way, and then they would be calculated to
full image in background. And user could easily just change to next photo to
edit it, without need to wait the calculations to be ended. The separated
window does is for me like a "hack" for this. Because we can do something
else in other window when waiting other. But we can not do on same window
different tasks.

In this case the face tagging is something what can do things automatically
and it should go in background, but in error cases (and those will happend)
there is need to allow user to interact well. And in that case, there is no
need to continue the task in other window. (we humans can not do a
multitasking at all with computers). But as the face tagging process does
not pause when there is unrecognised face, we can continue other tasks and
return to problems in later. So if we can not get anykind "task progress
-list", the separated window is needed. But I would take it only if there is
impossible way to get tasks-list in time but only later so we can integrate
separated windows tasks to it and so get rid off the separated window.


> If we can't bring detection speed to something manageable, on my dual core
> it takes 2.5 secs but not everyone has dual core, then I think Michael's
> idea of adding extra tab on left side is a very sensible one. Perhaps that
> is also where found/known faces/people should go too.
>

The sidepanel is better choise than separated window. We could use the main
window for "unrecognised faces" thumbnails and selecting names etc. But what
if we would separate it to two tabs? Like right now we have the powerfull
tag function on both sides. We can manage in such manner the tags what is
not possible any other application. We can select wanted tags and add/remove
tags to/from those easily.

Is there a need for such function for faces? In the end, they are tags and
the face tags has need to have tag-tree (family trees etc). But what
separates the face tag from other tags, is that they does not change after
they have once set. John does not turn to be Lisa in some photos (unless
change names or sex ;) ) while in some it would stay such.

So is there need for left being a "persons" tab while on right there would
be the face tagging tab? The left one only would filter and search persons.
Just like now we can use it very easily as only sidepanel when showing
photos for friends and family. No need to bring edit functions to shown,
what all are located to right side of digiKam.

On right side tab we could have the face tagging and what would work more
like the tagging, user drops photos over tag or tag over selected photos.
And top of the tag-list on _left_ side panel is the the entry "unrecognised"
what shows recognised faces but unfamiliar faces. And then user could easily
just tag them from right side. Under the thumbnail could be guess who is the
person and accept it or not.
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