Some GUI proposals

Valerie VK valerie_vk at yahoo.com
Mon Nov 19 04:24:46 CET 2007


I've been looking around the Krita interface! Here are a few 
suggestions:

1. Make toolbar (the left one) configurable

This wouldn't be confusing when combined with 3. Also, add option
to have a number of brush presets appear as brush icons on the left
toolbar as well. This way users can access quick Watercolor, Oil or
whatever else custom brush settings easily.

2. Make color adjustment filters into tools that can appear in 
the toolbar

Color adjustment tools (brightness/contrast and co.) are used 
quite often, so it'd be handy to enable them to be right at the 
top in the left toolbar. Even better with 1. so you can specify 
which ones exactly you want (I use curves quite often, for example).

3. Make Shortcuts and Toolbar options more organized please!

I had finally discovered, much to my delight, the location where 
you can configure that Toolbar option. Or rather, only now did I 
understand just how it's supposed to work. A few suggestions:

- instead of having cryptic names such as "Navigation," "Krita" 
and "Brushes and stuff" (made more confusing once you realize
that the possible items you can put into each are the same), have
something more intuitive. Like "Top toolbar." Optionally, give the
user the ability to create more of them, while specifying the 
location (top, right, etc)

- instead of arranging them alphabetically with confusing numerical 
values as starters (what the heck is 40x40?!?), arrange them like in 
the current menu, by category, and with separators. 

- drag and drop is optional, but would be nice as well.

See mock-up: http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/88/guivd2.png

4. More icons please!

For color adjustment tools, for some common filters such as 
sharpening filters, and for brush variables. For each, the name 
can pop-up when you hover over it.

Optional:

5. Place as many tool options into the upper bar as possible

With the current tools, it should be possible to place all of their 
options there. That's one less dialog needed.

6. Group filters according to similar functions

Most people won't ever use "Unsharp Mask" and will instead head 
straight for "Sharpen" because it's what's English to them. 
Instead, there could be one Sharpen "filter," and a drop-down list
of possible algorithms with the best algorithm as default. Another
advantage of this is quick comparison between filters of similar
functions, by selecting different algorithms and observing each 
result(without accessing the filter gallery I mean, for simple
operations such as sharpening, Filter gallery is overkill).

7. Bottom information bar

Well... this should be done eventually, if it hasn't been implemented 
in 2.0 already. When you have a tool active, this gives you 
information about the tool and its shortcuts. Like in Inkscape.

Basically I'm working on a mock-up proposal for a unified and 
configurable Krita Workspace system. I know it's low-priority right
now, and it's actually not urgent as long as the Krita brush system
hasn't become too complicated. But it'd be nice to have it up in 
case future potential developers walk by and decide to implement 
it. ;)

It'd handle both presets and quick access to resources used for 
each setting. Workspaces include Normal workspace, Paint workspaces 
(ex: Watercolor, Oil, Ink, Sketch), Image editing workspace and such. 
Well... it'll be easier to explain once I'm done with the mock-ups.


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