[filmscanners] Re: Vuescan Suggestion ("Animate changes")

["Julian Vrieslander" <julianv@mindspring.com>]

>I don't think the "animation" approach chosen and available in the most
>recent version hits the mark.

The "animate changes" feature is worthwhile, but the implementation could
be improved.  I would prefer to control when the program changes between
images, rather than watching it flip back and forth.  With the current
scheme, after a few flips, I sometimes get confused about which version
is being displayed.  Since there is no identification, I have to disable
the animation to find out.

One simple alternative: remove the "animate changes" and "animation
delay" controls and replace them with a single button (or checkbox).
When I click on it, the image redraws in the state before the last
change, and remains that way until the setting is undone.  This would be
a momentary or self-cancelling button.  The previous image is only
visible for as long as I hold the button down.  But where should the
button be placed?  I want to compare changes from options in both the
Color and Filter tabs.  Should there be a "show previous image" button in
both tabs?  Should it be under the images in the Preview and Scan tabs?
Perhaps the switch could be triggered by a control-key-plus-mouse-click
on an image display (cancelling when the mouse button is released).  But
that means that the feature is hidden and not self-documented in the UI.

Here's what I think is the most elegant and useful solution: provide an
Undo/Redo pair of menu commands, with key-combo equivalents.  This is
familiar to Photoshop users, and a standard way of providing state
comparisons in many programs.  I don't know whether VueScan buffers
separate images for the "Animate changes" feature, or whether it reloads
the same buffer.  That would influence how the feature can be
implemented.  But even if VueScan is using only one buffer each for
Preview and Scan images, the Undo/Redo could be implemented by buffering
the parameter states rather than the images.  An Undo or Redo would
change all tab parameters to the values from the previous or most recent
operation, and the image in a state consistent with those values.


--
Julian Vrieslander <mailto:julianv@mindspring.com>

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