Making Synfig easier to use brainstorming

BobSongs · November 27, 2010, 2:57pm

Genete:

BobSongs:
* Zooming in and out using the Ctrl key & mouse wheel.
* Shifting left and right in the image by using Shift & mouse wheel.
* Moving up and down in the image using simply the mouse wheel.
Have you tried those shortcuts in Synfig Studio? They work for me like that!

Are you using 0.62.00? Or 0.62.02. I could try compiling the latest version.

My system: Linux, Ubuntu, Maverick Meerkat (10.10).
My Synfig Studio: 0.62.00

All 3 mouse gestures failed.

Ahh! But it is implemented! That’s great to hear. Then I will wait patiently for it be fixed.

But again: these are individual issues. I think it would go a long way to give the much maligned OpenSource software a positive view if we present a united consistency in terms of usage. I’m not saying Inkscape is “better”. I’m just saying that Synfig Studio is open to suggestion as far as interface goes. And that’s always good. My recommendation is to try to move closer to another established vector-editing software.

tushantin · November 27, 2010, 2:59pm

Inkscape like interface? That’d be rad with some changes relevant to animation! Similar tools as Inkscape? Hell no; Synfig’s tools are way faster to use compared to Inkscape. Currently what it really needs to focus on is giving the users maximum screen-space as well as faster productivity; think Lotus Symphony compared to MS/Open Office. Synfig’s initially goal was, after all, to enable artists to work easy and fast on tools that do not require a whole studio to deal with, and at the same time having everything animatable.

More suggestions:

Turn the “tool box” into a “tool strip”, similar to Photoshop or Inkscape with only ONE bar/panel at the left and top. Easier if the tools are attached to the canvas.
Link <----------- Look closely to the right. How about “buttons” to invoke layers panel and others just like that? Click on them again and the panels are hidden out of sight.
CTRL Click using the Bline tool to add points and ALT Click to remove them? This would save time from switching between Normal Tool and Bline over and over again.
One-Layer effects: similar to Layer Masking in GIMP and Photoshop, but for effects. We’ll still have the effects layers as we want, but we’d also get an option to apply effects within one layer only and not anything else.
Modify encapsulation: Currently we’ve got to select everything within the encapsulated layer in order to modify, scale or transform it. It’d be awesome to have a feature where encapsulated layer, and anything inside, can be worked as a single entity.
Chrome-like tabs… What? It’d be awesome!

Genete · November 27, 2010, 3:51pm

Weird. They are enabled since long time ago.

I strongly recommend to install the binaries package that we provide for .deb systems from out website:
synfig.org/en/current-release
-G

BobSongs · November 27, 2010, 4:13pm

My thoughts exactly. Only copy Inkscape’s interface in-so-far as it is relevant to Synfig Studio and no further.

I’m not suggesting taking Inkscape’s tools. But consider: Inkscape has a standard arrow for moving objects, similar to Synfig Studio’s “Normal Tool”, a name that threw me (Normal? Where’s the abnormal tool?), a rectangle tool, an ellipse tool and a star tool. These are not entirely identical to those of Synfig Studio, but the icons could be the same. Again: this thread asks for suggestions for interface enhancements. I wouldn’t propose core elements be modified to be more closely conformed to Inkscape.

Precisely what I’m suggesting. Good art software keeps the tool panels out of the way. Currently I find the toolbox could be a single or double strip to the left.

BobSongs · November 27, 2010, 4:38pm

@Genete:

Current Synfig Studio details:

Synfig Studio 0.62.02
Development version:

Revision: 20101113
Branch: master
Revision ID: 961d8b

Built on Nov 13 2010

Built with:
ETL 0.04.13
Synfig API (006000)
Synfig library 47
GTK+ 2.8.20
GNU G++ 4.1.2

Using:
Synfig 0.62.02
GTK+ 2.22.0

Genete · November 27, 2010, 8:51pm

And still having those mouse gestures problems?
I don’t have Ubuntu 10.10 installed but I can run it in a virtual machine. I still on 10.04 and those mouse shortcuts works fine here.
Maybe you’re using a tablet? Does the same mouse gestures work with other applications? Very weird indeed.
-G

BobSongs · November 28, 2010, 2:38am

I do have a Wacom tablet attached to the system, but I don’t use the mouse or pen with it. They’re both gone. I’ll try unhooking the tablet and see if it makes a difference.

tushantin · December 4, 2010, 5:47am

Ah, another thing Synfig needs!

Camera Layer. Nah, not the Camera template that’s already here (somehow it never worked for me) but a full functional Camera Layer, complete with parameters. MAN, that’d make life good! OwO

Oh yeah, also “Ortho” and “Perspective” views too (in the camera). I reckon someone was already working on that kind here.

tushantin · December 5, 2010, 2:40pm

I think we need to brainstorm on another aspect of Synfig: Speed and Productivity. And no, I’m not talking about OpenGL.

Granted, Synfig’s much more superior to ToonBoom and has effects and tweening that exceed most tools out there. But the reason people still love to stick with ToonBoom (more than 50% of REALLY good animators in Newgrounds stick with it) is because it’s got a pretty fast and productive environment compared to Flash or Synfig.

Similar story with Sai vs Photoshop: the latter is admittedly really powerful, but some artists love Sai because it only takes 1/10th of time taken in any other software to finish a good piece.

That’s our aim: intuitive interface, productive environment AND speedy usage.

So how about we brainstorm focusing on these points? Little things can make an improvement.

gtomorrow · January 16, 2011, 10:58am

Excuse me, but what’s Sai? Google tells me nothing relevant. Thanks. – GT

tushantin · January 16, 2011, 11:47am

XD I was referring Paint Tool Sai -
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SAI_%28software%29

muhkayoh · January 16, 2011, 1:55pm

Here it is, gtomorrow:

sai.detstwo.com/sai/

Matt

Edit: Oops, I didn’t see tushantin’s reply. Oh well, now you have two.

milleja46 · January 17, 2011, 2:26am

I know i’m new here but i gotta make a suggestion, the default layout that comes on the software is great it would just be nice if it was all grouped together into one window with a bar at the top like most applications have where it says file, edit and all that. Where it is now to me is very out of the way to get to it, and the one place no one would ever think to look unless you were to get curious. And maybe just have it to where you can move it around, or implement a way to have a layout or skin plugin to change it to what the others mentioned if you so desired to just try them all out. I know i probably didn’t make sense but that just seems like a better way to be more “user-friendly” when getting started. What do you think about what i just said?

pixelgeek · January 17, 2011, 5:21am

I think this is the #1 request of Windows users, closely followed by “Where’s the sound?”

tushantin · January 17, 2011, 10:47am

Yeah! Personally I’ve fallen in love with Blender 2.5’s interface. xDDD I wish Synfig had a similar one (save the left panel being a little thinner).

milleja46 · January 17, 2011, 1:44pm

Well the interface for synfig is great but to me it’s kind of annoying having several windows for the same program, and plus for some reason the third time i reopened synfig i had to reopen the panels because it for some reason had disabled them from my view, i really love this program it would just be nice if it was a little more simplified like i had mentioned, or one’s mentioned earlier in this topic. Any of those would simplify it in my pov. I’d just gotten to thinking about that before i posted orginally in this topic.

Genete · January 17, 2011, 2:53pm

There is a “Reset Windows to Original Layout” menu entry under ToolBox->Panels. Maybe it helps.
-G

milleja46 · January 17, 2011, 3:35pm

Well i had figured that out myself, but this program really does seem complicated with the multiple windows that just float about when there’s usually a simplified conjoined window in almost all the programs i’ve used besides gimp

tushantin · January 17, 2011, 7:29pm

@milleja46: It’s not that the tool’s “complicated”, rather just scattered. I find Synfig quite intuitive once I get to know what does what, besides the FBF, but the tween-power makes up for it. The developers are still trying their best to get a one-window, and possibly tabbed (for “Export Canvas” and such), interface but a good software isn’t just built with a couple of coders. If you know any C++ coders who’d like to contribute and make Synfig better, that’d be awesome!

I may be a jack of all trades, but ironically when it comes to coding I’m a zero. I just wish there was some way I could contribute. I downloaded Dev++ and Glade GTK to try with the Synfig sourcecode but I have no idea where to begin…

milleja46 · January 17, 2011, 7:42pm

Heh, i would try coding it, if i could but c++ in and of it self to me was a step out of my element, i’m more used to the oop programing with some of the languages i’ve used in visual studio which i’ve been trying to use for some of the stuff i’ve been trying to do because i wanted to make a game. But maybeif i can just find the right guide for learning c++ maybe i could help. I’d love to improve that scattered structure into a more all in one place structure.
(/me makes a note: find a simple c++ guide that the learning is based mostly on example and doing than being told)hmmm