Taking Pictures (screen shots)

Development Documentation
1

Hi,
can we please set a standard for taking screen shots?

As for the better readability I propose to agree to the following…

All Screen Shots have to be done with (if ever possible)

  • Linux
  • Gnome
  • “Clearlooks” (light blue)

That is quite close to a typical Windows layout/color and fits well to the Synfig Logo colors.

What do you think?

2

Do Windows screenshots count? :stuck_out_tongue:

3

In order to not restrict non linux people or linux ones that doesn’t want to change its theme to help on the documentation update I suggest to not fix the windows decoration style.
What I would reccomend is:

  1. Make the canvas window screenshot as small as possible with the subject being shown perfectly fit in the screen shot. This is not a size limitation but a common sense usage of the space. If the information is small compared with the whole window, let’s cut and resize the image to show only the subject. If the window decoration is not needed or the rules and rest of the gui is not part of the subject, let’s remove it from the screenshot. Usage of post production tools (blur the non subject areas of the screenshot, text annotations etc.) are welcome.
  2. When creating sample files showing the effects of the layer’s parameter modifications a sifz file must be provided to be sure that the same figure can be rendered again if the window decoration or gui layout is significatively different.
  3. The version of Synfig Studio when the screen shot was taken must be supplied too.
  4. I prefer images to be shown in full size when possible. Only if the image is so big and it takes to much space it might be thumbnailed.
  5. I prefer to not scatter images on left, right, center, etc. I would prefer images of similar size all them in the same position (left or right or centered). Try to avoid contour text around the image.
  6. Uploaded images should have a proper and useful description. In the description can be included the synfig version.
  7. Let’s do smart screenshots! A group panel screenshot with no groups in it is meaningless! :wink:

-G

4

@pixelgeek, genete:

Sorry! Maybe too late last night… :blush:

Do Win Screenshots count? Do Linux screenshots with other layouts count?
Not that I would be in the position to rule any of this, but what I meant is: “if ever possible”.

So to be less strict in wording:

We ask people to use “blue-ish” styles to try to get a more straight forward design in our documentation.

Better?

@genete:

I like your list of points.
Much better and much more important than the color.
Everybody who is reading this: please more of those ideas…

I think we should add these rules of thumb to the Writers Doc.
I’ll do that.

5

I still think that if all screenshots will be Linux/Gnome/Clearlooks, then it will be VERY good. Because inconsistent images will make manual look very uncool.

I can also add “use Tango icon theme” requirement.

I think if person really wants to help on screenshot he will sacrifice his theme for few hours. ~^
Seriously: of course any screenshot is better than no screenshot. But let’s define our ideal. ^__^

Again, I’m suggesting to stick with Unverified/Updated “tags”. Reasons are same as for content pages.

My suggestion is to categorize images with keywords. That way we can easily find similar images regardless of their name.
Example:
I have categorized synfig.org/wiki/File:Toolbox_Res … Button.jpg categorized as “Toolbox” and “Colors”. If you click on “Toolbox” category you will get all screenshots with toolbox.

6

typical sample for genete’s #1:
Looking at the outline layer explanations http://www.synfig.org/wiki/Outline_Layer…
If we remove the windowframe and controls (not needed for this particular part of the documentation), then we will have screen shots that are valid for several releases, all OSs and they are even smaller…

a remark to #5:
love to have that, but on a screen we are loosing a lot of space if don’t allow text to flow around the pics.
Especially if you look at potrait layouts of windows like the “toolbox”. So we need a more sophisticated rule here I guess…

7

Ok, let’s rewrite the list of rules:

  1. Use Clear Looks with Tango icons for the screenshots.
  2. Do not use windows decoration / gui items if they are not needed.
  3. Usage of post production tools (blur the non subject areas of the screenshot, text annotations etc.) are welcome.
  4. When creating sample files showing the effects of the layer’s parameter modifications a sifz file must be provided to be sure that the same figure can be rendered again if the window decoration or gui layout is significatively different.
  5. Images should be shown in full size when possible. Only if the image is so big and it takes to much space it might be thumbnailed.
  6. Preferably no scatter images on left, right, center, etc. It is preferred images of similar size all them in the same position (left or right or centered).
  7. Uploaded images should have a proper name. They should be categorized to be found easily.
  8. Let’s do smart screenshots! A group panel screenshot with no groups in it is meaningless! :wink:

Fine now?
-G

8

Genete, fine now, only I would give a rule of thumb for #6…

… my vote: left.

9

Ah … and define a naming convention for the uploaded files.

Just a hint/help on what we would expect, especially for #4 it should be clear that both files should use the same name so that we can find the .sifz file for a given screenshot more easily.

Any idea? simple & good?

10
  1. Use Clear Looks with Tango icons for the screenshots.
  2. Do not use windows decoration / gui items if they are not needed.
  3. Usage of post production tools (blur the non subject areas of the screenshot, text annotations etc.) are welcome.
  4. When creating sample files showing the effects of the layer’s parameter modifications a sifz file must be provided to be sure that the same figure can be rendered again if the window decoration or gui layout is significatively different. Use a meaning name like the screen shot image files (see below).
  5. Images should be shown in full size when possible. Only if the image is so big and it takes to much space it might be thumbnailed.
  6. Preferably no scatter images on left, right, center, etc. It is preferred images of similar size all them in the same position (left or right or centered).
  7. Uploaded images should have a proper name. They should be categorized to be found easily.
  8. Let’s do smart screenshots! A group panel screenshot with no groups in it is meaningless! :wink:

sorry I don’t translate it properly :-/

-G

11

sorry, what I meant: we should define a standard for #6 (“no scatter images left, right …”). Either left, right or middle. My preference would be left

12

I will add #9:
9. Png format only

13

I prefer right align for images if they are near the text - that way they are not interrupt text flow. And center for “standalone” images.

14

ok, right align and center for stand alone. Had a look into some books and online docs, that’s fine with me.

Anyone wanting to come up with a naming convention yet?

15

I don’t think we should waste our time on image names as long as we have categorization.

16

I summarized the content of this string of posts to the Writers’ Manual in the Wiki.

17

I’m wondering if it would be a good policy to use high-quality view for screenshots. It would make the images look better, but new users won’t have (or want to have) that setting enabled by default.

18

Indeed. Screenshots must be taken when the quality is set to 1 and the Low Resolution checkbox is off.
-G

19

Good points: will add that to the list in Writers doc…

Edit: Done.

20

OK, I must confess that using Categories for tagging images wasn’t good idea. MediaWiki used to clean categories when new version of file is uploaded. ^__^’’

New suggestion - just put everything into filename. Like: Layers-Panel-Inline-Canvas.png. Search works on such filenames very well.