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Bug 635004 - Gradient editor UI is very cumbersome for editing simple gradients
Gradient editor UI is very cumbersome for editing simple gradients
Status: RESOLVED INVALID
Product: GIMP
Classification: Other
Component: User Interface
2.6.11
Other Linux
: Normal major
: ---
Assigned To: GIMP Bugs
GIMP Bugs
Depends on:
Blocks:
 
 
Reported: 2010-11-16 17:44 UTC by Bart K.
Modified: 2010-11-16 19:05 UTC
See Also:
GNOME target: ---
GNOME version: ---



Description Bart K. 2010-11-16 17:44:19 UTC
While I appreciate that GIMP's gradient editor is highly capable, the advanced features are set up in such a way that creating a simple gradient quickly is next to impossible.  This is a major usability problem.  I would suggest the following changes in order to remedy this:

* At the moment, clicking on an endpoint does nothing.  Right-clicking on an endpoint brings up a context menu, but for the *segment* that's currently selected and not the *endpoint* itself.  Instead, if you click on an endpoint, it should select that endpoint.  Double-clicking it should pop up a color dialog that allows you to edit the color at that endpoint, and then sets that color for *both* segments.

* Right clicking on an endpoint should give you a context menu for that endpoint, where you can either set the color for that point on both segments, or to the right or left segment.  It should also allow you to delete an endpoint, merging the segments to the right and left of it.

* Clicking on an endpoint should update the color box to that endpoint's color as long as the endpoint is selected.  If a color is dragged into the color box while an endpoint is selected, that endpoint should be set to the new color for the segments on either side.

* Right clicking on a segment gives you a context menu for the currently selected segment and not necessarily the segment you clicked on.  This means that if I attempt to set endpoint colors for that segment, I could end up instead setting endpoint colors for a different segment.

* Double-clicking on the middle of a segment does nothing.  What it *should* do is split the segment at the point that you double-clicked and (possibly) pop up a dialog box that allows you to select a color for the new point.  This should also happen if you double-click the half-way marker.

Here's the difference it would make.  Let's say that I want to make a simple, continuous, two-segment gradient.  At the moment, I need to do the following:

* Create a new gradient.
* Click on the segment to select it.
* Right click on the segment, select "left endpoint's color"
* Set a color.
* Right click on the segment, select "right endpoint's color"
* Set a color
* Right click on the segment, select "split segment at midpoint"
* Left click on the left segment to select it
* Right click on the left segment
* Select "right endpoint's color"
* Set the color to what I want
* Copy the HTML value for the color onto my clipboard
* Left click on the right segment to select it
* Right click on the right segment
* Select "left endpoint's color"
* Paste the color from my clipboard

I *should* be able to do it as follows:

* Create a new gradient
* Double click the left endpoint
* Set the endpoint's color
* Double click the right endpoint
* Set the endpoint's color
* Double click the midpoint (which splits the gradient there automatically)
* Set the midpoint's color

Note that the process has half as many steps and doesn't involve navigating context menus.

The above changes would vastly improve simple gradient editing in GIMP without removing any advanced features or making advanced gradient editing more difficult.
Comment 1 Martin Nordholts 2010-11-16 18:11:17 UTC
Thanks a lot for the effort in writing this bug report. But please suggest this on the gimp-developer mailing list instead, it won't do any good in our bug tracker.

I completely agree our gradient editor suck.
Comment 2 Martin Nordholts 2010-11-16 19:05:27 UTC
Thanks, I notice you've moved this discussion to gimp-developer as requested, so I'll close this bug report.