**
Some Simple Interface Requests: Part 2
**
Please forgive me if I go on at length, or repeat myself, I just want to be sure I have explained it all as clearly as possible, so that everyone will understand exactly what I’m proposing
Also, I think it is very important to allow users to be able to set all of the parameters that are to be set for a whole gaggle of images. Each of us has somewhat different ways of working most comfortably, and the best USER INTERFACES always keep this in mind.
Now that I have worked with v 1.02 AI GigaPixel a lot more, I have some additional ideas:
1 MMEDIATE STOP button, which MikefromMesa has already requested this very important feature, before I got post this request. With an IMMEDIATE stop button, there is no need to wait for a very long, unintended processing to finish.
2 SCREEN FILE SELECTION highlight files on the screen, using the usual default Windows keys of Shift for contiguous, or Ctrl for non-contiguous files. This would be very useful for any desired operation, such as DELETION, or for STARTING PROCESSING - see suggestion below), or any other new feature such as setting different output folders for a single input folder.
3 DIFFERENTIAL SCALING If I am loading image files one at a time and notice that one of my files is larger, or much larger, than most of the others in a particular folder, I would either request a smaller size up scaling, or possibly no processing at all (esp if it is already larger than what I specified.
So, the feature I’m requesting is the ability for AI GigPixel, to differentially upscale a range of file sizes to bring them all to a specific pixel length of the longest side (see my prior request re Longest Side). In other words if I specify 3600 pixel for the desired side (for Portrait and Landscape orientation images, assuming the folder contains both) I would want a 1200 pix image to be scaled by a larger factor (e.g. 3x, than a 2400 pixel image (which would need 1.5x scaling up)
Less Important but worth mentioning ?
Would it be possible to append to the output file the image sizing parameter (such as _200, _300) ? Obviously, this is an easy task for the user to do for 1 or 2 images, but for a batch job of 150 plus, not something to look forward to. If it would be too much work to have the option by the user to have it added by the program automatically (once feature is turned on), perhaps it could be another user output function, similar to Prefix or Append to filename(such as_GPix, etc, to replace the default _output.
4 FOLDER BATCH PROCESSING Feature to setup overnight batch file processing of SPECIFIC INPUT FOLDERS with different parameter settings and DIFFERENT OUTPUT FOLDERS. I envision this as follows, but some people may have a far better setup sequence suggestion:
a. Drop the first folder and Set Scaling Parameters and Output Folder names etc (by browsing, with the creation of brand new folder allowed). Screen shows folder only, so that screen is not overcrowded with file names. However, clicking folder allows viewing of contents
b. Drop a second folder, and unless scaling parameters are changed, they remain as set for the immediately prior or previous folder.
c. Drop the next folder and so on.
e. You press the START button, or possible a BATCH PROCESSING button, in case the program requires passing additional parameters or whatever.
The ingenuous AIGPix happily goes to work and overnight you will be greeted by gorgeous upscaled, cleaned up, far better looking files, that were totally beyond your expectations until AIGPix was created.
5 ABSOLUTE START button. Of course we already have a START BUTTON.
Once you have used AIGPix, you understand how it works, but it took me awhile to figure out just when to press it. If I changed any processing parameters, or append or prefix output filename, or output file location, then I would need to click START.
If you have not changed any of these settings, but simply have finished processing all of the files on the screen, and even deleted all except one (in order to stay on the page which shows all of your settings, as I prefer to work), as soon as you drop more files, processing will automatically resume (right ?). Sometimes, for reasons I don’t at this point understand, some files in the list are skipped, and after highlighting one (you can only select one at this point) I press START, processing will not start, until I change some setting and the n press START.
I would like to be able to SELECT one or a group of files (contiguous or not, using Shift and or Ctrl keys in the usual way), press ABSOLUTE START button and get all of the selected files processed with whatever settings are current.
In any case here is the most important reason for making the use of the current START button more explicit. A person who has used AIGPix, learns by trial and error the use of the interface, but a BRAND NEW user will be frustrated since the program does not issue any error message popups to say things like
All files have been processed
File cannot be processed
Currently Processing (when the file list takes several screens to show, you may not be aware that processing is still going on (unless you become aware of the horizontal green processing indicator at the button (right ?).
Thanks to everyone or reading all of this stuff, and thanks to the TOPAZLABS people for creating the best PLUGIN I have ever met !