Some preliminary information on PWP 8.0

[jsachs]

I was able to add an HSV/HSL option to selective color correction for PWP 8. It applies only to the brightness change.

[MarkT]

Hi Jonathan, will Composite be available in ver. 8? I'm still trying to wrap my head around a single image window, also for things like cloning from one image to another.

[doug]

MarkT wrote:
I'm still trying to wrap my head around a single image window, also for things like cloning from one image to another.

Yes, I hadn't thought about that. But cloning between two images is something that is not infrequent for me. I use a third party noise reduction tool that applies NR on a global basis. But sometimes I want to clone just a selection from the adjusted (and therefore less sharp) image onto my original.

[jsachs]

As it happens, I am working on the freehand painting and cloning tools right now.

Cloning between images will be supported, including one-to-one cloning which is ideal for your NR example. This will either be done via a split screen for the main image area - which I have already experimented with a little - or at a minimum by being able to flip between images so you can set the source clone point, switch images and set the clone target point on the other image.

Composite I have already implemented -- if you look at the very end of the PDF on the image browser, it discusses inputs and masks a little. Thumbnails of all input and mask images are displayed next to the thumbnail for the image you are working on. Clicking on one of the inputs or masks switches the main image area display to the input or mask. Clicking on the thumbnail for the image you are working on displays either the input image or the result image, depending on the state of the bypass button. It sounds a little complicated, but it's actually simpler than in Version 7 where there are windows all over the place.

While the image browser may take a little while to get used to, the good news is that most of the transformations will be very familiar.

[doug]

This is really cool to get a peek behind a software development process. Sort of like seeing the outtakes from a TV sitcom and being able to see what goes on behind the scenes during the development of a finished product.

[MarkT]

Wow, okay, I'm intrigued now, thank you for the explanation Jonathan. I can't begin to imagine how you figure out how to make this all happen, but I'm glad you will be sharing the results with us.

[den]

...

Double-clicking on a mask thumbnail brings up a Mask dialog box that lets you edit the mask.

Will this Mask dialog box be the same as the current PWP7 Mask Tool dialog?

I have wished for additional Mask Tool features:

1) select-able Brightness Curve histograms displays for each of the available color space channels: HSV-H, S, and V; HSL-H, S, and L; and R, G, B, and Luminance...

Currently, this can be achieved with PWP7 by Extract-ing the desired color space channel and opening the Mask Tool - Brightness Curve on the channel image...

...often I find myself prefering Luminance based masks rather than HSV-Value based masks for those PWP transforms whose algorithms occur in the RGB color space model... ...there can be nuanced differences.

...I will also sometimes use a HSV-Hue Brightness Curve mask to make cyan skies more blue while controling the amount of change for the other Hues of the image... or ...to easily select sky image areas in nature landscapes based upon an aqua to blue hue range ...

2) make the Brightness Curve grid expandable to improve control point selection accuracy perhaps by an OPTion to select an alternate/auxilliary grid UI that could be used if preferenced...

3) make the Color Range scales expandable to improve slider selection accuracies perhaps by an OPTion to select an alternate/auxilliary color bar UI dialog that could be used if preferenced...

2) and 3) OPTions would be intended to be selected when preferenced otherwise the original Mask Tool UI for the Brightness Curve histogram grid and Color Range color bars would remain unchanged...

4) Color Range OPTions to Save and Load files where the files can be edited with a plain text editor. [NOTE: added after JS's following post]

...den...

[jsachs]

For the most part the mask dialog is similar to PWP 7.

I have added your requests to the list. Focus now is on putting the program back together so it is usable and then increment refinement later.

[Robert Schleif]

Is it out of the question for PWP 8.0 also to run in the Apple world? Many of my photographic friends are stuck there and none to happy with Adobe.

[jsachs]

Other than running by emulation, it is impractical for a single developer to create versions for both platforms. Roughly 75% of the code is specific to the platform while only about 25% is portable. Since it is taking me a year to rewrite the Windows version it would take at least that long to produce a Mac version and I would not have time to enhance the Windows version in the meantime. Going forward, every new feature would have to be implemented and tested twice - once for each platform, slowing down progress by at least a factor of two. And then I would have to support two versions each with their own set of bugs.