[REQ] Minimize or close all intermediate windows

[tomczak]

Would it be useful to have a switch, in Preferences or History right click menu for example, that would either automatically close (or at least minimize) all intermediate windows (i.e. after each transformation, a new output window is, as always, created, but the input window closes automatically)?

Such closed windows and most workflows that lead to them are registered in History anyway, so they can be restored at any point using History right click menu.

The reason for this suggestion is that when a few transformation are done on an image in a row, it is sometimes difficult and somewhat confusing to manage all the often unneeded, intermediate windows created in the process, unless they are each closed by hand after each transformation is done. I imagine it could be somewhat similar to Preferences/Confirm on Close=Confim Last Image of Series Only, but automatic.

[doug]

I learned something new from this posting. Namely, that if you manually close intermediate windows in a processing series, you can still get back to them through the History function.

However, it appears to me that to get back to and review a specific intermediate image (say, step 5 in a 10-step processing workflow), you need to click on (open) each successive step in the History workflow (beginning with the initial image). I didn't find a way to bypass the step-by-step recreation of all windows in the the workflow series and go straight to the window for the step 5 result. Am I correct, or is there a way to go directly to the window that contains the result of a specific intermediate step -- along with all its predecessors -- but without actually opening those predecessor step windows?

[ksinkel]

You can open any intermediate window by double-clicking on it in history. You do not need to open previous windows first.

For those who are unfamiliar with History, it is a tab on the browser and show all windows. Image windows are shown in a hierarchical outline format. The title lists the Window number (if the window is open) and the transformation used to create the window. Right-clicking on the title displays a menu with options to redo the transformation of that step, among others.

Kiril

[doug]

Thanks, Kiril ....
The double click works. Don't recall how I was clicking before (unsuccessfully) to open an intermediate window. This will come in really handy. I always have kept all the windows open and sometimes got confused about which window was related to which transformation activity. I assume that masks will be part of this history workflow too, as long as you click OK to create a separate mask image instead of just "leaving it active" on the image it was created from as Den often does.

Can't believe you are following forum commentary instead of getting geared up for your Patriots.

[tomczak]

I tried double-clicking on a closed windows in the middle of history, and it seems to work as Kiril described. I noticed that double clicking on closed Negative in a middle of the workflow is an exception - it doesn't seem to work as for the other ones.

[doug]

Yes, Maciej
I'm not sure what you meant by a "closed Negative". Perhaps you are talking about something other than a b&w mask. But it appears to me from further testing that if you create a mask during your workflow process and close the window containing the mask, the mask is removed from the History.

So it looks like you can close individual windows resulting from interim-stage executed transformations and then retrieve them later through History. But you can't close masks and get them back. I guess masks would need to be "minimized" if you want to get them out of sight while editing continues.

[tomczak]

When one of the transformation in the middle of History was the 'Negative' transformation, and the output window of this transformation was already closed, I couldn't resurrect this window by double clicking on it in History.

[tomczak]

I also tested Redoing 'Negative' transformation (i.e. right-click in History, Redo Transformation). It opens the control window, and then momentarily opens the output window, and then immediately closes it, I think.

I'm not sure, but perhaps it has something to do with the fact that the Negative transformation do not require any input parameters?