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gtomorrow
n00b
Joined: 25 Oct 2004
Posts: 10
Location: Rome, Italy
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 Posted: Sat Jan 22, 2005 10:25 pm Post subject: The GIMP: Is this normal behaviour? |
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Ciao, all GIMP users.
I'm a professional graphic designer (a dirty job but somebody's got to do it) and have been on and off playing with The GIMP for about a year now. Certain things are way cool and i actually prefer them to...well, you know. Other things...well. Being how no one i know personally uses The GIMP i need to know from you all if certain things are normal behaviour. And NO, i'm not trying to start a GIMP vs Photshop flame war here! Please, only objective answers/criticisms.
1) Is the image window supposed to lose focus when clicking in any of the tool palettes? For example, i'll open an image file, then click in the layers/channels palette to choose a layer (or a channel). Then, say, i want to apply a filter. Before i can apply that filter (or do any further editing) i have to re-choose the image window. IS THIS NORMAL?
2) Are paths supposed to be so finicky? When i create a path and want to add points between other points, sometimes it will allow new points, other times not! And how do you transform paths (scale, rotate, etc.)? Yes, i've RTFM. And speaking of paths, in order to not see a already existing path, does one have to create a new empty path? IS THIS NORMAL BEHAVIOUR?
3) Does pasting always create a floating object? Does a pasted objects always have to be "hammered down" with the new layer icon or anchor icon? NORMAL GIMPINESS?
BTW, i'm using GIMP 2.0.4 these days (starting out with the 1.2.x series). Window Maker is my WM if that makes any difference. I'd really like to hear "no, something's goofy with yr setup" instead of "yep, GIMP does that".
Anybody? I'd especially like to hear from other pros if they actually use GIMP in their day-to-day workflow.
cheers,
gt |
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MaxPolun
Tux's lil' helper
Joined: 28 Dec 2004
Posts: 111
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| Posted: Sat Jan 22, 2005 10:49 pm Post subject: |
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I don't use the gimp all that often, but I seem to remember the first one being normal. Yes it is annoying, but I don't think you have to reselct the other window. The worst part of the gimp is generally thought to be its interface.
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wdreinhart
Guru
Joined: 11 Jun 2003
Posts: 569
Location: 4QFJ12345678
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| Posted: Sun Jan 23, 2005 2:01 am Post subject: Re: The GIMP: Is this normal behaviour? |
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| gtomorrow wrote: |
1) Is the image window supposed to lose focus when clicking in any of the tool palettes? For example, i'll open an image file, then click in the layers/channels palette to choose a layer (or a channel). Then, say, i want to apply a filter. Before i can apply that filter (or do any further editing) i have to re-choose the image window. IS THIS NORMAL?
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Yes. They're seperate windows. If you click in one, it gains focus and whatever was focused before loses it. How do you intend to edit the image or apply a filter without clicking somewhere in the image window anyway?
| gtomorrow wrote: | 3) Does pasting always create a floating object? Does a pasted objects always have to be "hammered down" with the new layer icon or anchor icon? NORMAL GIMPINESS?
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Clicking outside the pasted selection anchors it in place. Isn't that what Photoshop does? |
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ahubu
Guru
Joined: 16 Aug 2003
Posts: 400
Location: Groningen, The Netherlands
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| Posted: Sun Jan 23, 2005 2:32 pm Post subject: Re: The GIMP: Is this normal behaviour? |
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| gtomorrow wrote: |
1) Is the image window supposed to lose focus when clicking in any of the tool palettes? For example, i'll open an image file, then click in the layers/channels palette to choose a layer (or a channel). Then, say, i want to apply a filter. Before i can apply that filter (or do any further editing) i have to re-choose the image window. IS THIS NORMAL?
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Well, this might be normal for your windowmanager: you see, because every window in The Gimp is separate (and is not part of a whole (like Photoshop), they are all managed by your windowmanager (windowmaker). I don't know whether WM supports 'sloppy focus', but I use openbox (which does), and then you just hover over a window to let it gain focus. The 'sloppy' bit here is that it won't automatically come to the foreground. I don't know if there is software which will allow you to adjust focus-behaviour only for one program.
edit: just checked on windowmake.org, it is possible:
| Quote: | Option *FocusMode
Value Manual or ClickToFocus, Auto or FocusFollowsMouse, SemiAuto or Sloppy (default: Manual)
Description The mode of input focus setting. Refer to the section about focus selection (??) for an explanation of the focus modes. |
Never used WM, but I think you have to add this option in a configurationfile somewhere 
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gtomorrow
n00b
Joined: 25 Oct 2004
Posts: 10
Location: Rome, Italy
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| Posted: Sun Jan 23, 2005 6:40 pm Post subject: |
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wdreinhart wrote:
| Quote: | | Yes. They're seperate windows. If you click in one, it gains focus and whatever was focused before loses it. How do you intend to edit the image or apply a filter without clicking somewhere in the image window anyway? |
Okay...click in the layers/channel palette (or any other palette for that matter) and choose a layer or channel. Now do a ctrl-a or a ctrl-c or a ctrl-v. Nothing doin', pal.  You lost focus of yr image, even though in GIMP prefs i've got the seemingly useless "Activate the Focused Image" selected. Oh, and Photoshop always pastes in a new layer...no nails needed!
ahbuist wrote:
| Quote: | | Well, this might be normal for your windowmanager: you see, because every window in The Gimp is separate (and is not part of a whole (like Photoshop), they are all managed by your windowmanager (windowmaker). I don't know whether WM supports 'sloppy focus', but I use openbox (which does), and then you just hover over a window to let it gain focus. The 'sloppy' bit here is that it won't automatically come to the foreground. I don't know if there is software which will allow you to adjust focus-behaviour only for one program. |
Yes, i know about the "focus follows cursor" thang, but it's not the same thing. I'm talking about the image window never losing the implied focus. Like Inkscape or Sodipodi, for example. Click on any tool and the implied focus never leaves the frontmost image window. Click on a tool in the GIMP toolbox and the TOOLBOX gets the focus! Hmmmm....
Nevertheless, i thank you all for confirming my suspicions. I seriously was beginning to think it was Window Maker! The GIMP is a very cool tool and does certain things (especially in the way of filters) that no one else does. I personally like some of the interface design (menus under the cursor, for example). But i guess it's not suitable if you're living with deadlines or with a client at yr side  |
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dee2
n00b
Joined: 08 Jan 2005
Posts: 71
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| Posted: Sun Jan 23, 2005 10:18 pm Post subject: Re: The GIMP: Is this normal behaviour? |
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| gtomorrow wrote: |
2) Are paths supposed to be so finicky? When i create a path and want to add points between other points, sometimes it will allow new points, other times not! And how do you transform paths (scale, rotate, etc.)? Yes, i've RTFM. And speaking of paths, in order to not see a already existing path, does one have to create a new empty path? IS THIS NORMAL BEHAVIOUR?
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You do not have create a new path to see the old, you know the layer tab - there is one for paths too,
turn visibility on for that and you will see it at all time.
To scale a path activate the path layer you want to work with and pick scale,
rotate or what you want tool. Now pay attention to the tool options,
by default it is marked for tranform layer, you need to change that to tranform path,
by clicking the little icon that says just that.
About the main window loosing focus, yes it can be a pain,
but maybe try to learn the hotkeys for the tools you use
the most. So you can keep your mouse in the image and press keyboard to change the tool and not loose focus.
Hover your mouse over the tool to see the hotkey. |
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Matteo Azzali
Retired Dev
Joined: 23 Sep 2004
Posts: 1133
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| Posted: Sun Jan 23, 2005 11:09 pm Post subject: Re: The GIMP: Is this normal behaviour? |
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| gtomorrow wrote: |
2) Are paths supposed to be so finicky? When i create a path and want to add points between other points, sometimes it will allow new points, other times not!
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Never noticed that. Are you using a stable or unstable version? I work
al lot with paths (even if I use a lot Inkscape too, and then export the whole
layer) and this never happened to me, neither in linux nor in windoz-gimp
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gtomorrow
n00b
Joined: 25 Oct 2004
Posts: 10
Location: Rome, Italy
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| Posted: Mon Jan 24, 2005 9:31 pm Post subject: Re: The GIMP: Is this normal behaviour? |
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| dee2 wrote: | You do not have create a new path to see the old, you know the layer tab - there is one for paths too, turn visibility on for that and you will see it at all time.
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Okay...i'm beginning to see the "logic" behind GIMP's interface. Since i was creating clipping paths in a document i was working on, i never chose another tool from the toolbox, therefore even with the "eye" icon next to the paths turned off, i was always seeing the selected path. Am i making myself clear on this (lord knows how long it took me to verbalize this!). Therefore i had to create a new empty path layer to render the previously selected path invisible. If i had chosen any other tool from the toolbox, the selected path would have "shut off". Hmmm...this makes sense???
| dee2 wrote: | | To scale a path activate the path layer you want to work with and pick scale, rotate or what you want tool. Now pay attention to the tool options, by default it is marked for tranform layer, you need to change that to tranform path, by clicking the little icon that says just that. |
Duh! Hadn't even noticed that before...hee hee! Silly me! Thanks for the tip!
| dee2 wrote: | | About the main window loosing focus, yes it can be a pain, but maybe try to learn the hotkeys for the tools you use the most. So you can keep your mouse in the image and press keyboard to change the tool and not loose focus. Hover your mouse over the tool to see the hotkey. |
Yes, i'm afraid that is the only workaround for now. Thanks again. Funny thing tho...i noticed that if the toolbox has focus, the hotkeys don't work. Go figure!
| Matteo Azzali wrote: | | Are you using a stable or unstable version? I work al lot with paths (even if I use a lot Inkscape too, and then export the whole layer) and this never happened to me, neither in linux nor in windoz-gimp |
Matteo, i'm running GIMP 2.0.4 on a relatively stable system but i've noticed that on my machine, i can't always trust the GIMP cursor. Sometimes i'll get a "no entry" cursor when it should be a "add point" cursor. Any ideas why that would be?
Again, thanks to all who've stopped by! Maybe i should bring this to the attention of the GIMP forums...?
Ciao!
gt |
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Matteo Azzali
Retired Dev
Joined: 23 Sep 2004
Posts: 1133
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| Posted: Tue Jan 25, 2005 3:48 pm Post subject: |
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I'm running the 2.06 version on an unstable-tree-system, so my answers
are the ones of a blind.
But cursors bugs is very strange. Is gimp the only application that
gives problems with cursors? other gtk apps? (if all the X apps have problems
with cursor, you may check in xorg.conf the video-board section for
software cursors instead oh hardware ones)
are u using a graphic tablet?
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If you're born distro, no matter what, start to run.
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gtomorrow
n00b
Joined: 25 Oct 2004
Posts: 10
Location: Rome, Italy
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| Posted: Tue Jan 25, 2005 11:27 pm Post subject: |
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Matteo, no other GTK apps are displaying any cursor weirdness other than the GIMP 2.0.4. And yes i use a Wacom Graphire 2 tablet (properly configured...at least i believe so ). Just today, i've noticed the same strange behaviour trying to add an anchor to an existing path. I just click on the path holding ctrl (in Design mode) until GIMP decides to give me a new anchor between points. Ahimè!
Has anyone used GIMP 2.2.x yet. Reading other posts on this forum, i hear there are interface changes for the better. IS IT TRUE??? |
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Matteo Azzali
Retired Dev
Joined: 23 Sep 2004
Posts: 1133
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| Posted: Wed Jan 26, 2005 7:40 pm Post subject: |
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I have 2.2.3 under win and I' didn't noticed interface changes, but I
rarely boot on win, so I'm not sure (and linux ver. may be different).
Have you tried to emerge unstable-tree gimp(2.0.6)?
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