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JPEGS save in greytones

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    #16
    Some thoughts...

    Hi everybody,

    Originally posted by Sam_Zen View Post
    Automatic things can make the work easier, but sometimes they can be trouble-makers.
    This can be avoided by skipping the automatic and demanding an intentional action from the user. To provide conscious control.
    I think this is true, but users should be conscious of what they have done and remember to undo it. You should not let your task overwhelm you to the point that you forget what you are doing. Take notes if necessary.

    Originally posted by Mij View Post
    ...the user cannot easily guess what settings are about to be saved and what might just be applied to the current image.
    I think it is reasonable to expect your settings to be saved when you save an image. It is rare for settings to be discarded.

    How will a user know how to Save settings with what I suggested? Well, because the Save Options box now works like almost every other option box in IV. It has an OK (or equivalent) button within the box. When you press it the settings are saved and the box closes. How will he/she know how to apply settings to the current image without saving them? Well he won't until he learns. He would probably expect that they will be applied to that image if the option box is still showing when he saves it, but might still expect that the settings will be re-saved. Not saving them automatically is IMO by far the safer alternative for him though.
    This is what I'm afraid of. Isn't a user compelled to press OK when he's done? He may not want to save his settings, but he doesn't want to lose them either. In effect, your suggestion may not be any different than what's happening now. Don't get me wrong, I think your suggestion is a very good effort.

    How does he Save settings without closing the box? He can't. Closing the box is the confirmation that they were saved. He can, of course, open the box again to make a temporary change, but how often will it be necessary? Those who have a fixed way of working will open the box once, set their preferred settings, and close it. Their settings are now locked in and they can be confident that nothing accidental is going to change them. Those who regularly make changes can leave the box open. Their preferred settings will be there each time they open and they can then make one-time changes for saving the current image without having to remember to reset again next time they use the program.
    I didn't mean to just make a temporary change. I meant how would the window be open the next time if he closes it by saving his changes. He wouldn't be able to possibly verify the settings each time. I guess he could re-open it so it would be remembered, but it seems silly. It also wouldn't be open to make more changes that he may want to save. These are really though very small issues.

    Remember also that if a user is working on a project where he wants his settings saved for use on several images, but also only temporary for the project, the larger problem still exists. After the project, he may forget to undo his saved changes.

    I really think that this is easier to learn than your suggestion and less liable to "fatal" mistakes.
    I don't think either of our suggestions are very good at protecting the user. I think the user needs far more indication of what is happening. However, it can't be overly intrusive to the operation, or it will slow the user down. Perhaps the Save button should change to something like Save Advanced or even offer a Save Settings and Save button, too. Maybe the options should be placed right inside the Save dialog so they aren't ignored. I would suggest making the save settings persistent for only the current program session, but I really don't like that idea either. I'm really not sure.
    Last edited by Skippybox; 25.09.2008, 05:23 PM.

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