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 Image editor lacking functionality

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MatthewL019

Guest
In the image editor, it seems the 'flip' and 'mirror' buttons do not work. Also I do not like how it adds your clipboard as a brush, since the colors get all mixed up and are all wrong. The rotate function doesn't really work, it allows me to rotate my selection however no way to confirm the rotation except copying it to the clipboard and adding it as a brush (and again, messes up the colour). There's no 'right click > flip horizontal/vertical', which would be nice. A CTRL+T selected area to bring up nodes to drag/stretch the selection and rotate, much like Photoshop, would also make things much easier.
 
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MatthewL019

Guest
Also, having multiple grid lines would be a cool and useful function too! For example, having a 128x128 sprite for a tilesheet, where each tile is 16x16. So you'll have the first grid 16x16, which would be a heavy dark black colour which outlines each tile, whereas the second grid will be a lighter colour, which will outline each individual pixel. Just a thought.. could easily use a different image editor, but meh!
 

DeScruff

Member
I will agree with the Copy/Paste brush thing. I just cannot get used to it. No other program I have ever worked with works like this! Everything else whether its, text, images, files, whatever, when you press paste, it plops a copy down right then and there.
The code editor even works like this! You paste code. *bam* its right where the cusor is. You don't need to then use your mouse to click where you want it.

- I get why making a custom brush would be useful, but just like why we don't have a "brush" in text editing, you don't always need it in image editing.

Also Side note: I asked 4 people who Go/Went to SCAD, and they all agreed that this copy/Paste method is very awkward to use.
 

Nocturne

Friendly Tyrant
Forum Staff
Admin
In the image editor, it seems the 'flip' and 'mirror' buttons do not work.
Why don't they work? Just saying "it doesn't work" means nothing without context... Are you using them correctly?

The rotate function doesn't really work, it allows me to rotate my selection however no way to confirm the rotation
You need top press Escape or select another tool.

Have you even read the manual on how the tools actually work? http://docs2.yoyogames.com/index.html?page=source/_build/2_interface/1_editors/images.html
 

Mike

nobody important
GMC Elder
The image editor is different. I didn't want something that was the same as everything else, I wanted something that I knew worked well for pixel art, and this does. Yes, it's different, but it's also incredibly powerful once you're used to it. The whole editor is "brush based" and that's not going to change....

I'm also not sure what you mean by "messes up the colour" on rotate....?
 

DeScruff

Member
The image editor is different. I didn't want something that was the same as everything else, I wanted something that I knew worked well for pixel art, and this does. Yes, it's different, but it's also incredibly powerful once you're used to it. The whole editor is "brush based" and that's not going to change....
I and a couple of College students who to an art design school don't agree we usually like basic functions working in a standardized way between programs but whatever.
- Could we at least have a "Paste clipboard image as frame" though? Right now you can only do that for frames that you copied from GMS2 it's self
This brush based system makes Copy Pasting sprites from another image editor like Paint.net or Photoshop take a fair bit longer. since you need to "Paste" (make sure the canvas is the correct resolution), Find the exact middle of the canvas (Which starts to become difficult at higher resolutions) then click your mouse. vs GMS 1.4's -Paste- done.
 
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Mike

nobody important
GMC Elder
Well, being a college student I guess you're probably used to Photoshop. There is no way we're trying to compete with Photoshop, or replicate it that would be nuts and we'd never manage that. Those who are used to that will just keep using it to make their graphics.

Yes, this is on our list already.

I presume you're wanting to "add" a frame from an external image, and not just SET the whole animation to an image. If you drop a PNG onto the zoomed area of a sprite (in the image editor or sprite edtor), it'll replace the whole animation with that file. If you drop the image on the "frames" timeline, it'll add it as a frame.
(I realise this isn't what you do copying sections from an external paint program)
 

DeScruff

Member
Well, being a college student I guess you're probably used to Photoshop. There is no way we're trying to compete with Photoshop, or replicate it that would be nuts and we'd never manage that. Those who are used to that will just keep using it to make their graphics.
Yeah I agree. Not to mention its always nice to have a simple image editor to do a quick edit (which I always found the GM Image editors are great for)

I presume you're wanting to "add" a frame from an external image, and not just SET the whole animation to an image.
Yep exactly. I personally use Paint.net, but that doesn't have support for animated images, and Ive always Copy Pasted into GM to quickly see my animation in motion, and if it 'looks right'.
- Glad to hear its on the list.

If you drop the image on the "frames" timeline, it'll add it as a frame.
Oh Nice!
 

Tsa05

Member
I think he's unaware of blending applied to brushes. I had an issue for a second where I rotated part of an image (which created a rotated brush) and then when I painted, the colors were all wrong. I quickly noticed that everything had taken on an Orange tone and that my LMB color was orange. Changed to white and solved. As a 20-year veteran of Photoshop, I like the brushes.

Few thoughts:
1) I think that Rotate maybe isn't working as intended. For me, when I make a selection and select the rotate tool, I get a widget to perform the rotation, and it creates a new brush at that orientation. The manual says:
This is the rotate tool. If you have an area selected using the Selection tool, then clicking this will permit you to rotate the selected area by an arbitrary amount from 0° to 360°. If you do not have an area of the image selected then this will permit you tyo rotate the current brush.
2) I kinda wish that rotating a brush on-the-fly didn't create an additional brush, but at least the new rotated brush is auto-selected so it's not in the way of usability (just have to clean up lots of unneeded brushes).

3) The editor *could* benefit from something like Photoshop's Ctrl-J, the most used function. It takes a selection and copies it on a new layer (and Ctrl+shift+J *cuts* the selection and pastes to a new layer). Maybe there's already a way to do this that I didn't see under the Layers area of the manual? I could see there being some difficulty with trying to cut something from one layer and them mouse-clicking it into alignment on a new layer.

All in all pretty good stuff
 
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MatthewL019

Guest
Why don't they work? Just saying "it doesn't work" means nothing without context... Are you using them correctly?


You need top press Escape or select another tool.

Have you even read the manual on how the tools actually work? http://docs2.yoyogames.com/index.html?page=source/_build/2_interface/1_editors/images.html
I did read the manuals, however I expected something like that to be built in a way which was self explanatory to use. The flip x and flip y buttons did not work, at all, until after a few restarts in which they seemed to begin working correctly. After using the editor for quite a while, it does grow on me and I'm starting to get a hang of it. Though there are some functions I'd like to see, such as an easier copy/paste system. I don't like how it copies as a 'brush', since this clutters the brushes I have with un-needed ones, and also if there is a selected colour other than white the colour of my selection becomes tinted. It is also hard to match positions when copy/pasting, since there is no marching ants showing my selection.
 

Mike

nobody important
GMC Elder
As a 20-year veteran of Photoshop, I like the brushes.
:)

1) strictly speaking the manual is right. If you have a selection then you rotate than and it'll store the change as a new brush. If not, it'll simply rotate the current brush - and then store as a new brush. It doesn't say what'll happen after you rotate the selection, just what it'll choose to rotate.

2) You kind of need it, otherwise you can end up having to do it again and again, and pick the same angle each time etc...

3) No objection to this one - file it as a suggestion.


Flip X and Y seems fine - remember it flips the brush, otherwise you have to use the IMAGE menu to flip things.
If you find you want to keep a brush longer than the 4 stored, just create a layer and stick it in there, then hide it. The brushes are supposed to be simple transitory things - just so you can go back to one or 2 back after you've finished manipulating/modding something.
 
S

Storyteller

Guest
The image editor is different. I didn't want something that was the same as everything else, I wanted something that I knew worked well for pixel art, and this does. Yes, it's different, but it's also incredibly powerful once you're used to it. The whole editor is "brush based" and that's not going to change....

I'm also not sure what you mean by "messes up the colour" on rotate....?
Good!

I have a few gripes with the image editor, but its much closer to ProMotion than Photoshop. That is a Good Thing.
If anything, it needs strong UI/UX improvements. Its too nested in the basic IDE to function correctly, things are hidden in the menu way up top and hard to get to, the UI is 'too pretty' and isnt clear or intuitive. It seems to have lost a ton of functionality.

Im just getting into the image editor, but please add 'revise and iterate a better image editor' to you roadmap and really spend some time on it.
Personally, I do not like that RMB is a color and not a menu, that is a jarring and nasty shift from almost every other image editor, but I get why you did it.

I will be making a list of things with the image editor that could use some polish, but its not a bad setup. The theory behind what you are going for is good, its really good for what game maker is and does. I love some of the new features, but it does need a lot of work.

I dont think it will be 'yoyo soon', but make version 2.2 or something, all about the image editor. As in, 'the image editor improvements version'
 

Mike

nobody important
GMC Elder
Personally, I do not like that RMB is a color and not a menu, that is a jarring and nasty shift from almost every other image editor, but I get why you did it.
I take it you never used the one in 1.x, it's exactly the same. To me it's fundamental as to how a pixel program should work, otherwise I'd be forever having to select erase or a different colour to correct minor mistakes.

We will be adding more effects over time, we just didn't have time - or want to, add all the old ones back in until we knew a good number of people used them.

Aside from effects, there's actually a lot more in there than was in 1.x, we just need a good walk through of how to use is, and the tricks you can do with it.
 
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Ludorverr

Guest
I take it you never used the one in 1.x, it's exactly the same. To me it's fundamental as to how a pixel program should work, otherwise I'd be forever having to select erase or a different colour to correct minor mistakes.
I'm a big fan of Graphics Gale's method. Right click chooses the colour for left click, it's a permanent eyedropper. Drawing with one hand (no holding control) is more relaxing, it's only ever a few pixels of distance for the cursor to travel to select colours, and you can switch between more than two colours quick and easy. There's also right clicking on the background to pick transparency to erase with as well (has the functionality of both Eraser and Eyedropper).

Of course I'm sure many GM'ers prefer the ancient MSPAINT 2-color system that's been here since the beginning. It's ridiculous for myself or anyone to ask for anything if they're the only person who benefits, I recognize that.

On a related topic - unless I'm missing something we seem to have only "Blend" but no "Replace" color mode like in GMS1, meaning eyedropping the transparent background and drawing with 0 alpha is currently doing nothing. It's a functionality that was present in GMS1.
 
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S

Storyteller

Guest
i used the image editor in 1.4 here and there, though not extensively. Like I said, is a bit of a cognitive incongruity, but I understand the why.
Love graphics gale, use it often, though Ive been trying out Promotion more and more as I can. I hope to see GMS image editing features become as robust and full featured in time.
 
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