Author Topic: Version 2 beta preview release now available (!) (Read 23091 times)

mouser · « **on:** September 03, 2005, 03:01 PM »

https://www.donation...ScreenshotCaptor.exe

A *TON* of work has gone into this version.
Code size has just about doubled.

I've still got a few more features i want to add but the main change is the new object editing tools, which allow you to keep editing even after saving.

Hope you guys like it. Expect some bugs.

Help file has not been updated yet.

List of new features:
v2.00.01 - 9/3/05
Full object editing support (highlight regions, memo boxes, clipart, arrows), and you can edit objects AFTER saving the file.
Implemented Picture frames
Implemented Masks (like edges, picture frames)
Added clipart browser
Active window region saved in metadata of file
Added option for whether to re-select active region on file load
Save Now forces save even if it doesn't think file is dirty
Moving/resizing/editing objects marks file as "dirty"
Added fix for undo/redo object position moving
Implemented .tiff embedded objects
Implemented external .object files
Implemented smart replacement of objects when launching external editors and tools
Added file saving message
Caption add function (+button)

Special thanks to stefan and carolhays for help+suggestions on the donationcoder.com forum.
Includes some clipart found by you guys.

mouser · « **Reply #1 on:** September 03, 2005, 03:04 PM »

there are actually 2 separate ways to save objects so they can be edited later.
1) you can save files in tif format which embeds the objects in the file.
2) you can save files in any format and have sc create a .objects companion file.

i'm quite proud of the system, which basically lets you view the files in any program as if the files were normal image files, but when you open in screenshot captor you can edit them.

mouser · « **Reply #2 on:** September 03, 2005, 03:06 PM »

btw it might be a little unintuitive how to edit objects. basically you toggle the Object Select tool (white cursor) on and off to go in and out of object editing mode.

mouser · « **Reply #3 on:** September 03, 2005, 04:24 PM »

sorry i forgot to pack in the frames and clipart; please download 2.00.02 if you grabbed 2.00.01

AbteriX · « **Reply #4 on:** September 03, 2005, 05:00 PM »

"Monday is much early this week"

Many thanks mouser.

Offline for to havy screen snapping

AbteriX · « **Reply #5 on:** September 03, 2005, 06:04 PM »

wow, nice work mouser, thank you

I'd played around a lil bit....

mouser · « **Reply #6 on:** September 03, 2005, 07:55 PM »

it's fun to see it being tested!

mouser · « **Reply #7 on:** September 03, 2005, 08:07 PM »

one thing that would be nice is to get some frames and masks suitable for computer screenshots,
the current set of masks and frames is kind of useless.

it would be nice to make some for the standard "Ragged Edge" look found in many other tools.

Frames are really just normal transparent images, like PNG images.

Masks are just black and white images that specify where transparency should be (white means transparent).

Undocumented feature: if you make a frame image file like MyFrame.png
and then create a mask called MyFrame.png.mask and put it in same directory,
then the mask will be applied after the frame.

This would let you do something like a circular frame where the inside of the frame is transparent in the frame file to let the image show through, but then the mask is used to say that the area outside of the picture frame are to be totally blank and transparent.

I'll try to make an example if no one else comes through with one..

mouser · « **Reply #8 on:** September 03, 2005, 08:10 PM »

another thing-
there is a paintbrush tool, but i disabled it for now until i can get it working a little better.

mouser · « **Reply #9 on:** September 03, 2005, 11:29 PM »

v2.00.03 - 9/3/05
Clipart directory was not installing properly.
Frame transparency was not adjustable
Added commands to merge objects into background
Print command now prints objects
All text size, linesize object options are now adjustable by convenient quick sliders ( thanks to Brain Mitov's BMSlider component, )

Carol Haynes · « **Reply #10 on:** September 04, 2005, 04:35 AM »

Looks good, but I can't use text!

I put a text objet in, and while it is being edited it is visible but as soon as I click anywhere else it disappears and becommes invisible.

When I double click where I know it is it reappears ???

Also I tried "Save as copy" in TIF format (using the sample) and then got contant 'access violation' errors when ever I used the thumbnail browser (and the save failed).

Sorry it was too late when I was playing and I didn't note the exact error codes.

mouser · « **Reply #11 on:** September 04, 2005, 04:59 AM »

the text dissapears if the font is too big, check that.
as for tif save

i'll have to explore it more.

Carol Haynes · « **Reply #12 on:** September 04, 2005, 05:44 AM »

What is too big?

This is what I did - I placed a call out on the image (one of the clouds) and then put a text box on top. Type some text but it was too small to read. I increased the font size, but it still fit inside the box (and the cloud) but from then on it could only be seen when selected for editing.

mouser · « **Reply #13 on:** September 04, 2005, 06:04 AM »

that's strange.
what i meant was, if the text is too big for the box its in, it seems to dissapear.

AbteriX · « **Reply #14 on:** September 04, 2005, 06:11 AM »

one thing that would be nice is to get some frames and masks suitable for computer screenshots,
the current set of masks and frames is kind of useless.
-mouser (September 03, 2005, 08:07 PM)

Iam pretty sure i will make some for my own work.
I will share them than it's done.

----
annotations (of course just IMHO) :

2.00.03

- enable/disable with white cursor for to edit objects is OK

- "Highlight Opjects" .... handy if separately trans for each 'Border color' and 'inner color' in one step

- "Text tool" ... is a little bit tricky.. if i wrote 12 for the size, i get only the 1 and than the focus to the text

- "Text tool" ... is set to total trans by default (if i switch to), should be non-trans by default

- to move and modify the opjects is fantastic

- "Arrow tool" .... arrow size is 2 by default == invisible, shoult by 20
- "Arrow tool" ... also text size is to tiny by default

- "Arrow tool" ... auto switch of textbox direction incommodes {me !!!} more than it's helps
Maybe it would be fine to disable this behaviour from time to time.
Additionally I found checkbox "[]left" and "[]right" for direction nifty (or even free move around

)

- "Arrow tool" ... maybe i miss an "[ ] inner color" option for the text ?

-
- "quick sliders " are very handy, thanks. We could even use the "bar" under the size to increase/decrease !

- insert shapes and arrows and so works pretty good

- "add image caption" .... works with size and color from "Text tool"

- "frames and Mask" ... i miss an option "[ ] add to the outside of the image"

- "frames and Mask" ... I know this is to much, but... is it possible to simple resize
the frames and the mask to suite our needs ? 'cus some borders are to thick
and cover/crop to much of the images.
I imaging to input frames/mask like an "Clipart Opject" --- resize them ---- and press apply

- for an very future build i wish to have an option to order the position of the opject...
... what lies under what object and what lies on top.
But that may to much overhelmed for an screenshot tool, i admit !!!

- i think this is very well done !
- I could imaging to use this tool productively.
- many thanks and kudo to mouser and all how have taken part in build an great ~~tool~~ Application.

AbteriX · « **Reply #15 on:** September 04, 2005, 06:16 AM »

...it could only be seen when selected for editing.
-CarolHaynes (September 04, 2005, 05:44 AM)

Did U check transparency ???

> what i meant was, if the text is too big for the box its in, it seems to dissapear.

Yeah, that's right, too.
Astonish the first few times

But than i know that behaviour.

Maybe mouser could show an sign that there is more text ?
But this is not realy necessary, people will see after a few trials.

AbteriX · « **Reply #16 on:** September 04, 2005, 06:22 AM »

...
Also I tried "Save as copy" in TIF format (using the sample) and then got contant 'access violation' errors when ever I used the thumbnail browser (and the save failed).
-CarolHaynes (September 04, 2005, 04:35 AM)

I just testet that save as... TIFF for to sort this out for mouser.... but it works for me.

But i also see one 'access violation' error with 2.00.02 while saving. (no i don't know the right circumstances)
I will test some more for to sort this out.

AbteriX · « **Reply #17 on:** September 04, 2005, 06:28 AM »

SC 2.00.03 didn't show *.TIFF thumpnails ?!
Only the full picture in the main screen.

mouser · « **Reply #18 on:** September 04, 2005, 06:29 AM »

- "Highlight Opjects" .... handy if separately trans for each 'Border color' and 'inner color' in one step

this probably isnt possible. (i am using a graphics component that handles this)

- "Text tool" ... is a little bit tricky.. if i wrote 12 for the size, i get only the 1 and than the focus to the text

yes i noticed that too, but i think it might be fixed now that we have the quick slider bar? or no?

- "Text tool" ... is set to total trans by default (if i switch to), should be non-trans by default

is it? i will fix that.

- to move and modify the opjects is fantastic

- "Arrow tool" .... arrow size is 2 by default == invisible, shoult by 20
- "Arrow tool" ... also text size is to tiny by default

i will fix.

- "Arrow tool" ... auto switch of textbox direction incommodes {me !!!} more than it's helps
Maybe it would be fine to disable this behaviour from time to time.
Additionally I found checkbox "[]left" and "[]right" for direction nifty (or even free move around )

yes this is not a bad idea, i will see if i can do that.

- "Arrow tool" ... maybe i miss an "[ ] inner color" option for the text ?

not sure if i can add it, maybe i can.

- "quick sliders " are very handy, thanks. We could even use the "bar" under the size to increase/decrease !

yes much better.

- "add image caption" .... works with size and color from "Text tool"

works with font and color (but size should be from caption dialog i think.

- "frames and Mask" ... i miss an option "[ ] add to the outside of the image"

yes i am working on that now. or something like it.

- "frames and Mask" ... I know this is to much, but... is it possible to simple resize
the frames and the mask to suite our needs ? 'cus some borders are to thick
and cover/crop to much of the images.
I imaging to input frames/mask like an "Clipart Opject" --- resize them ---- and press apply

i am trying to solve this with thing above, making it easy to say frame should be outside image or being able to adjust how much.

- for an very future build i wish to have an option to order the position of the opject...
... what lies under what object and what lies on top.
But that may to much overhelmed for an screenshot tool, i admit !!!

yes this is planned.

- i think this is very well done !
- I could imaging to use this tool productively.
- many thanks and kudo to mouser and all how have taken part in build an great tool Application.

glad you like it.

mouser · « **Reply #19 on:** September 04, 2005, 06:30 AM »

the tiff thumbnail display is actually handled by your system shell, and it seems that the image components dont create 100% compatible tiff files; i can only suggest turning off the save objects in tiff file mode, and prefer external .objects file instead, at least for now.

mouser · « **Reply #20 on:** September 04, 2005, 06:34 AM »

carol, what stefan said is probably your problem -
by mistake i have text set to total transparency by default. DOH!
set the transparency slider higher and it should appear.

AbteriX · « **Reply #21 on:** September 04, 2005, 09:18 AM »

Hi mouser,

i think i could live with, but for discuss....

if I increase the thickness of the arrow
i expected that the "line" only would get thiker
and not the "spire" of the arrow
and not the text box.

I could do an workaround for nicer output
but maybe this could be improved ???

mouser · « **Reply #22 on:** September 04, 2005, 09:36 AM »

yes i agree with you;
i think best solution might be grow the text border and arrow spire BUT only until about 4 or 5 pixels thing maybe, and no more.

btw:
i am now writing (with much pain), a better resize function (like you originally wanted:)), with preview function (painful), which is perfect for resizing canvas to fit frames better.

mouser · « **Reply #23 on:** September 04, 2005, 11:00 AM »

Version 2.00.05 beta:

https://www.donation...ScreenshotCaptor.exe

Deluxe Resize Dialog (Ctrl+G shortcut) now lets you do preview, specify how to grow each side of image - much much better.
(i should have listened to stefan when he first requested this).

This should make it quite a bit easier to resize images to fit perfectly in picture frames.

Carol Haynes · « **Reply #24 on:** September 04, 2005, 12:30 PM »

This new version seems a bit more stable. I haven't tried saving in TIFF format because of comments you made above but PNG+change file works for me.

Text also works now.

Are you going to add bump up and down (layers) for floating objects? If you add text and then want to place it onto a callout ballon or similar there is no way to do this (that I can see) short of deleting the text and entering it again.

Also can editing be restricted to the image area and/or allow image area to be expanded? At the moment final output files crop to the original captures edges.

How do you save a final image (without the objects file)? The only way I have found is to use MoveTo on a finished imaged ??

A couple of other requests ...

1) Group and ungroup objects

2) Optional object outlines (so for eample the text editing box could be made visible with/without handles depending on whether it is being edited or not).

3) Vertical text alignement (Top, centre, bottom) within text object.

4) Not sure if this is possible - transparency effect on text background (so you can fade the coloured background without affecting the text)

5) Text rotation?

Looking good though - you have been working really hard!