Author Topic: The Great Screenshot Captor Ruler Debate Thread (Read 38,602 times)

mouser · « **Reply #25 on:** September 10, 2013, 07:36 PM »

Would it be useful to have a mode where the cursor crosshairs draw full height and width lines? Much like in the region-capture mode?

And I'm still interested in hearing if people think being able to set up a custom grid with a custom size and origin would be useful.. Though please remember that SC is not trying to be a top-echelon illustration tool.

Vurbal · « **Reply #26 on:** September 10, 2013, 07:42 PM »

Personally I would rather have editable text fields for origin, width, and height with arrow buttons that also respond to the mouse wheel and keyboard arrow keys. In fact that's typically what I rely on in GIMP.

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mouser · « **Reply #27 on:** September 10, 2013, 08:24 PM »

Well that's sort of what i was proposing for an optional special top panel that would only be shown when you want it -- it would have big text showing exact cursor position, selection size, and some of these control for custom grid. It would be a sort of "Precise Control" panel, designed to be toggled on when you need to do precise work. It might also remind you of the keyboard shortcuts for nudging the selection size.

I see it showing:

1. Large font text showing current cursor position in pixels and inches (or cm)
2. Large font text showing selection size in pixels and inches (or cm)
3. Checkbox to enable full-image-size crosshairs.
4. Combobox to set grid mode (None, by size, by divisions).
5. Control to adjust grid horizontal gridsize.
6. Control to adjust grid vertical gridsize.
7. Controls to adjust origin of grid.

Other things it could show:
8. Exact distance of cursor from Right hand and Bottom of image? (would make it easier to get exact middle, etc.)

Now this is a fair amount of work so there's no point in me implementing this unless a bunch of people think it would be useful -- it's certainly not something i would use -- at least not when working with screenshots. But I'm not against implementing it as an optional thing if people think it would be useful and they don't have any other pet features they want implemented first..

It would also mean you would trade off some image screen space to get this top panel -- you'd lose maybe 75-100 pixels of vertical height that used to be used to show the image.

Vurbal · « **Reply #28 on:** September 10, 2013, 08:44 PM »

In my extensive experience that's by far the most efficient approach. However that may be somewhat unique to the mass quantity of screenshots I typically deal with at once since it's normally when I'm working on a big software guide. It also may have something to do with my workflow. I use a Nostromo gamepad to speed up my workflow.

Sort of like Douglas Englebart's MOAD presentation in '68. Ironically I hadn't heard of it when I started working this way.

yJDv-zdhzMY?hl=en_US&version=3/

mouser · « **Reply #29 on:** September 10, 2013, 09:55 PM »

We have been debating the value of adding some sort of ruler functionality to Screenshot Captor in a few threads.

There are people who believe rulers would be very useful, and there are others, like me, who don't yet understand the usefulness of them.

I'm hoping we can consolidate the discussion into this thread, and focus on what actual tasks are being done that might benefit from some kind of ruler functionality, and then decide what kind of optional tool i can add to SC that would best help people perform these tasks.

This might mean adding rulers (fixed or floating?) or adding some kind of special panel with extra information, or a customizable grid, etc.

Or it may simply mean finding an external ruler/measuring tool and creating a helpful .sctool entry for it to make it super easy for people to use from within Screenshot Captor.

I think the first step is for people who want "rulers" to help me understand what kind of rulers they think would be useful and what kinds of tasks they would use them for inside SC; and let's try to think outside the box and figure out if a ruler is what is really needed or if something else might help even more with these tasks..

IainB · « **Reply #30 on:** September 11, 2013, 12:18 AM »

OK, I understand now. I was mistaken.

I thought I "needed" rulers because, as an inexpert user of SSC I didn't realise that I effectively already had rulers. The rulers are the sides of the actual cutting box/rectangle, whose dimensions are shown in the bottom of the SSC work area:

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mouser · « **Reply #31 on:** September 11, 2013, 12:28 AM »

im still not entirely sure why your having to work with multiple images in the task you've described.. the Scrolling Capture function is flexible enough so that even if it can't guess margins and overlaps, it can still do a scrolling capture that you can manually tweak and fix..

The *SPLICE* tool in the SpecialFX2 menu is your friend in this case, designed to easily cut out strips.

However, back to your question:

Quote

The only thing that I would like is to be able to copy the standard dimensions so as to somehow instantly create the same sized rectangle on each successive image to have its excess trimmed off. That would be less tedious and less error-prone than dragging the rectangle out to that fixed size each time.

You've got two good options here:

In the Edit -> Select menu you'll see an item labeled "Reselect Last region size" that can be used to reselect the same sized region as you previously selected; you can then move that region around if you need.
You can also set your own custom region sizes any time you want on the MyFavorites option tab, and these are available in the Edit -> Select Preset Region menu and toolbar.

Does that help?

As for your pointing to the status bar showing the currently selected region size -- that's one of the things we have been discussing, whether that info might be displayed in much larger font with additional info, on an optional top panel that would make it easier to read.

Renegade · « **Reply #32 on:** September 11, 2013, 01:27 AM »

Quote from: app103 on September 08, 2013, 11:01 PM

Personally, I'd like more people to help light a fire under Renegade's butt to get him to finish this ruler. I have found it to be quite useful for just about anything I could need a ruler on my screen for.

That was a long time ago. I'll need to dig out the project, but it might be a good NANY project too. Every now and then I need to use it, and it has been quite helpful.

IainB · « **Reply #33 on:** September 11, 2013, 01:41 AM »

I had 5 separate scrolling screenshots (images) - each is a shot of a different page of a scanned periodical.

I used the splice tool to cut out the sections of text duplication above and below the horizontal scrolling capture gaps, and then to cut off the extraneous bits on each of the 4 sides of each image.
If I hadn't been so unfamiliar with using SSC for this purpose, I would have gone about it differently, using a fixed-size rectangle applied to trim each of the 5 pages after I had spliced out the excess text.

Quote from: mouser on September 11, 2013, 12:28 AM

You've got two good options here:
In the Edit -> Select menu you'll see an item labeled "Reselect Last region size" that can be used to reselect the same sized region as you previously selected; you can then move that region around if you need.
You can also set your own custom region sizes any time you want on the MyFavorites option tab, and these are available in the Edit -> Select Preset Region menu and toolbar.
Does that help?

Yes I think it will! Thankyou. I had not known that.

Quote from: mouser on September 11, 2013, 12:28 AM

As for your pointing to the status bar showing the currently selected region size -- that's one of the things we have been discussing, whether that info might be displayed in much larger font with additional info, on an optional top panel that would make it easier to read.

Yes, I realise that now. I must apologise for entering the discussion at such a late stage and without having previously been following it particularly closely. I only entered it because I had actually been thinking "I need two rulers - one on each axis - here." I was not aware of how best to use the "currently selected region size". Now I am.

That's sorted my problems, and it seems to have established that one doesn't need new rulers, since they are effectively already in place as the currently selected region size (rectangle).

The only remaining issue is probably that the little yellow circles (handles) for the sides of the rectangle, and the rectangle itself, do not behave consistently and sometimes play up a bit as I described previously.

Thanks again.

mouser · « **Reply #34 on:** September 11, 2013, 01:43 AM »

Quote

The only remaining issue is probably that the little yellow circles (handles) for the sides of the rectangle, and the rectangle itself, do not behave consistently and sometimes play up a bit as I described previously.

if you can find a way to reliably reproduce this or any further clues about it, i'd like to hear (but on a different thread!).

cmpm · « **Reply #35 on:** September 11, 2013, 02:43 AM »

Is there a specific requirement for a ruler to be added to the tools menu?
Like open source or something.

Cause I like these-but I don't know how to make 'em tools.

http://www.spadixbd.com/freetools/jruler.htm

http://www.dkpcode.com/downloads.html#DKRuler

And I think this one would be most useful, if I understand some of the things that are requested.

http://www.cthing.com/Meazure.asp

lanux128 · « **Reply #36 on:** September 11, 2013, 03:40 AM »

i have this ruler app as an external tool and use it quite often.

• http://sites.google.com/site/rulerhelp/

mouser · « **Reply #37 on:** September 11, 2013, 03:51 AM »

It's really easy to add custom tools to the Tool menu -- you can do that entirely from within the program.
You can also create little .sctool files which can be shared so that others don't even have to do that much.

mouser · « **Reply #38 on:** September 11, 2013, 03:51 AM »

It would be nice to have a page where people can share suggested tools to configure for triggering from SC.

lanux128 · « **Reply #39 on:** September 11, 2013, 05:31 AM »

Quote from: mouser on September 11, 2013, 03:51 AM

It's really easy to add custom tools to the Tool menu -- you can do that entirely from within the program.
You can also create little .sctool files which can be shared so that others don't even have to do that much.

it is surreal to see my custom tools menu from 3 years ago. btw, some of the tools are quite obsolete due to advances in SC. however, the idea is still valid.

mouser · « **Reply #40 on:** September 11, 2013, 05:48 AM »

Quote

it is surreal to see my custom tools menu from 3 years ago.

Show us a screenshot!

lanux128 · « **Reply #41 on:** September 11, 2013, 06:07 AM »

Quote from: mouser on September 11, 2013, 05:48 AM

Quote
it is surreal to see my custom tools menu from 3 years ago.

Show us a screenshot!

it's on the other thread, meant to copy-paste but forgot about it but here it is now.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

mouser · « **Reply #42 on:** September 11, 2013, 06:15 AM »

Nice!

mouser · « **Reply #43 on:** September 11, 2013, 06:29 AM »

Here's the kind of thing i had in mind for the optional precision top panel, something like this:

Note: I have to keep it as compact as possible since I can't anticipate people's screen sizes.

On the left hand it would show the current cursor position (both relative to the top left of image and bottom right, to aid in measuring from any side), and the selection coordinates (last set of coords is selection size). You could select the units from Pixels | Inches | Cm | Percentages.

On the right hand you see controls for a custom grid overlay. You can tweak the origin or use combo box to get origin to be grid center or cell center, and set a custom size of the grid cells in pixels, or tell it that you want a grid of 10x10 cells and it would figure out the appropriate pixel intervals.

robbero · « **Reply #44 on:** September 11, 2013, 06:33 AM »

I think rulers can have an importance but not only in a screenshot program but in all programs.
That's why I prefer to have an independent ruler on my pc. Most rulers don't even need to be installed so I don't see why it has to be included in a screenshot software.
Btw, I almost never user my ruler. Sometimes to measure the desktop or a width of a window.

What I think is the most important thing to adapt in Screenshot captor is the preferences menu.
There are too much features, to difficult to find.
I don't see any logic in the sorting of the different features.
I note that always when I need something to change I have to search minutes to find it, or worse, what happens mostly, I do a search online.
This morning I wanted to turn off the sound after capturing.
Couldn't find it immediately.

There is p.e. 2 x a post capture option:
In basic and advanced features.
Why not remove the word basic and advanced and put them all (in a simple way) in Post Capture?

There are also features in preferences, right aligned p.e. in Window capturing 1.
Is that an error?
Btw why Window Capturing 1 and 2?
Post Capture basic and advanced, Window Capturing 1 and 2.
Its all too confusing.

And I think it would be better to remove the word options in most off the words
at the left side in preferences.
p.e. scanner options --> scanner

There is also too much description text in all windows i.m.o.

Sorry, may'be other people see it different or maybe I'm looking too much at this kind of things
because we had years ago a software company who helped companies to make their websites more accessible (usability).

app103 · « **Reply #45 on:** September 11, 2013, 06:41 AM »

I take a lot of screenshots of web pages, which often have a main section and a background. What I can never seem to do right is crop it in a way that the same amount of background borders both the left & right sides. Just doing it by eye, it is always uneven. And for the most part, I don't really care. But every once in awhile, it's not for a forum post, and is actually for something that it matters how it looks. For this type of work, rulers would be very useful while cropping. (and for the OCD type of user, they may use it more than I would)

Example of unevenly cropped screenshot:

I also like the idea of a customizable grid, for sizing and positioning clipart. But if you are going to do that, in addition to being able to set the spacing of the grid lines, don't forget to give us control over the color, too.

Now, I am not saying I want you to add the rulers to sc, since I have stand-alone rulers to do this stuff if I really want to (I am usually just too lazy to use them

). I just figured I'd chime in with a use case for you to consider, that could pop up quite frequently among sc users.

Epamitut · « **Reply #46 on:** April 29, 2014, 06:08 PM »

Hi.
I see, "Screenshot Captor" don't have an onboard Pixel Ruler or similar feature.

A Ruler Feature: when the user needs a 'less width' before of Snap/Crop/Resize image. Eg: a webpage screenshot using scrolling, and after export this image to Cell phone (small screen), which you know its dimensions.
Fantastic program, catch up the scrolling settings. Good work. Donate.

"Ruler v1.4" is a nice Pixel Ruler (portable), but it doesn't save size.

"Floating Ruler" available: http://www.donationcoder.com/forum/index.php?topic=5490.msg337485#msg337485
Measures don't seem real.

IainB · « **Reply #47 on:** April 30, 2014, 08:31 AM »

^^ Well, I thought SC needed a ruler, and then figured out that it didn't, as it effectively already had exactly what was needed (for me at any rate) - Re: The Great Screenshot Captor Ruler Debate Thread. That's my "use case" there.
The thing is, I had not realised that this was the case, until I paid close attention to some of the points in this discussion thread.