Re: Display bigger version of a photo on a tooltip

[Steve Dobson <steve dobson syscall org uk>]

Hi

On Tue, 2008-03-11 at 13:31 +0100, Michael Schmarck wrote:
> On Tue, Mar 11, 2008 at 1:07 PM, Steve Dobson
> <steve dobson syscall org uk> wrote:
> >  On Tue, 2008-03-11 at 12:27 +0100, David Prieto wrote:
> >  > > As I understand it what David is suggesting is not to zoom the current
> >  > > image under the mouse but just that a little pop-up appears telling you
> >  > > of all the keyboard short cuts (or just the one that are important).
> >  >
> >  > That's not the case. To clarify things I've added a mockup to the bug
> >  > (I've preferred not to send it as an attachment), and you can see it
> >  > here: http://bugzilla.gnome.org/attachment.cgi?id=107051&action=view
> >  >
> >  > The idea is, as I said, to have appear when the cursor remains immobile
> >  > over a picture for a second, and have it disappear when it's moved out
> >  > of that picture. The size is open to discussion.
> >
> >  Nice mock-up.
> >
> >  I have discovered that if you hold down the 'v' key you get, more or
> >  less, the functionality you are suggesting.
> 
> Which is what he wrote :)

I don't remember him saying that in the current implementation that
moving the mouse after pressing the 'v' key changed the thumbnail being
magnified.  But maybe he did.

> >  Personally I like the 'v' key solution.
> 
> I don't.

Fine.  I don't have a problem with other people like different things
than me.

> > The functionally is just a
> >  keypress away for when you need it and not there when you don't.
> 
> Same is true for "his" functionality - if you don't want a bigger
> version, just don't hover over the image. As simple as that.

True.  But for me the more ways in which a tool can be used the better
that tool is.  If you change F-Spot so that it aways zoom the thumbnail
on mouse over then that is the only way it can be used.  If you have
that functionality active only on a modifier then the functionality is
their at the choice of the user.  And user choice is *always* a good
thing.

> >  Granted that this is not as discoverable as your way, but then again it
> >  allows the tool to be used in different ways.
> 
> Like?

Like making the thumbnails as big as possible and they reviewing them
with equal priority regardless of where the mouse just happens to be

> >  Why should placing the
> >  pointer over an image mean "display this one slightly bigger please"?  I
> 
> Because that's what other applications also do.

*Some* applications.  It's by no means universal.

>  And it's not just slightly
> bigger, but he also suggested to display *some* metadata.

So does increasing the size of the thumbnails.  It is only when the
thumbnails are small is this feature really useful.  It you use the
largest size thumbnails allowed it has negligible value.

> >  may want it to mean "this is currently my favourite of those I've
> >  reviewed so far."
> 
> So? And what should that mean?

For the application nothing, for me whatever I want.

> >  Your mock up clearly shows that what you intend would obscure images
> >  around the current choice.
> 
> That would of course need to be done. Or maybe it could be made
> so, that the popup is translucent and thus not totally opaque.

Translucency is not the solution.  If want to look at something look
through something else is no substitute.

> >  I therefore see your idea as an increase in
> >  discountability at the cost of a reduction in functionality.
> 
> What functionality is reduced?

The ability to use the tool in a way where zooming the thumbnail is a
detrimental to the task at hand.

> > That's a
> >  poor trade off in my book.
> 
> Okay. On the other hand, I really think that there's nice
> functionality added, as it allows to more easily see what
> the picture actually is. It allows to do so, without being
> forced to go in "View" mode and thus totally losing track
> of the other pictures "around" the interesting (hovered)
> picture.

I am not saying that a thumbnail view zoom feature is not something to
add.  I can, and do, see the advantages to some workflows.  What I am
saying that it should be on a modifier and/or configurable (see another
post of mine).  I want the modifier because it is the least bad option.
It allows more ways of using the tool and that is advantageous to the
largest number of users.

Steve