GSoC idea: Shotwell parametric RAW development

[Camilo Polymeris <cpolymeris gmail com>]

Hello all,
my name is Camilo, I am a student & amateur photographer.
I'd like to propose an idea for GSoC 2012: Implementing parametrized
RAW development in Shotwell.

A bit of background: I use shotwell for classifying & sorting photos
everyday, both raw & jpeg. Additionally i develop the former using
rawstudio. This is an excelent tool, but I would rather have
everything unified -- UI, export possibilities, saving behaviour, etc.

Also, my needs regarding RAW development are quite simple: adjust the
tonal curves (contrast, saturation, temp, etc...) crop, straighten,
lens correction & sometimes a bit of denoise. Even if only a subset of
these could be done directly in shotwell, it would be a great
improvement.
I believe I am not the only one who would benefit from this, and its
interface could be hidden away from the basic user, so to not
complicate their workflow.

I am currently writting a more detailed proposal, but would welcome
any comments on this idea, in particular:

a) Do you think this can & should be implemented as a plugin?
b) My work plan includes spending the first GSoC term adding the
necessary hooks and parameters to the shotwell core & the second term
developing the UI & each tool's particular behaviour. All in all, do
you think that is a good approach?
c) If you are a shotwell developer, would you be willing to mentor this project?

Best regards,

Camilo