Resizing images

[leogets]

Suggestion,

I'm currently using v0.9.9.16

I noticed that some pictures are far too big or too small, yet there is now way to edit the picture's size unless you save it and do it manually.
This takes a lot of steps.  Is there anyway, you can make it possible when in edit mode to just simply grab the outter edge of the picture and drag it to your desired size (whlile dragging have the size ('X' x 'X') displayed). Or for the IMDB, etc. plugins that are used to get the photos and these photos that being downloaded are say in a long rectangular type shape to have them already resized to a pre-determined size of say something like 318 x 424 or 300 x 400 before adding them to the database, but this size setting can also be manually changed by the user.

[rick.ca]

It would nice to have an option for limiting the size of images (by resizing larger ones to the limit) as they are added. But this would only impact images displayed in the viewer (i.e., when they're double-clicked). If the images are only for viewing, there's no point saving in sizes larger than the display. Otherwise, the appearance of images is determined by the skin. My person preference is to display all images of the same type at the same with, so I include the appropriate commands in the skin to resize the image to fit the column it's in: <poster autosize="true" stretch="true"/>

[nostra]

I do not want to add too many functions not directly connected to movie cataloging, so stuff that can be accomplished by other apps is not very welcome. I will consider implementing such functionality thou, if many PVD users will vote for it.

[buah]

I must admit I'm kinda ambivalent on this.
<poster autosize="true" stretch="true"/> suits me perfect. I like them all of the same size, like pharmacy bottles
But I understand that this is an issue often caused by monitor and resolution, and someone need just "that piece of information below poster" and have to scroll down for it.

So, if it would be decided to implement such functionality, maybe it would be more convenient to add some kind of a "zooming slide bar" in the top left corner, beside other icons for processing images. Options here would be one slide bar for locked aspect ratio, and the other option would be implementing independent x-y slide bars.

Finally, I think I'd survive without such an option, me personally, I prefer stretched-maximized images.

[Hyomil]

I do not want to add too many functions not directly connected to movie cataloging, so stuff that can be accomplished by other apps is not very welcome. I will consider implementing such functionality thou, if many PVD users will vote for it.

Speaking of this, maybe a good idea for screenshots would be to add an "Open with..." or "Edit with..." button or context menu action (or an option to automatically open the image in your operating system's default program) so that when users have many images, they can just open the first and flip through all of them quickly in Full Screen mode in their image viewing program of choice rather than having to double-click on each thumbnail in PVD.

[rick.ca]

I agree in principle it's pointless to add image viewing/management/editing features when everyone has access to much more powerful software designed for that purpose. I've suggested before it would be nice if PVD would interface better with such software. Viewing could be implemented by having a double-click open an image in a specified program. A little more tricky is how to handle an image opened for editing. When an image is opened, it would first have to be saved somewhere in the file system. I suppose PVD could monitor that file (while the record it came from remains selected), and save it back to the database if and when it detects any change.

It seems to me this would suit most user circumstances. A double-click would (optionally) open any image in the specified program. If the image were edited—whether by the same program used for viewing or a different one—when saved, PVD would detect the change and save it to the database. If the automatic saving behaviour is problematic, it wouldn't be so bad to manually Load image from file, but I suppose a new button just for re-saving that specific image would be easy to implement.

[buah]

I think I read it somewhere, and I remember it because I got the very same idea/need at that moment. Copy-Paste images from clipboard and Drag&Drop images would be great time savers?

[rick.ca]

Yes, I've long wished for the ability to paste an image from the clipboard to any image place-holder in the program. That would be very versatile and a big time-saver. I actually wondered if this would also be an effective way to re-save an existing image sent to an external editor. But I thought it might be dangerous to assume what is copied to the clipboard is what the user wants to save. For example, if say I download an enormous poster, and use my external editor to resize it to screen size. After I do so, it will appear reduced in the editor, but it will not actually be resized until I save it. So I'd have to be careful to save before attempting to cut & paste it back to PVD. I can live with that, but are all editors the same in this regard? Maybe I worry too much. If cut & paste is an effective method for everyone for re-saving edited images, then maybe that's the way to go...

Add the option to send any image to a specified program (by double-click and/or button or context menu). Whether an image is "returning" from such a program after editing, or is a new image acquired from elsewhere (e.g., copied from a web page), it can be saved to PVD by pasting it from the clipboard. If it works, this would be a simple universal solution.

[mgpw4me@yahoo.com]

The copy / paste function in PaintShopPro does not require the image to be saved, so after a resize, all that's needed is a second copy...I guess that makes it a copy / copy / paste.... 

It seems the basic functionality for 'nice access' to external programs is already available, albeit not intuitive nor without manual setup.  For example, I've found that any significant number of 'full-size' screenshots (say 10+) slows the page display down significantly.  My solution is to use the URL field with "file:///c:\\myscreenshots\mymovie\" where the 'mymovie' is a directory that contains all the screenshots (or people images, as the case may be).  When I click on the url, file explorer fires up with the specific directory named.

I suspect that a jpg image in the url field would cause the registered viewer / editor to open the image (untested).  If so, the basic mechanism is already there, and all that's needed is a bit of refinement to make it usable.  If not, the option exists to use the path and name of the program in the url field and have the image / directory passed as an argument. 

As far as that goes, many image editors have a command-line parameter set that could be invoked which could provide things like batch updates (resize, add a frame, sharpen, auto-enhance), which could be an interesting way to provide features that need be configured only once and would be specific to a user...esp. if the files are stored outside the database where access is easy.  PVD from my testing will simply load the image, without regards to any changes (other than file path and name). 

ImageMagik (sic?) provides a command line interface to an extensive set of imaging processes that could be invoked by a batch file in the url to do very fancy things.

[rick.ca]

It seems the basic functionality for 'nice access' to external programs is already available

Yes, I'm aware of the technique—my most recent epiphany being "file:" URL's can be used in Web searches to launch anything, passing whatever is in the search box as a parameter (if necessary). The problem is, this doesn't help when the images are stored in the database. So the program needs to take care of the task of saving the image to the file system, and then calling the external program. If the image is already saved externally, obviously the pathname would simply be passed to the external program.

As far as that goes, many image editors have a command-line parameter set that could be invoked...

Good point. And another reason for making this configurable, rather than just leaving it up to the Windows associations to handle. The option settings for this should provide a variable for the pathname of the image so it can be specified in the manner (along with other parameters) the external application requires. For images saved in the database, the location the image is saved to should be configurable as well. In some cases, that might help ensure the external application saves the changes to the same location (i.e., by specifying that applications default save directory).

Another question: Should this work in any sort of batch mode? For example, should we be able to edit all posters for one movie, or the default poster for a group of selected movies? No. This is far beyond the scope of what is intended. Those wanting to do a lot of work with images should save images externally—so this sort of thing can be done externally. For images saved in the database, the requirement to edit an image will normally be an infrequent thing, and therefore doing one at a time is sufficient.

[mgpw4me@yahoo.com]

Truth is, that as presented, the system would be unworkable.  You can't have a bazillion image links to an update program and expect a person to click each link...and then how to deal with it once clicked.  My point was simply that the basic mechanism is available to be used, which may involve processing a directory (and maybe, if the external program allows) to disregard previously processed files.  This may be transparent to the user...should be...

There would definitely be a need for a mechanism to provide 'already processed' files.  That could be simple or difficult depending on the application...some have update options (date, filesize, histogram).

No doubt it would take work to associate images in a group for batch processing (as the database stands), but given that a directory is none different than a database id, I can see it working...time permitting and necessity being a priority.

[rick.ca]

Truth is, that as presented, the system would be unworkable.

We already established PVD will not go down the path of supporting complex image processing. All that is being suggested is a simple mechanism for loading one selected image into an external application. An important reason for doing so is to off-load any perceived image processing need to external software—which is much more capable than anything that could be built in. It would also allow users like you to support others in configuring something suitable to their needs, and leave nostra free to focus on core functions.

[CAD]

i agree with rick.

there are plenty of off program stuff to resize images etc.
to me - i d/l from sites that have decent image quality.

If i ever needed super quality images then i would use manual download/ resizing processes to make sure it suitred my needs

[leogets]

I like this idea "to add some kind of a "zooming slide bar" in the top left corner, beside other icons for processing images. Options here would be one slide bar for locked aspect ratio, and the other option would be implementing independent x-y slide bars".

Would this also be able to adjust the column width as well where the image is displayed?

Reason I ask is because I'm sort of fixed at the moment with only being able to apply an 800 x 600 resolution to my primary viewing monitor/tv.
Unless I go to windows 7 where I could apply 1024 x 768 but in order for me to be able to read the print on the t.v, I have to increase the font to 125%. (32" wide screen LCD T.V is going; I lost HDMI input from computer, instead of wide screen I get a square window. I stuck with S-Video input only)

Under siduations like mine, it would be very helpful if the size of the pictures could be reduced to a fixed size, having to scroll up and down all the time becomes frustrating.

On another monitor I use 1360 x 768 and images 318 x 424 fit perfect.  But on the other monitor, they however seem to push pretty much all the text that is right of the picture sort of off screen and it doesn't look good at all.

Can somebody tell me if PVD 9.9.18 is compatible with Windows 7 64 bit.  I tried to do a search but found nothing for Windows 7 because 7 by itself cannot be searched, nor was I able to find anything for Windows7 or Window7.  

Thank you,


  

[rick.ca]

As I explained before, image sizes are controlled by the skin. An image will never occupy more than the width of the column it's in. The size of the image is reduced by making the column narrower. But there's no point putting a poster and text side-by-side if there's no room. Put both in the same column—at least for your 800 x 600 screen. See attached.

PVD works fine with Windows 7. As do search terms enclosed in quotes.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[leogets]

Thanks rick.ca.  Nice to know it's possible to do that.

Because after watching a movie, I mark it as been seen, then I move the file from its primary directory to another; Good, Fair, or Time Waster, within its container; so being able to see the FilePath to me is at the moment slightly more important. I can still see the IMDB rating which is fine and I'm still able to read the Description on what the movie is about so again this is fine.

I was just hoping there could be some sort of resolution made where I could in this case reduce the images to a predertimed size this way when I open PVD, I wouldn't have to scoll down almost all the time to see the FilePath because the image is too long.
But as I found out and to what you are saying is that it doesn't matter if the image is smaller than the column width, the column width remains the same even if the image is smaller, and if the image is larger than the column width, it will be reduced to the fixed column width.
Is there anyway to reduce the column width for the image?

[rick.ca]

...then I move the file from its primary directory to another; Good, Fair, or Time Waster, within its container; so being able to see the FilePath to me is at the moment slightly more important.

As I explained here, this is not a good idea, but if you insist—fields can be placed anywhere in a skin. Put File path right at the top in a large, bold, brightly coloured font, it that's what you want. You can also use tabs to manage your limited screen space.

Is there anyway to reduce the column width for the image?

I don't think you would want to do that. The default skin uses <poster autosize="true"/>. What you want is probably <poster autosize="true" stretch="true"/>. The stretch attribute resizes the image to fit the width of the column.

[patch]

after watching a movie, I mark it as been seen, then I move the file from its primary directory to another; Good, Fair, or Time Waster, within its container; so being able to see the FilePath to me is at the moment slightly more important. I can still see the IMDB rating which is fine and I'm still able to read the Description on what the movie is about so again this is fine.

You could also define a custom field for your rating. Leave flexibility to have more than one extra rating feild, so supporting more than one users opinion.
Should work OK from within PVD. Clearly not going to work outside.

[rick.ca]

I'm all the time just trying to find an easier way for me to view the file path so later I can go there and move the file after first marking it as seen.

Open containing folder. You can put a button on the toolbar for it if you like.

[leogets]

Thank you rick.ca

I was wonder how you put everthing under 1 column for the 800 x 600 resolution.
So I tried a coulple of the different Movie Information Skins that were provided but I couldn't find one like the one you posted with everything under one line.
The PVD Condensed I think works quite well aside from the background colour, I'd prefer light blue.  Next best would be the PVD classic tabs.
 
One other problem solved with the use of toolbar button 'open containing folder' button or right-click on the movie.

Now I can watch the movie then check it as seen, open containing folder move the movie to a Good, Fair etc. directory then close windows explorer and move on to the next movie.

Thank you.