Author Topic: Screenshots in 0.9.9.20  (Read 15366 times)

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Offline rick.ca

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Screenshots in 0.9.9.20
« on: April 25, 2010, 06:29:42 am »
Thanks for the new release. :)

Unfortunately, there's a problem with the screenshot section. It includes a placeholder for a new image—even when it's not in edit mode. As a result, all my screenshot sections look like the attached. :'(

[attachment deleted by admin]

buah

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Re: Screenshots in 0.9.9.20
« Reply #1 on: April 25, 2010, 11:27:39 am »
Mine too, if it's significant.

Offline Hyomil

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Re: Screenshots in 0.9.9.20
« Reply #2 on: April 25, 2010, 06:39:44 pm »
I prefer it this way, as it enables adding screenshots faster since you don't have to enter Edit mode.  Maybe there could be a setting in Preferences to toggle it.

Offline rick.ca

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Re: Screenshots in 0.9.9.20
« Reply #3 on: April 25, 2010, 07:43:38 pm »
Since you mention it, I don't see any need for there to be an "edit mode" or a placeholder in the first place. There are already controls on the images. The only one that behaves differently is "load from file." It replaces the existing image, and should be called "replace from file." Add another one for "add from file"—to add another image after the selected one. Add a "delete" button, then everything—including some control over the ordering of images (by inserting and deleting)—can be done without having to go into edit mode. And without an ugly placeholder that ruins the display. This only thing that would make this better is the ability to drag & drop images to change their order.

The same change should be made to posters. It's never made sense to me that there are controls on the images, but I have be careful to select the placeholder to add rather than replace, and then I have to go into edit mode to delete anything. If accidental deletion is a concern, consider changing the behaviour of delete to "remove and save to specified (in options) folder." That would be sort of an undelete feature and would be quite useful. Consider the task of adding some manually downloaded images to a set of existing images. That might require deciding which images to use (of the new and existing combined), and placing them in the desired order. My suggested behaviour would allow any existing images to be replaced with a new one, then re-added in a different position (I would set the "removed images folder" to the same folder I download images to.

Such changes may take time to consider and implement. I'm hoping there can be some sort of quick fix for the ugly placeholder problem—like having it appear only in edit mode.

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Re: Screenshots in 0.9.9.20
« Reply #4 on: April 25, 2010, 11:16:13 pm »
Anyone try to go into EDIT MODE to add screenshots?  Every skin I've tried (including the 'classics') are broken in 0.9.9.20...no image controls.  Also can't add screenshots via the screenshot maker...

Follow up:
If there are screenshots for the movie, they are displayed, and the image controls are available.  The problem seems limited to movies with no screenshots.
« Last Edit: April 25, 2010, 11:31:20 pm by mgpw4me@yahoo.com »

Offline Hyomil

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Re: Screenshots in 0.9.9.20
« Reply #5 on: April 26, 2010, 02:01:00 am »
Quote
Since you mention it, I don't see any need for there to be an "edit mode" or a placeholder in the first place.

Yes, not for screenshots or posters.

Quote
There are already controls on the images. The only one that behaves differently is "load from file." It replaces the existing image, and should be called "replace from file."

It was an unpleasant surprise when I discovered that and also that the replaced image wasn't even moved to the Recycle Bin.

Quote
Add a "delete" button, then everything—including some control over the ordering of images (by inserting and deleting)—can be done without having to go into edit mode.

I agree--and for posters, why the need for the buttons below the image (the left arrow, right arrow, and the plus).  The left and right arrows are only for people who haven't discovered left- and right-clicking on the image does the same thing (and for those people there should be tooltips that say "Left-click on image" and "Right-click on image").  The Plus button, in its current state, is also redundant, but as you say below, it could be converted.

What would be useful would be "Move Left" and "Move Right" buttons for changing the order of posters.  For single movements, that would be faster than opening up a separate interface to change the order by drag-and-dropping.

Regardless, there's no need for buttons on that row that has the "1 of 12" data.  What could go in the extra space there instead is a custom item for notes about each poster like "Fan created vs. official" "Web site of origin," "Rating," "Look for a bigger size," "Watermark in annoying place," "Adult content," "Country poster is used in" "Production or behind-the-scenes photo," "True poster vs. DVD cover" (for when a DVD cover is all that's available or that you prefer it over the true poster) etc.  If one custom item wasn't enough, then more could added to additional rows, but you could fit at least one on that "1 of 12" row.

One other thing that would be good is if there were a mode to make screenshots work like posters, where you just right-click on them to advance to the next one.  If you have 50 screenshots and want to quickly flip through all of them, double-clicking on each is cumbersome.

I do like that you now have the option to "Show random poster" like you can for People photos.  When I'm looking on the web for new movies to watch, they often have foreign language titles its hard to remember, so I have to rely on the poster thumbnail, which means I have to visually memorize all the variants, even the posters I don't care for.  Thus PVD now serves the function of flash cards.

Quote
Add another one for "add from file"—to add another image after the selected one.

Yes, it doesn't make sense to have to right-click through a dozen posters to get the Plus button to show up only beneath the last one (where its faster to just right-click again to add a poster anyway).

Quote
The only thing that would make this better is the ability to drag & drop images to change their order.

Yep, every time I use Listal.com and drag the posters around so easily, I wish I could do this in PVD.  The only thing I'd like more is a 'Load/Paste from Clipboard' button like eXtreme Movie Manager has.

Offline rick.ca

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Re: Screenshots in 0.9.9.20
« Reply #6 on: April 26, 2010, 02:30:21 am »
If there are screenshots for the movie, they are displayed, and the image controls are available.  The problem seems limited to movies with no screenshots.

Well, that's nasty. I'm sure nostra will consider fixing that at the same time he's getting rid of the ugly placeholder. ;)

BTW, as I was checking that, I wondered if the program was trying to be conditional about showing the container—that is, not showing it if there is no media. Just in case that's the intention, I don't think it should be so. As is, the container can be used for any images, and should not be restricted to screenshots.

mgpw4me@yahoo.com

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Re: Screenshots in 0.9.9.20
« Reply #7 on: April 26, 2010, 02:49:10 am »
It actually gets a tiny bit worse.  Since FFMPEG is running as process when the screenshot maker fails, it ties up the database and when you exit PVD, then "come back in", the database is unavailable until you kill the FFMPEG process.

As part of a clean shutdown, PVD should kill any tasks that it started, if they are still running when the shutdown request comes.

Offline rick.ca

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Re: Screenshots in 0.9.9.20
« Reply #8 on: April 26, 2010, 02:52:52 am »
I agree--and for posters, why the need for the buttons below the image (the left arrow, right arrow, and the plus). The left and right arrows are only for people who haven't discovered left- and right-clicking on the image does the same thing...

...And for people who haven't discovered the control can simply be deleted from the skin if not wanted. ;D

Quote
What could go in the extra space there instead is a custom item for notes about each poster like...

The ability to add captions to images would be nice, but not a trivial undertaking. They wouldn't exactly be "custom" fields, but ones associated with each image. But while we're dreaming, what about screenshots? We wouldn't want to stop at plain, ordinary captions for those. They should default to the dialog the program finds at the same position in the subtitle file. There should also be a field for linking the actors who appear in the shot—so the same shot would automatically appear in the actors' screenshot containers. And if single-clicking is to open the viewer, then double-clicking should play the movie at the beginning of the scene in which the shot was taken. 8) 8) 8)

Offline rick.ca

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Re: Screenshots in 0.9.9.20
« Reply #9 on: April 26, 2010, 03:01:56 am »
As part of a clean shutdown, PVD should kill any tasks that it started, if they are still running when the shutdown request comes.

Agreed. It happened to me once before. I don't how, but it wasn't an easy thing to recognize. I wasn't even aware the automatic screenshot maker had failed. :P

mgpw4me@yahoo.com

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Re: Screenshots in 0.9.9.20
« Reply #10 on: April 26, 2010, 03:40:46 am »
I actually had to kill 3 instances of FFMPEG to gain access to the database, so there could also be a check against the task PID to ensure that only a single instance is allowed to run at a time.

Offline nostra

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Re: Screenshots in 0.9.9.20
« Reply #11 on: April 27, 2010, 01:02:44 am »
OK, now I see I should have done more thinking before implementing the new screenshots (image list) behavior. I'll change it back asap, sorry for the inconvenience.
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buah

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Re: Screenshots in 0.9.9.20
« Reply #12 on: April 27, 2010, 01:25:06 am »
Just to be clear: ffmpeg instances behavior is older than PVD v0.9.9.20, and already noticed at least two monts ago

Offline nostra

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Re: Screenshots in 0.9.9.20
« Reply #13 on: April 27, 2010, 01:43:19 am »
Just to be clear: ffmpeg instances behavior is older than PVD v0.9.9.20, and already noticed at least two monts ago

Yeah, I know, I meant the problem with drawing the screenshot section.
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Offline rick.ca

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Re: Screenshots in 0.9.9.20
« Reply #14 on: April 28, 2010, 02:19:47 am »
Thank for the speedy fix (version 0.9.9.21). :)

buah

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Re: Screenshots in 0.9.9.20
« Reply #15 on: April 28, 2010, 02:22:44 am »
It was fast almost as PVD is. Thank you nostra.

Offline nostra

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Re: Screenshots in 0.9.9.20
« Reply #16 on: April 28, 2010, 06:17:48 pm »
You are welcome guys.
Gentlemen, you can’t fight in here! This is the War Room!