Timeline image selection behaviour
Posted: 28 May 2020, 16:28
Hi all,
I am finding that the way TVPaint handles things when you select a range of images in a layer in the timeline is a bit frustrating and counter-intuitive.
I think it boils down to the fact that moving the timeline cursor (changing current frame) causes any existing selection to be cancelled. This carries with it a few implications that I find difficult:
1. Once I've made the selection, I can't verify its contents by scrubbing or switching frames. I also can't go and double check that the first frame was the correct one.
2. I can't incrementally add to the selection (by holding shift while selecting, for example). This means you have one shot to get the selection right or start over. Since there is no visual preview of what I am selecting, I end up taking note of the image numbers or placing bookmarks before attempting to select. It works, but I find that to be a lot of friction for a simple task.
3. Once I have the selected images I want - Say I want to apply a transform while using some frame in the middle of the selection as the alignment reference - I simply can't. I can only use the first or last image of the selection since moving the cursor to the middle would clear the selection.
It comes up in other ways but these are the ones that get me most often.
Is there a good reason for the current way it works? I can't see the advantage other than that it is extremely (imho: "too") easy to clear an image selection range.
Thanks,
David
I am finding that the way TVPaint handles things when you select a range of images in a layer in the timeline is a bit frustrating and counter-intuitive.
I think it boils down to the fact that moving the timeline cursor (changing current frame) causes any existing selection to be cancelled. This carries with it a few implications that I find difficult:
1. Once I've made the selection, I can't verify its contents by scrubbing or switching frames. I also can't go and double check that the first frame was the correct one.
2. I can't incrementally add to the selection (by holding shift while selecting, for example). This means you have one shot to get the selection right or start over. Since there is no visual preview of what I am selecting, I end up taking note of the image numbers or placing bookmarks before attempting to select. It works, but I find that to be a lot of friction for a simple task.
3. Once I have the selected images I want - Say I want to apply a transform while using some frame in the middle of the selection as the alignment reference - I simply can't. I can only use the first or last image of the selection since moving the cursor to the middle would clear the selection.
It comes up in other ways but these are the ones that get me most often.
Is there a good reason for the current way it works? I can't see the advantage other than that it is extremely (imho: "too") easy to clear an image selection range.
Thanks,
David
some tools are getting a rework for the next major release.