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Request: Improve Auto-scroll compatibility with drawing and lasso selection tools


Tango

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Currently, if I am using a paintbrush or pencil tool, and draw close to the edge of the displayed image (which is zoomed so that only part of the image is displayed), auto-scroll kicks in and rapidly moves the image (and furthermore doesn't stop unless I back off from the edge or it reaches the edge of the image). This results in a LONG unintended and undesired horizontal or vertical line from my drawing tool that I then have to undo and try again after re-positioning and/or zooming out.

 

Even worse is if I am using a lasso selection tool, where my painstaking tracing of a detailed outline is then completely lost and must be restarted. And the lasso tool is one where I am indeed likely to want to use a high zoom level if I want precise tracing and really want auto-scrolling compatibility, but the current behaviour makes this detailed zoomed-in lasso selection all but impossible. (Other selection tools are not too problematic since you can just back up with just a minor annoyance factor if your rectangle select, for example, became way larger than you wanted owing to auto-scroll--it's the lasso selection where it really is a problem.)

 

My proposed solution: Auto-scroll be changed to behave as follows:

- Upon reaching the auto-scroll edge trigger point, the auto-scroll be limited to some smaller amount (perhaps 20% of the displayed amount in that dimension);

- Fundamental: The pointer (mouse position) be moved WITH the scrolling window so no unintended line/selection is created by the auto-scroll;

- Optional but nice: An indication of some sort when the mouse/pointer gets close to the auto-scroll threshold, to reduce the surprise factor. My suggestion: Highlight the border that is about to auto-scroll from the threshold line to the corresponding display edge, so the auto-scroll threshold zone on that edge becomes visible.

 

If people have a good reason to want the current behaviour under other circumstances (though personally I couldn't think of realistic scenarios where I'd prefer the current behaviour to this one), I suppose an option could be added to have it function in the current mode.

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Yes, that runaway auto-scrolling at the edge of the window is most irritating. I'm not sure what the best solution would be. I think I'd like the speed of the scrolling to be limited to some reasonable value.

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Yes, it's definitely too fast as well (though with a limit on how much it scrolls like my proposed 20% the speed would no longer be a problem), but just slowing it down isn't the solution. Primarily, the mouse position MUST scroll with the image and secondarily it has to be prevented from over-scrolling. The standard Windows scroll-bars are always there for cases where you really do want to scroll "fast and furious."

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I don't find that "It hurts when I do this. Don't do that." advice particularly helpful  Zooming in is often necessary to accurately paint or erase along an edge; and a consequence of zooming is that only a small region is visible, so it's necessary to move outside the currently visible area. If auto-scroll doesn't behave in a reasonable manner, why have it at all? The brush might as well stop at the border rather than do something that's at best useless.

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20 minutes ago, MJW said:

I don't find that "It hurts when I do this. Don't do that." advice particularly helpful

 

It's helpful because it works ;). Same thing happen to me sometimes - if I'm to lazy to choose the right zoomlevel and/or part of the workspace and paint to fast. It helps you to learn to work more concentrate and careful.

Edited by IRON67
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Just makes me wonder MJW......

30 minutes ago, MJW said:

to accurately paint or erase along an edge;

If you select the area first - before you paint or erase - the app prevents you from going outside the selected area to paint or erase.

 

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Rick, couldn't see xod's video (guess he removed it once you saw it), but here is my screen-capture video that shows the problem on the actual editing task that inspired me to file this post. I've reduce the screen-capture video resolution to 720x404 to reduce the file size to <2 MB so it can be attached directly, but you can clearly see the problem. The first minute of the 2-min video shows the problem, the second minute shows a workaround using the union mode of the lasso select tool.

 

My suggestion, which I try to explain verbally at around 0'35" is that (a) auto-scroll not zip across unrestrained, but just let's say an inch at a time (or 20% of the app window size in that dimension) and in addition that (b) the mouse pointer position scroll WITH the contents so that it remains at the last position on the image that I moved it to, and I can continue my lasso select operation. Meanwhile, a short-term improvement, as MJW suggested, would be to disable auto-scroll when any freehand tool (lasso select, paintbrush, pencil) is active since it is of little or no use in those modes (and generally a negative).

autoscroll-bug-with-lasso.mp4

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  • 6 years later...
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