Paint.NET Help Documentation Website Updates

[matan]

Howdy folks,

I'm Matan, a web and graphic designer. I've been hired by the Paint.NET team to help improve the look and functionality of the Paint.NET websites over the next couple of months. Since you nice people are the ones using these websites on a regular basis, I would love your input on what you would like to see in these updates. While I can't guarantee all of your requests will be implemented, I will try to incorporate as many useful suggestions as possible, so please feel free to contribute in this topic.

We're going to begin with the Paint.NET help documentation (located at http://www.getpaint.net/doc/latest/en/ ), which is designed to provide an explanation of all the different functions in Paint.NET. I've put some basic ideas in the poll, but if you think of anything else post away. Please keep your suggestions limited to the help site, I'll ask for input on the other sites when we reach that stage.

So without further ado, what are your suggestions for improving the help site?

[pyrochild]

I think GD&Q is a better fit for this thread...

Moved

EDIT: and pinned

[Sarkut]

When responding to help requests in the forums,

it's good to be able to link to pages in the Help file.

So, if this can be fixed it would be a good thing.

Edited April 13, 2010 by Sarkut

[Rick Brewster]

Sarkut, I believe that's an issue with the forum configuration. Not the help site itself

FWIW, I voted for "it's ugly"

[Zagna]

How would this new version affect translations made out of the help?

Could I do the same as before and just brutally copy text/images and translate them?

and rewrite it to be valid html and to use css

[Rick Brewster]

Zagna, 3rd-party translations aren't really being targeted with this. To be honest, they never really have been As for property HTML+CSS, etc. that's what we've got Matan for! He's way better at this than I will have the patience to be.

[BoltBait]

The pages could be more verbose with more examples--geared more toward beginners.

Maybe some animated images showing how to use the Clone Stamp tool? <-- that sort of thing!

[Goonfella]

How about a link to the main plug in packs like Boltbait`s, Madjic`s,Pyro`s and so on? They contain most of the plug ins you`ll need if you are starting out. Also a tutorial on how to install them.

I know all this is on the forums but for someone new to the program it would be handy if it was in the help files as well.Somebody just thinking about downloading PDN might be encouraged to do so if they could see how easy it is to expand.

I also think it would help to have Plug ins listed in the tree on the left to make them easier to find.

[matan]

@Zagna - The translations won't really be affected, you'll still be able to copy the text and put it into the translation tool of your choice. There is also the built-in link to the Live translator, which will be maintained (probably just moved around a bit to make it easier to get to). And yes, it will be valid HTML and CSS.

@BoltBait - Absolutely, it's all about making it easier. I'm currently auditing all of the help content and trying to clarify parts that are unclear, but any additional input is greatly appreciated. Are there any places in particular that you find vague or confusing?

@Goonfella - Since the plugins are developed by the community and are not an "official" part of Paint.NET, we can't provide support for them. In addition, providing links to certain plugin packs gives them greater exposure, and we want to keep everyone's plugins equally accessible, so the plugins will need to stay on the forums which are open. That being said, I think that a link to the plugin forum in the help documentation is a great idea, I'll add it to the list. I'll also talk with some of the Mods and see if we can't get some of the plugin developers to write tutorials on how to install their plugin.

Great suggestions guys, please keep them coming!

[BoltBait]

I've noticed that most new users have trouble in these three areas:

Clone Stamp Tool - Did you know, you can clone from one layer to another? How about adjusting the opacity of the primary color to adjust the clone brush? BTW, it works differently if Anti-Aliasing is enabled or not. Most newbies need help setting the start location of the source before starting. Also, they need some guidance as to what should be cloned and what should be done another way. -- Oh, and the Recolor tool is less understood than the clone stamp tool!

Layers - We need more description on the whole layering system. This is one of the biggest hurdles to new users. We need illustrations on how this works. (This would include better descriptions of blend modes and what they're used for.) Here is a nice page describing layers in Photoshop. We need something like that.

We also need a way for people familiar with MS Paint's "Image > Draw Opaque" mode (for pasting images with transparent backgrounds) to understand how to do the same thing with Paint.NET using layers.

Did you know, the Layers Menu help page doesn't even have a screenshot of the layers window?

And, the biggest one...

Installing Plugins - We need a good page explaining how to install plugins. The page should lead the user by the hand with screenshots at every step. It should cover various operating systems. It should anticipate problems and give correcting steps. It should have a FAQ section where they can get answers as to why the plugins don't show up. Include the various plugin load errors and what they mean.

You can start with the one I wrote: http://sites.google.com/site/boltbait/install to get some ideas. Also, you can read this thread to get ideas for the Install Plugin FAQ section.

[Sarkut]

One thing that is missing from the Keyboard and Mouse Commands

page is that the arrow keys can be used to adjust various tools pixel by pixel.

Also, this functionality isn't mentioned.

Link

[0(-.-)0]

Its pretty ugly...and a PDF would be nice. But mostly its just ugly