Working with Shapes: UI suggestions

What features would you like to see in Pixelmator Pro?
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2021-12-13 11:37:58

1. Double-Click Behavior preference

Currently (v.2.3), double-clicking the shape makes it editable.

Drawbacks: if double-clicked by accident, the shape loses its dynamic parameters, such as Corner Radius, which might be undesirable, unintended and unexplainable (esp. for new users).

Suggestion: to prevent random edits and make UI more clear:

• create a user Preference, allowing modification of this behavior:

Double-Click on a Shape: (•) Edits the Shape ( ) Does Nothing

• create an 'Edit Shape' button on the Arrange pane.

• after the user double-clicks the shape for the first time, display an illustrated Hint window, explaining what this action does: "Double-Click on a Shape makes it editable (i.e. converts the shape from a parametric object into a regular vector shape). You can change this in Preferences".



2. Dynamic Properties Display on the Arrange Pane

Currently (v.2.3), only Rounded Rectangle allows modification of its dynamic parameter (Corner Radius) via the Arrange pane. The dynamic parameters of all other geometric shapes (star, polygon, rhombus etc.) aren't displayed on the Arrange pane.

Drawbacks:
• UI inconsistency
• User can't modify the shape precisely (i.e. to make a star with exactly 23 points, not 21 or 32)

Suggestion: to make working with shapes more consistent and predictable, display dynamic parameters for all geometric shapes on the Arrange pane.
User avatar

2021-12-14 09:45:23

Fair observations, Alexander. Thanks for bringing them to our attention. :pray: It would, indeed, make sense for all Smart Shapes to have additional controls in the Tool Options pane. If I remember correctly, we had thought about this at some point but haven't come round to adding it for some reason. Also, good point on accidentally reverting Smart Shapes to regular ones — it's fairly easy to do so at the moment (though you can always Undo) but this shortcut may be necessary for certain workflows. We usually tend to minimize the number of preferences for the sake of hopefully reducing the overall complexity of the app, but we'll have to think about this.
User avatar

2021-12-14 10:32:48

We usually tend to minimize the number of preferences for the sake of hopefully reducing the overall complexity of the app
In all honesty, in its current state (2.3) PMP looks far from being overcomplicated, preference-wise :) In contrary, user prefs seem rather scarce than overabundant. So why not make a dedicated "Tools Preferences" tab inside Main Preferences and start adding them there? They won't be a burden, they'll be a powerup!

And one more thing. As I understand, 'Pro' in Pixelmator suggests the app is oriented to pro users. And as we know, many of these guys (if not all of them) love to have their tools fine-tuned and customized to their needs, to maximize their workflow efficiency. Allow them that luxury, and I'm sure they'll thank you :red_heart: