Layer Opacity Slider: UI suggestions

What features would you like to see in Pixelmator Pro?
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2021-12-13 13:52:22

1. Layer Opacity slider de-duplication

Currently (v2.3) when Style tool is selected, two Layer Opacity sliders are visible on screen side by side: the first one is on the Layer Pane, the second on the Style pane:

Image

Drawbacks:
• User confusion. Two UI controllers used for the same purpose are like two steering wheels on one car. Which one should I use to drive?
• UI logic inconsistency. An element, logically and functionally belonging to one pane (i.e Layer pane) appears on another pane (Style pane).

Suggestion: eliminate Layer Opacity slider on the Style pane. It doesn't belong there and makes users mistake it for the Style Opacity control.



2. Layer Opacity slider positioning adjustment

Currently (v2.3) Layer Opacity slider (the one on the Layer pane) is located at the very bottom of the screen, too far away from all the other layer controls:

Image

Drawbacks:
• Less-than-perfect UI visual grouping. Layer Opacity slider looks strangely alienated, like it doesn't belong to the other Layer controls.
• User's attention dispersion. Because Layer Opacity slider is too far down, users must move their gaze up and down to control opacity along with the other layer-related features.

Suggestion:
• move Layer Opacity slider to the top of Layer pane:

Image
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2021-12-13 16:02:27

This is a great idea Alexander. My only concern would be obscuring more of the layers info with blend mode pop up, but it already does that - again, great idea.

I JUST noticed the search tool below the opacity slider. All the searches I know are also initiated near the top of a display or window. That would be a good candidate for moving to the top along with opacity, above the Layers Menu. Especially since search results are also at the top of the layers menu

And changing the default "Search" string with "layer name search" might be a more descriptive of what your searching for.

Here is my attempt: Image
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2021-12-13 17:15:05

I agree. Like in any browser, the Search field should be on top of the search results (i.e. everything else). Here's an attempt from a rather well-thought competitor app :)


Image
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2021-12-14 10:10:16

Thanks for taking the time to share your suggestions, guys! Layers sidebar improvements are actually something our design and development teams have been sort of prototyping this past year (some prototypes covering some of the points mentioned above) but as a few other things took priority, the project's been set aside. I'm sure we'll get back to it one day, perhaps next year. In the meantime, if you guys think of any other suggestions on how the Layers sidebar could be improved, or if anyone else does — feel free to chime in on this thread. We'd love to hear your thoughts! :pray:
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2021-12-14 12:09:22

Aurelija, my suggestion would be very simple: copy Photoshop's Layer Palette layout, because it's best.

I'm serious.

I've been using graphic editors professionally for more than 20 years. And during all that time I have never seen a more clean, logical, functional, intuitive, user-friendly, peace-of-mind Layer Panel, than Photoshop's. It's a real UI gem. If you try to nitpick anything in there, go ahead and you'll fail, because it's best in class. It's being constantly polished for more than three decades by a whole army of very talented (but unfortunately, quite greedy) guys. If they could, they would do it better, but they couldn't. Why? Well, maybe because it's become, dare I say, PERFECT, or very close to that. All the other Layer palette designs look and feel amateurish, freaky (like a bicycle on triangle-shaped wheels) or incomplete at best. I bet my 20 years of experience on that statement.

So take it as a starting point, and try to improve. :thumbs_up:

P.S.

Q. Does copying Photoshop's Layer palette layout make Pixelmator less original?
A. No. Learning from the best is wise, there's no shame in that. Besides, Pixelmator is already very original and supercedes Photoshop in many ways. It just makes Pixelmator more powerful and more Pro.