Update splash screen #19571
Update splash screen #19571
Conversation
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There is a new splash screen on master. What's the pro/cons of this one? |
On point is not rounded corner which seems to be an issue on some DE. Also, the look is maybe simpler, cleaner... Looks nice to me. We may need some input from others especially @jenshannoschwalm @ralfbrown for having worked on the current version. |
Aesthetics are subjective at the end of the day, not sure I can break this down into pros/cons. I think this looks nicer, less cluttered. |
Actually, I take it back. I'll have a go at it. Here is the current splash screen on master: 
Again, this is my subjective opinion. |
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If I may, regarding the one on master:
I think Ali's version is very nice. My original suggestion on the Pixls forum was to have a photo based splash screen that could be either changed with each new update, or simply set by the user, but that's a whole different kettle of fish. Take a look at this very webpage as a counter example. There's a clear hierarchy - header, subheader, body - defined with consistent sizes, in proportion. Everything lines up - nothing sits offset at random. It uses one font for consistency. A splash screen can be a little more creative, but the basic rules of pleasing design are the same whether you're designing a splash screen, a web page, a poster, a magazine spread, whatever. |
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Reverting the rounded corners causing DE issues in the current version is just a matter of removing the line from darktable.css (added by #19244). Many of the other complaints above can be addressed with CSS changes. |
Why rely on most users tweaking the CSS themselves instead of shipping the program with a nicer looking splash screen out of the box? I might have misunderstood your comment. |
Because some|most people are happy with it as it is. No matter what it looks like a small percentage will hate it, a small percentage will love it, and most won't care. Letting people tailor it to their taste is the only way to satisfy everyone. There is already an effort on pixls.us to set up a theme/css repository of tweaks to the UI. Splash screen tweaks could be added/included. |
I agree with you when it comes to most of the UI, but not the splash screen. It immediately stood out to me as messy and incoherent in comparison to the rest of the UI. I don't think this is about personal taste, I reckon MOST people will agree that the current splash screen looks messy. This is the very first window every new user sees, first impressions matter. Most users won't bother customising any CSS. |
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I think it is about personal taste, and I'm not most people. But, I can always turn it off. |
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I think many more people are in the "don't care" camp than the "like it" camp, though of course there's no way of knowing for sure without taking a survey. In any case, does that mean that it shouldn't be improved? Especially given that the work to improve it has essentially already been done by Ali. |
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I prefer the proposed one here. I also don't like the unleash your creativity text as well as the not really aligned elements on the current one. The proposed one looks much more professional IMHO. But I also don't really use it see the splash screen. For new users I'd still prefer one that looks professional like the professional software darktable is. |
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For me this looks slightly better but no strong opinion. |
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My thought is darktable is about unleashing your creativity so why wouldn't the splash screen express that too? I like the current one in master. If it can be styled with CSS, then do that and everyone can be happy. |
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I think that's interpreting the strap line a bit broadly 😄 Can I ask what you like about the current splash screen? To my eye (as a professional web developer) it's a mess, the elements seem placed almost at random. |
You're looking at it as a web developer. It's not a web developer and the things that appeal to me are the same things that offend your "web developer" sensitivities. I'm going to explain why I don't like it, but I'm trying really hard not to offend anyone, so if I use the wrong words or google translate "helps" me out in a not good way, please understand that it's not my intention. When I first looked at it I instantly didn't like it. No analysis, just a gut feeling. Trying to analyze why I didn't like it, again feelings, it's boring, rigid, old fashioned, square. staid. When I look at the current one it makes me happy. Again, just a feeling. If it gets merged and becomes the default and can be overridden with CSS, then I would do that. If it can't be overridden then I would turn it off. That's why I'm advocating the CSS option. I don't want to start darktable each time and have the first thing I see be something I don't like. |
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Entirely fair. I was just curious.
Me either, which is why I've turned the current one off 🙂 It's not a web page, but the basic principles of good design - hierarchy, alignment, consistency - apply across media. You don't see much media with random placement of elements outside of art, and this isn't art, it's design. FOSS gets something of a free pass for janky design because well, it's free right? But some FOSS gets 'big' enough at some point that it's worth looking at polishing things up, I think. A splash screen customisable with CSS sounds like the best solution to keep everyone happy. |
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Other than the wordmark and the size of the darktable logo, pretty much everything in the splashscreen is customizable with CSS. Don't like that the version overlaps the logo? Change #splashscreen-logo. Don't want to see the "get ready..."? Hide it in #splashscreen-prepare. Etc. |
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Isn't this discussion about how we want to present darktable to new users and not about how we can customize the splash screen to our personal needs? Like the "darktable rebrand" thread on pixls? |
Yes, a good point. The fact the splash screen is customisable (actually news to me) is great, but new users are still presented with something that gives a poor impression, imo. |
I don't think the splash screen is going to be the deciding point for new users. Almost all the complaints are about darktable not being "intuitive" and too hard to use. I don't think a new user is going to think darktable is terribly hard to use but they'll stick with it because the splash screen is really good. 😄 If only it were that easy... On the other hand current users will see it every time they start darktable.... If you want to get and keep new users, then we need to come up with a guided workflow that "teaches" them how to develop an image:
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We could improve the splash screen and the UX of the overall app too. As it happens, I've been working on a "basics of processing" video for a while, with a similar approach - analysing the image and then adjusting as necessary. Not quite the same as it being in-app but hopefully useful. |
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We have many "don't care", some people don't like it too much but they actually disable the splash screen, some others like it.
I like it and will merge this after the resolving the comments.
In general please do not reformat or ensure that the reformatting follows the current layout in the code. TIA.
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@TurboGit all sorted |
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| GtkWidget *title_col = gtk_box_new(GTK_ORIENTATION_VERTICAL, 0); | ||
| gtk_box_set_spacing(GTK_BOX(title_col), 4); | ||
| gtk_box_pack_start(GTK_BOX(title_col), program_name, FALSE, FALSE, 0); |
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You should probably use dt_gui_box_add and dt_gui_[hv]box because the gtk_box_pack* functions are going away in Gtk4. The 'dt_gui...' functions were implemented in preparation for the transition (only need to change code in one place, not all over the codebase).
| #splashscreen | ||
| { | ||
| background-color: @grey_20; | ||
| border: 1px solid; |
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The thin border is there to be able to distinguish the splash screen from whatever else is already on the desktop in dark themes.... I discovered that the splash background was the exact same color as much of what it covered.
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I've updated the splash screen's appearance:
I made this based off of @BeetrootShoulders 's concept from issue #19115 while making sure it still fits in nicely with the rest of the Darktable UI.
Definitely worth testing this on different sized displays, and confirming that everything looks right before merging.