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[GHammer]

I like, REALLY LIKE, the tag info display.
I find it easy to view and to edit info if I want.

I truly appreciate the ability to send photos to a handheld.
I use a local directory for my handheld and this is a good way to create web-sized files from my pictures. Any possibility of adding 800*600 and 1024*768 to the resizing choices?

Display view and the vanishing frame is way cool!
When I first installed and Otto did his thing I hit play. I was taken to Display view and while the audio was playing, my photos were being shown in a slideshow. Now, I can't cause that to happen.

I know I can add a playlist, but I think it would be a nice thing to have the option to show a slideshow of random images from the library as a visualization.

All in all, quite nice!
Give the fellas their soda fountain. If they keep this up, you'll have to spring for the matching ice cream freezer too!

[Matt]

With MC 11 or MC 12, double-click an image (or group of images) once you start playing audio.

You'll see the images.  Spacebar toggles slideshow on and off. (along with right-click)

[GHammer]

With MC 11 or MC 12, double-click an image (or group of images) once you start playing audio.

You'll see the images. Spacebar toggles slideshow on and off. (along with right-click)

Yep, but easier if a random slideshow just started. More clicking makes it less likely to happen at my house.

[marko]

I have a now aging version of acdsee installed here, and its primary use for me is for previewing images.

I can double click on an image file, and acdsee's image viewer opens, maximised, displaying the image. From there, I can use the scroll wheel to advance to the next image, or back to the previous image, I can double click on the previewed image, and it then shows me the containing folder, with that image selected, and from there, I could set some acdsee tags to it.

As I see it, MC really badly needs a way to view the big picture, set some tags, then move on to the next big picture, and so on, don't you think?
Doofs plugin idea, captionator, is the kind of thing I'm getting at. All that needs is access to tag info up the left-hand side and we'd be set, or maybe just a handful of select fields for use with images, or something...

[Alex B]

As I see it, MC really badly needs a way to view the big picture, set some tags, then move on to the next big picture, and so on, don't you think?

Yes, it needs - and this "big picture" should be available without interrupting the slide show, video playback or visualization that happens to be running in the Playing Now display (which is in my case displaying things on another monitor, e.g. on TV)

A couple of my previous comments:

I would also like to see a quick right-click image monitor. It could be a floating pop-up window that can be zoomed with the plus and minus keys. The Action Window image display is too small and static for checking details or quickly showing images to others. This "quick monitor" should be separate from the Playing Now display. Playing Now may have other tasks running at the same time.

BTW, the Image Editor works a bit like I described. "Right-click > Image > Edit Image" opens a separate window that can be freely placed and sized. Unfortunately it freezes the main UI and naturally it does not change the displayed image when the selection is changed (nothing can be done in the main UI as long as the editor is open).

When I tag image files with MC12 using a "panes & details" view I have no image display anymore unless I actually play the image. Previously the selected image appeared in the Action Window Image display without changing what was happening in the Playing Now. Though the AW display was too small for anything else than a quick content check.

What I would like to have is a "panes & details" view in the main MC UI and a separate floating image display window that would always show the selected image independently from the Playing Now display.

That would be like a detached and adjustable version of the old Action Window image display (adjustments: +- zoom, window size & position).

This floating display could have a button that would change the display to "Image Editor" mode that would be similar with the current separate Image Editor.

[GHammer]

That would be an excellent addition.
I like the idea of a popup window that can show what I'm working on without changing/interrupting what's playing.

[Matt]

Pick Action Window > Tag Info, and then click the image to zoom in.

We're generally trying to move away from popups to a more integrated approach.

[GHammer]

Pick Action Window > Tag Info, and then click the image to zoom in.

We're generally trying to move away from popups to a more integrated approach.

Yeah, that's big enough for me to tell what I'm tagging.

I can also see why if you have 2 monitors you'd like to split tasks between them.
I think most people are working with one monitor so development effort has to be spent wisely.
 

[Alex B]

Pick Action Window > Tag Info, and then click the image to zoom in.

We're generally trying to move away from popups to a more integrated approach.

This can be used to make it work as before, but it is hardly a decent preview window for a highend image cataloging program.

I compare MC with ACDSee, which I have used for years. If you are not familiar with ACDSee, please download the trial and try it.

Also, they used to make a nice Windows Explorer extension named as Picaview (later "ACD mPower Tools", now discontinued). It has a popup display that works much like I requested. It is still available e.g. here: http://www.tucows.com/preview/291791

[Matt]

Double-click any image to see it larger.  Double-click again to return.

[marko]

I used to use picaview a lot, but it got left behind because it didn't play nice with DOpus.

I still use "send to... > acdsee" to get a decent image preview.

Every time I do this it reminds me of MC's one major failing on the image cataloging front.
Once Doof's fixed the file locking problem with captionator, I reckon I could use that with dual view mode. It would keep things within MC, but would hardly be an elegant solution.

Using thumbnails, or the AW display, it's not possible to tell whether or not a photo needs some red-eye fix etc.
I'd happily use the image playback features of MC for this purpose [image previewing] if we could be allowed an easy route to the images' tag interface from the display window.

Double-click any image to see it larger.  Double-click again to return.

I'm off to try this right now......

[Alex B]

Double-click any image to see it larger.  Double-click again to return.

I am speaking about the larger display (edit: which is displayed after clicking the thumb image in tag info) and how limited it is for quickly viewing hires images. Wasn't that obvious?

[Matt]

I am speaking about the larger display and how limited it is for quickly viewing hires images. Wasn't that obvious?

I'm not trying to be difficult, but isn't a double-click awfully fast?

[Alex B]

"Edit: - after clicking the thumb image in Tag Info."

 You are obviously speaking about the Playing Now instead.

Edit 2: By quickly I mean during details file view operations. The playing now display should not be interrupted for that.

[Matt]

In MC 11.1, double-clicking the "Image" Action Window also shows a fullscreen preview.

We'll likely add this same thing to MC 12 as the Tag window develops.

[Alex B]

So are you really going to permanently take away the possibility to show e.g. video or visualization in a separate display during library management?

What was the problem with it?

[Alex B]

For example, I would not like to my speakers stop playing the playlist and start playing another track that I happen to be currently tagging.

For me the main display is a similar output device as speakers. It should show what I have chosen it to show and usually on my TV screen instead of the PC monitor.

With my HTPC I use a cordless combo keyboard and an LCD monitor as my ultimate MC "remote". These are on a small coffee table besides my favorite sofa. Since the "remote" is MC itself it has no limitations. Also, I can control the HTPC from any other PC with a remote desktop program. It is essential that I can keep the main UI in the first monitor and direct the display output to TV.

[glynor]

As I've mentioned before, it's a dealbreaker for me and MC12 as well.  I need it for DJ-ing.  Even though MC12 is free to me, I won't use it "in production" without this feature.  If I had to pay, well then.....   

I also think with small, cheap LCD touchscreens this "Alex-style" setup is likely to become more common rather than less common.  Both HTPC use and Carputer use are also applications where having the UI on one screen and the Playing Now display on another is very useful (so it's not just DJ-ing).

Again, I think the "unified UI motif" thing you have going is great.  I just think Fullscreen should be separate.  It's great, but not worth losing useful features over!

[Matt]

There are lots of ways to control Media Center. 

The most straightforward is to use the main UI or Theater View on your projector.

You can also use a standard remote, NetRemote, RemoteServer, shell extensions, etc.

Providing an interface that spans multiple monitors is not currently our main focus.