April 07, 2004

edit photos

photoedit_YAHOO.gif
from Yahoo Photos

from left to right

  • more or less, sure, but more or less what?
  • is autofix an action or a mode? (It's kinda both, on works like autolevels in Photoshop, off undoes. If you click what I think is contrast, it turns autofix off, which makes the on/off setting seem odd)
  • rotate is clear (though buried, and no way to rotate multiple images which is unfortunate since often half one's set is sideways)
  • crop is pretty straightforward, but I think that because I'm used to graphics programs. (it's a mode, btw, not an action like rotate)
  • Red eye is clear (mode)
  • Flip is clear (action)
  • Effects is a bad icon, but it is a clear label. It opens a new window with a selection of choices.
  • borders: clear. same as effects.

    Open question: all of these buttons look alike, yet the activities range from instantly changing your picture to opening new tools. Is this an issue?

    Undo is a bit dismaying: one can only start over, one can't undo a single action. So if one is down a repair path and makes a misstep, you have to return to ground zero.

    The exception is effects and borders, which have their own undo. Oh, and autofix, whatever the mysterious rules are around that.

    Despite these issues, it's fairly easy to get to and use (though why it's labeled enhance image instead of edit image is a mystery to me). Which is why I asked about mixing mode buttons and action buttons, which i would guess would be bad for setting expectations in the user.