Image crop editor and other settings needing revision

yunck
(@yunck)

10 years, 10 months ago

Your plugin seems to fill a space better than any other competing plugin which is why I found it a tease that it falls slightly short in the following areas:

(p.s. I tested this using firefox on wordpress 3.51)

a) the setting to remove image crop editor does not actually remove it. I am using post thumbnail editor which does the job more thoroughly. Could a suggestion be to either leave this to another plugin, or at least make this functionality complete enough to match or do better than post thumbnail editor OR just fix the removal setting so it works.

b) your image crop editor, even if someone does wish to use it, doesnt seem to recognise custom image sizes. This is the reason why I want to remove it, it is little use of you cant edit all the other preset sizes created ( I am using simple image sizes plugin so all kinds of custom sizes can easily be created without even going to functions.php)

c) your image crop editor is not intuitive and easy to grasp for the layperson. E.g. you have to click and drag within the image to crop, that is great, but you have to try this by accident before you know. there is no instruction to clarify that this is what you do – not a big deal, and many would probably find out after a minute or so, but these kinds of functions need some spoon feeding for the kind of clients I have!! Also, the image sizes are not labelled e.g. says 150×150, which is good, but it should perhaps also say “Thumbnail”. For alot of people the label has meaning, especially if lots of custom image sizes are created e.g. “Product image”. It is not obvious to know it is the product image if all the crop editor says is “180×180” for example.

d) settings could be more granular – why can you not remove the description field if you need to. Providing a polished set of functions to clients can sometimes mean removing something so that they dont get caught up figuring out how to use a redundant field.

e) if you DO need the description field, why not give it a full blown editor (more of an enhancement, but worth mentioning) I use slideshows that make use of the description field, but it would be nice for the layperson (my clients) to be able to manage their descriptive info for each attachment with an intuitive editor – they dont know html nor do I expect them to.

f) you cannot edit the title and caption fields directly as they show in the meta box. You have to click edit first. Again, not a big deal, but it would make it better (the similar “attachments” plugin does do this) The big advantage of this is that if you have 40 attachments (for a gallery or something) you can scream though configuring all the captions quickly. If you have to click on edit 40 times, that REALLY slows this efficiency down.

I have only gone to the trouble to provide this feedback because your plugin is the closest I can find to properly filling the needs of managing attachments, and it is worth it. I find the most successful plugins are not just the ones that recognise someone has installed wordpress for themselves, but rather recognise that web designers install wordpress which they give to their clients, and want their clients to be impressed by the back end functionality and ease of use.

http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wp-better-attachments/

Viewing 7 replies - 1 through 7 (of 7 total)

Plugin Author dholloran
(@dholloran)

10 years, 10 months ago

Sorry it took me awhile to respond,

a) Thats weird that the setting does not work I have tried it on WordPress 3.5.2 and 3.6 and it works, are the other settings working?

b) It should recognise custom image sizes, it does not show sizes that already have the correct aspect ratio so you would not need to adjust the crop because you would have the full image just at a different size. This is one thing that still does need some work so maybe it is not grabbing all the sizes correctly. The idea is to more adjust the different image sizes if needed if you need more simple image editing core already offers this. I will add an issue to look into it not picking up on image sizes. I have never tested it with an custom image size plugin since I prefer to have as few dependencies as possible part of the reason I want this to be a swiss army knife.

c) Are you not seeing this message Below are all the available attachment sizes that will be cropped from the original image the other sizes will be scaled to fit. Drag the dashed box to select the portion of the image that you would like to be used for the cropped image or is the dashed box not showing up? Also would the ability to edit a custom message/note for you clients in place of my instructions help? Good idea on the labeling I will add an issue and add it with the label.

d) I could add options for customising the different fields in the edit modal kind of like your able to do the title and caption. I will add this as an issue as well.

e) I already have a issue on GitHub for a more able editor for the description that will be available just like the caption and title editor. I would already have it but I think it was wp_editor() does not work in sortable fields, I could be wrong but I have not gotten back to add another editor in. The edit modal is just a customised version of the media edit screen to make it work in the window.

f) You should not have to click edit, you can edit the caption and title directly from the meta box. If for some reason you can not please post an issue to github https://github.com/DHolloran/wp-better-attachments/issues/new with screenshots of your meta box and settings if possible also Browser WP version etc. like you did this time and I will take a look to see what I can do. I took a lot of inspiration from that attachments plugin the one thing I did not like was it does not use the native WordPress attachments and to be honest this plugin would not exist if it did.

I appreciate the feedback and I think for the time being after the next update I will totally disable the cropping functionality. I figured since it is one of the toughest things the plugin does I needed feedback on it and I have gotten some on it now which most is just disable it which is fine. I may look into the plugin you referenced I probably will never go that in depth because I only want it for aspect ratio anything else really should be accomplished in photoshop. I do agree with the installing for a client situation because that is what I do as my day job. This is why I have tried to keep as close to WordPress styling as possible and you have a large amount of on off settings but it may be better to add them for almost everything possible. The UI will be getting some attention primarily in the form of what happens when certain features are on and off as well as some of the issues discussed above. I have the main features I wanted implemented and I have enough feedback to move forward on what needs to change since this project is only about 2.5 months old now it has a large amount to grow and improve and the more feedback good/bad the better. If this does not answer you questions or I am not addressing the correct section in any response I do really well with annotated screenshots by using something like skitch sometimes it just makes it easier since there are multiple ways to edit most things associated with the plugin you can send them directly to me at support@danholloran.com or add it as an issue on Github https://github.com/DHolloran/wp-better-attachments/issues/new

Thanks,

Dan

Jonas Lundman
(@jonas-lundman)

10 years, 10 months ago

Do not drop the crop editor idea yet. Yes I agree with yunck in some matter, that what is there needs a final touch. For clients, this is understandable functions, so even if there is a better crop system, they are to much. This idea keep it simple. I love that.

First, the tech – as functions – all works fine for me, all custom sizes and so on. The boxes in page editor of attached files are after latest update REALLY nice work. My clients now love them.

The presentaion is the lack, but this crop function become a tool to actually see my all sizes in the edit area. VERY useful for client authors. IF the crop function will be removed, please keep the visual of all sizes at the bottom at the editor screen.

Enhence the title with the name, as suggested above, of the custom size and super duper if the filesize (kb) also is displayed, witch means jpg compression could be monitored.

Summary The problem:
The crop areas when page loads are jumped out and cover the headlines, and the view gets cluttered.

It might be a position issue of page-onload script, couse they fix themselfs when touching the crop area (jumps in place). Mayby set a onAjaxStop() listener function to re-pos the areas, if the jumping around causes of document onload glitches and ajax edit clicks. And use window ready onload instead of document ready onload.

Finally, the mentioned crop-by-mistake issue. Set a checkbox saying: Recrop thumbnails on save. User must fill in each time…

Would also like to un-install one of my plugin Un-attach, and see this plugin do the same thing in the library table, summary handle all better attchments tasks..

Thanks for support time and your work.

Thread Starter yunck
(@yunck)

10 years, 10 months ago

Hi Dan,

I really want to use your plugin which is why I am still responding to this thread, as it really fills a necessary space, so I wish to further address your responses to the points I first raised.

a) all I know is that on wordpress 3.51 on the latest firefox, choosing to hide this option has no effect. I go back to edit the page and refresh it etc, and the image edit is still there. When I go back to settings, it still says the option to hide is effective so it is saving the option, just not delivering the outcome.

b) having a custom image size plugin is not meaning your plugin has a dependency. As you know, custom image sizes can be defined manually in the functions.php file. Whether it is by plugin, or manually, the fact is that many people use custom preset image sizes other than just thumbnail, medium, large and full. I am not asking your plugin to have any dependencies. All I am saying is for it to recognise when custom image sizes also exist, and to include those as well.

As for your point about not needing to adjust the crop if the aspect ratio is already correct – what post thumbnail editor does is still allow you to adjust the crop from the original image should you want to select a different part of it. Eg. If your preset size is very “landscape” in its ratio, and it has cropped so that someones head is missing at the top, you can go in and re-position the “crop rectangle” more sensibly and “re-save” that particular image size.

the “crop rectangle” respects the aspect ratio of your preset size, so stays fixed at that aspect ratio, but you can slide the “crop rectangle” around until you capture the best parts of the image, then save. this means your saved image is still the same aspect ratio, but this time the persons head is in view, if you know what I mean.

It is great that post thumbnail editor does this, because the native one doesnt. Bummer that post thumbnail editor is poorly explained and you have to fart with it a bit before you grasp what is is doing, but no other plugin does what it does that I have found.

Anyway, you dont have to agree with any of my recommendations on how the editor should / shouldnt work – that is fine, but what would be great would be to have the ability to hide this option. The option to hide is there, but it doesnt work, as per previous point.

c) thanks for deciding to add the labels. If you want to add a customisable message function well that surely is superceding my expectations and wouldnt argue with that at all, but I am fine if you just decide to clarify about what to do. yes it is obvious, but some people just have no idea and no, I didnt see any message explicity mentioning the dragging of the dashed box.

d) cool.

e) good luck with this. I noticed once that Ultimate Tinymce Pro version has the ability to add a full blown editor to the image description field in one if its config options, so there is proof of concept there, so I hope you can work it out!!

f)all I now is that with wordpress 3.5.1 using the latest firefox, the fields dont allow direct interaction. I tend to delay upgrading to the latest wordpress by a couple of months, that way I know all the plugins can catch up, so I will hang with 3.51 a wee bit longer. If you feel like addressing the issue for 3.51 thats great – if not, then fine, will try it again when I come to use 3.52 because I gather that is what you tried it on and you see no prob.

Plugin Author dholloran
(@dholloran)

10 years, 9 months ago

Jonas,
I had that issue with the crop editor jumping I forget what caused it but I will try to replicate and fix it and the links in the uploaded to should be in the next update.

yunck,
Not sure about the setting not working I will try to look into it more but in the next update I will have added more granular settings so it may solve your issue,maybe make it worse I hope not. If you want you can also comment out this line in classes/class-wpba-crop-resize.php add_action( 'admin_head', array( &$this, 'init_hooks' ) ); that will remove it as we’ll. the issue with the input fields in Firefox are fixed and will be out in the next update.

I do definitely agree that the crop editor needs more work I knew that when I released it i was not totally sure what direction to go with it and I will definitely take all these ideas into consideration moving forward. I appreciate the feedback it helps seeing other points of view, thanks.

Jonas Lundman
(@jonas-lundman)

10 years, 9 months ago

The crop frames are mutch more stable now, but in some cases and in some browsers, they really out of position in a new way. I don belive this is a problem on a more simpler install.

I have a very complex theme right now and a lot of happenings going on in the media areas. Im logging the situations, couse Im testing it on every browser, OS and common devices and media.

I will come back with reporting these cases when the crop handles get out of place.

Plugin Author dholloran
(@dholloran)

10 years, 9 months ago

Awesome I did my own tests and ie>=8 it worked fine as well as Firefox, safari, chrome. Also if you could add in the plugins that hook into the media uploader I know at one point I had the same issue and it had something to do with other elements on the page I’m not sure if it was a float issue or what browser it was in.

Jonas Lundman
(@jonas-lundman)

10 years, 9 months ago

Some notes here …

One possible issue, not tested yet.
Some plugins load the edit media screen in a modal, and from the html #wpbody not from the parent #wpcontent. Means, if a jQuery position() is calculated relative to any parent, above the mentioned markups, and not the document or window itselfs, the offset get screwed up.

Viewing 7 replies - 1 through 7 (of 7 total)

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