Quicker moving

[David_Fine]

Here's a small idea which would have huge impact on the speed of working. Or at least the way I work. I say "small" because I think it is a simple thing to implement, but really, it's a huge thing. HUGE!!

When I want to move an element of a drawing, I need to select it, change to the transform tool, move the selection, deselect and then change back to the pen I was drawing with. That is five steps. How about making it possible to select, and then after the selection is completed, the tool changes by itself to the transform tool, you move the selected area, hit return (or some other key) and it deselects and returns you to the last pen you were using. That would be much faster for people like me who use this tool a lot. Or is there some way to make this happen using George scripts or something? I wonder...

[David_Fine]

And while I'm here, I should also mention that springy keys would be a great option. That is, like in Photoshop, you are using a brush, you hold a key down and it changes to another tool and when you release, it is back as a brush. That would also speed up the work flow a lot.

[furushil]

after the selection is completed, the tool changes by itself to the transform tool

what if you selected too little and you want to add something to the selection? you would have to go back to the selection tool. how should the program know that you are done with the selection?

hit return (or some other key) and it deselects and returns you to the last pen you were using.

you can easily build a button for this, just put 3 "Set Keystroke" commands into a button:

button.png (13.58 KiB) Viewed 29629 times

1. Shape : Apply
2. Shape Selection: Clear
3. Shape: Freehand

I am assuming here that you are using the regular "Stroke" tool and not the dotted or straight line tool or something else.

[Joost]

When I want to move an element of a drawing, I need to select it, change to the transform tool, move the selection, deselect and then change back to the pen I was drawing with.

You can also use the "custom brush: Freehand" tool for the same result.

[hellofilms]

Yes the good thing with TVpaint is that you can do almost everything.
The "bad" thing is that you have to customize a lot of things to fit your way of working. So you have to find out how you want it to work best.

So maybe an easier way to create button-functions might be a good update. So you can record ( like in photoshope ) what you do and save as a button.
( Or can you already do that?)

[David_Fine]

what if you selected too little and you want to add something to the selection? you would have to go back to the selection tool. how should the program know that you are done with the selection?

You would just click on the lasso again to select more, or hold a key, like the alt key, to keep selecting. That's how it works in Photoshop, you have to hold a key if you want to make more selections after releasing the pen and that is a faster work flow for me.

When you say "stroke tool" do you mean "selection tool"? I am using the Freehand Selection Tool. Making a button which can be activated by a keystroke is a good idea, but how would I program it to go back to the last brush I was using since that is a variable?

[furushil]

When you say "stroke tool" do you mean "selection tool"?

No, I mean the very first tool in the upper left corner that you use to draw. Just try to make a button with the three keystroke commands and see if it works (it should work and go to the last brush that you used)

[David_Fine]

Of course, "stroke". Sorry, brain freeze. I already had a button which cleared the contents and deselected, so I just added the third command, as you suggest, and that works. Then I added a keystroke and voila! So now I can make another button which just deselects and returns to the stroke, which will make moving things a little faster.

Great tips. Thank you! I still think there could be some inherent adjustments in TVPaint to make the process easier, but this helps a lot. Sketchbook Pro has a very nice multitool that just changes it's use depending on the context, so no keyboard needed at all for a number of common functions like resize, distort and move.

[Joost]

Sketchbook Pro has a very nice multitool that just changes it's use depending on the context, so no keyboard needed at all for a number of common functions like resize, distort and move.

Sounds interesting

[schwarzgrau]

Could you tell us a bit more about sketchbooks tool? I use the selection a lot, especially with the transform tool and I got a set-up which is as easy as possible, but It still feels unnecessary complicated.

[David_Fine]

Sketchbook (and also Pro Tools audio) has a context sensitive pointer which detects and changes the tool function based on where you put your pointer. Say you select an area. Hover the pointer inside the selection and it changes to the tool for moving or rotating or resizing. Move the pointer outside the selection and it is the selection tool again. That is a simple way that changes having to manually switch between the two.

Schwarzgrau, could you tell me what set up you use to make it as easy as possible? Might be useful to know.

[schwarzgrau]

The context sensitive pointer sounds like a great idea.

Unfortunately my setup uses controllermate. The free version is able to do a some of this configuration, but if you plan to do a lot of them. you need to spend about 25 $ for the paid version.
And I use a Logitech G13 gaming keyboard, cause I'm a bit nerdy about gadgets which seems to make my workflow faster or easier. That thing isn't necessary, but the reason my image shows the buttons G21 and G22.
However let's say I got the selection tool on SHIFT+CNTRL+f and the transform tool on CTRL+t. Then I used controllermate to set it up that I press G22 to make my selection and press G21 to transform. Double tap G21 to apply. If I press G22 again it clears the selection and toggles to the brush again.

setup.png (90.73 KiB) Viewed 29432 times

My setup seems pretty complex for such an easy task, especially if you never used controllermate, but at least for me it seems to be the simplest outcome I can image at the moment.
But I would love to see something which is simpler, like the context sensitive pointer.

[ZigOtto]

... Hover the pointer inside the selection and it changes to the tool for moving or rotating or resizing. Move the pointer outside the selection and it is the selection tool again. That is a simple way that changes having to manually switch between the two.

yep, but any "automate" function have somehow its drawback,
in that case (auto-switch after a selection done), how to select an area inside your already selected zone
(f.i. to "substract" a part and make a hole in it) ? ... you will have to assign a shortkey to "force" the Select tool to stay,
so what I mean is that it will be a time-saver for some users, but not really for others, regarding their own workflow and using,
that's why I think the solution is the user's customisation way, (to have tools working as wanted for every one),
but I agree it's not very friendly for newbies (starting users) to tell them the same old song :
"help yourself, when you need a specific tool, make it by yourself and save it in your custom tools panel ..." .

[David_Fine]

Controller Mate looks interesting but complicated, so I will put a pin in that, but thanks for the info.

ZigOtto, there really is no drawback to a context sensitive tool if you always have the option to turn it off. That way, it just works for many would find it really useful, but not for those who don't want it. Personally, I find that I rarely add or subtract from selections, but when I need to, holding the option key is no big deal to me. Much easier to have the convenience of context sensitive tool for what I do most, but that's me. In terms of user customization, not sure I can see how this can be done by a user.

[schwarzgrau]

It looks more complicated then it is. Basically a software which let you choose a button on your keyboard ( let's say the A button) and choose a button or shortcut you want to map to it. The whole double-tapping and toggle-stuff is something you don't need most of the time and all this stuff is in their manual.
Yea I'm with David on this topic, since I never subtract from selections in TVPaint. Instead I'm creating a new selection, but unfortunately that's just my workflow.