TV Paint quirkiness

[oliveuk]

TV paint has some weired features that don't make too much sense to me.

This morning I wanted to show a friend of mine how he could tweak a pose in his animation. I opened up TV Paint, hoping to be able to copy and paste a screenshot of his animation then draw on it but I realised that TV Paint doesn't allow copy and paste of the clipboard, you know when you click on Print screen on key on a windows keyboard. (CTRL + C / CTRL + V )

It works with 90% software except TV Paint grrrrr.....

an other thing that bothers me is the TVPaint explorer.

Unlike most software, once in TV Paint it is impossible to do any regular drag and drop, copy, cut, paste explorer functions. Basically we can't use the Right mouse button anymore in the TV Paint explorer (once we click on File/load)

These are some of the reasons that make TV Paint feel like a software that belongs to a different operating system and that it hasn't been fully ported to windows (I don't use Macs so I don't know how they work)

Olive

[Peter Wassink]

TV Paint doesn't allow copy and paste of the clipboard

pasting images from the clipboard is done under Edit in the menu bar.
under clipboard you can import the image as a brush or as a image.
if you use it a lot, simply create a custom key for it or else a custompanel button.

These are some of the reasons that make TV Paint feel like a software that belongs to a different operating system and that it hasn't been fully ported to windows

if you are uncomfortable under the TVP interface,

In the menu under Edit/Preferences you can change the TVP file requester into that of your system,
(under Interface tab)

[Mads Juul]

I started With Switching to the System File Requester because I didnt like the tvpaint resuester.
But I have switch back to the system again because the to requester are
behaving differently!! when using "project save as"
when Using tvpaint file requester with save as
the filereuester opens in the directory where the current project is saved in. very helpfull

but the ssystem file requester opens in the last folder yoyu have saved a projecy in. wich is quite confusing when you as I am, are working with multiple projects simoltaniosly, and saving project sin different versions.

So I switch back to the TVpaint File requter.

Actually I think the 2 requsters should work the same way so I considder the System file requster as "Buggy"

-mads

[oliveuk]

I see, The clipboard option is great and it has even more option than expected but still, I would have found it more intuitive to be able to do a simple CTRL + V like on just any software.

As for the "file requester" .... what a funny name, Amiga legacy or something?

Great I switch to the "system requester". I think this should be the default option and the weired one the optional one . To me it is much less flexible than the "system" one so it doesn't make too much sense.

[malcooning]

TV paint has some weired features

does anything that does things differently necessarily weird?
be easy with TVPaint. It's a rare breed of software that has it's own character. Its attitude avoids gentrification, and I have nothing but good things to say about such attitude.

In the case of the file requester - it does exactly what it's set out to do: it loads files. The more functions you add to it, the more you'll get distracted from doing what your really want to do with TVPaint - draw.

[Mads Juul]

does anything that does things differently necessarily weird?

When the System filerequester and the tvpaint filerequester opens 2 different places when you "Save as" That I would consider as "Wierd"

mads

[A1]

and if you don't have tree digits in your filename : x_001.tvp
100 comes before 99. All minor things add up to a big one.
But despite it's shortcomings, i still love to work with the software.

[Patrice]

and if you don't have tree digits in your filename : x_001.tvp
100 comes before 99. All minor things add up to a big one.
But despite it's shortcomings, i still love to work with the software.

This is not a bug! if you compare file_99.tvp, file_100.tvp and file_10.tvp how do you sort them?

=>
file_10.tvp
file_100.tvp
file_99.tvp

The system sort the file in function of the name from the first letter (in the left) to the last one (in the right). Since the '.' comes before the '0', file_10 comes before file_100 and since the '1' comes before the '9', file_100 comes before file_99. That's why you need 3 digits:

=>
file_010.tvp
file_099.tvp
file_100.tvp

In all systems, file_100 will come before file_99!

For the behaviour of the 2 file requester, I agree with all remarks. We have written them for a future improvement. Thank you.

[malcooning]

That I would consider as "Wierd"

still, Weird is a bit harsh term. I feel it's enough to say it does not function as expected.

In all systems, file_100 will come before file_99!

Actually in VISTA they have addressed this issue. Numbers are now showing in desired order when sorted by file name:
file_01.ext
file_1.ext
file_10.ext
file_99.ext
file_100.ext

maybe it's fixed in OS X Leopard too, don't know.

so actually when TVPaint is run under Vista, the requester has a disadvantage over the sorting method of the system requester.

[oliveuk]

the non Vista number ordering doesnt' bother me. Pretty much every single software I used in the past dealt with numbers the same way so 001 instead of 1 is fine with me.

I don't think that moving files around on the fly while the "requester" is open "distracts" from drawing it is just a regular drag and drop function users have been enjoying for the past ..... 12 years? even windows 3.1 was probably allowing it. When it becomes a real pain is when you have to look for "Custom panels" that you have downloaded from the TV Paint forum for example, and you would like to move them around realising Firefox saved them in the wrong location.

Some other softwares like Combustion have their own "explorer" and I can't stand it either despite using the software all the time and loving it but I know a lot of people who prefer to stick with After Effect because it works as expected.

Olive

[Patrice]

When it becomes a real pain is when you have to look for "Custom panels" that you have downloaded from the TV Paint forum for example, and you would like to move them around realising Firefox saved them in the wrong location.

We are working on a new Custom Panel Installation. This will be present in the next release of TVP Animation Standard and Professional version.

It has been developped in order you to be able to install the new Creation Pack without any pain. Stay tuned and you will see how sharing a Custom Panel can be easy!

[Mads Juul]

still, Weird is a bit harsh term. I feel it's enough to say it does not function as expected.

You are right mads

[A1]

Well, i'm working with windows xp sp2 and the windows file requester
does not need the tree digits to place 100 after 99.
Anyway, as i stated before, it is not a big issue, just a pointer from a customer.
It 's far less serious than cold coffee...

[cresshead]

there's a reason for the option of the 2 file requester types...the windows one give you a familiar windows look but the tvpaint version may look different but you also get the advantage to see thumbnails of the tvp projects...so it's more useful than the windows version o/s based in that respect.

as for 000 and 099 etc..that's THE way to number up files in any app, i come from being a 3d app user loooong before i added tv paint and 3dsmax, lightwave, maya, xsi all use that format...in fat it would be 'weird' if tv paint didn't do it the industry standard way.

[malcooning]

there's a reason for the option of the 2 file requester types...the windows one give you a familiar windows look but the tvpaint version may look different but you also get the advantage to see thumbnails of the tvp projects...so it's more useful than the windows version o/s based in that respect.

actually it's not so much an advantage. When TVPaint installs on your computer, it gives you the option to have thumbnails of TVP projects in the OS explorer. I have thumbnails of all my projects whenever I use browse with windows explorer. although sometimes this thumbnail (a DLL file) doesn't install well, and this option goes unnoticed.