Custom ML themes/menus!

[a1ex]

My idea for the custom menu would be via a "context menu":

- select some entry (say HDR video)
- press MENU
- a small context menu appears, with these entries:
    - Add to my menu
    - Hide this item
    - Show all (hidden) items
    - Restore default value (maybe)

[Richard]

Yes! I like the context menu idea!
It aligns with the current implementation. In de "my menu" or "custom menu" tab the context menu can have the "remove from my menu" instead of "add to my menu". The last three entries would be obsolete in the "my menu" context, instead options to change the position could be added.

Additional notes:
- If the subsubmenus are not abandoned , it would be great to have subsubmenu items e.g. contrast or HTP to be added to the "my menu" tab without the hierarchy above that item, this would result in quicker access to that function.
- A structural reconsideration with the 5DIII menu in mind would -in my humble opinion- of much less importance and a lot more work.

[Malcolm Debono]

I like the context menu idea! I think that's the best way to implement all those options.

[SDX]

I like that idea, too.

I want to make you all aware of that the new menu system - at least how it looks like right now - requires a new use of keys. Not a big deal for me and the most ML users, but I think that it can result in a bit confusion for many users in the beginning. Worth it, I believe.

Here are my Ideas:

Scroll wheel: unless submenu opened or a main tab selected, always used for iterating through the points. In submenu used for changing values. When main tab selected, iterating through main tabs.
Up/Down: Going through the menu entries, the point selector and main-tabs. (In that order: 1=main-tabs, 2=points, 3=1st-entry, 4=2nd entry, 5=3rd entry, ...)
Left/Right: changing value of entries, changing point in point-selector, changing tab in maintabs.
Menu: open context menu. Here you find add and remove from mymenu, as well as a setting for the point it should be added to in the my-menu.
Q: open/close submenu

I don't think, that more buttons are required. We should try our best to minimize the things the user has to remember in order to use the interface.

The points of the my-menu and their names can be set in a sub-menu in the setting tab.

Also, I don't think that adding only one parameter from a submenu to the my-menu is a good idea. Would be very confusing to find out in which context the setting is, where it comes from and so on. Also, you would mostly need to go somewhere else to activate the function afterwards.
And example: You have added the 'amount of frames'-variable from the HDR function to the my-menu. When you want to use it, you then have to go the HDR entry in the shoot tab first to active HDR.
And adding the entire submenu also only takes 1 entry space of the my-menu (since it's a submenu, obviously).


Another thing:
I don't think that a function to hide entries is required anymore. Now that we have points and the my-menu.

Another, another thing:
We still need to find out how submenu should be visualized. As windows (as it is right now) that overlays the interface to some extend or as a screen-filling, new interface. Or maybe something else?

[1%]

Another level of submenu? 1 level is not enough for me. Maybe its just me

[SDX]

Just to clear this up:

Main tabs -> points -> entries
                                `-> entries with own menu -> submenu

So yea, another level.
But the cool thing about these points is that they allow this extra level without loosing the overview of the UI.

I'm believing that the design we slowly are coming up with here is even more userfriendly than the current one and at the same time creates more space for functionality and future stuff.

[nanomad]

Just remember that some cameras Don't have a wheel in the back...just 4 directional buttons and the top wheel

[SDX]

I was just thinking of the top wheel.
But i think a good thing would be, if we treat both wheels as the same. I can't really see a reason for adding additional control options to some camera models.

[a1ex]

In 5D it's hard to use the little joystick for navigation, the quickest way is top wheel = left/right and back wheel = up/down.

This is how Canon menus work, and current ML key combinations works very similar. Except that I didn't like to press 3 keys just to toggle a boolean setting.

[nanomad]

Set will toggle boolean settings if they are so, there's no need to open any submenus for that I think

[SDX]

Exact, but you still have to navigate to the option. But that is a general problem. How do we provide enough structure and overview of the functions and at the same time make it fast (fast: using as few keyspresses as possible). (Just to illustrate the problem, that wasn't a real question. But you're allowed to answer it anyways )

I still think that points are a good thing, since scrolling with the scrollwheel feels like ways less 'work' than pressing buttons in order navigate. At least for me

[nanomad]

By implementing a "favorites" menu

[a1ex]

Go to some camera store and try a 5D Mark III. Scrolling through 21 tabs is not funny at all (yes, with the scrollwheel).

[SDX]

We already discussed that about a page ago.
That's why we have chosen to use submenus again. The shootmenu would have created about 10 points, ways too much. Using submenus we get approx 3 to 4.

I personally think, that we also should keep it at 6 points max. I can image what a pain it is to scroll so much.

[1%]

I don't use the top wheel much. Mostly arrow keys. The hack to make the wheel work is worse than not having it.

[SDX]

Which wheel are you talking about? The wheel on the arrow-keys or the topwheel.
Hasn't anyone managed to get the arrowkeys-scrollwheel working jet?

[1%]

Topwheel. Its the only one I have.

[SDX]

Okay.

As described above my idea includes that scrollwheel is fully optional. If you like, you can switch between points and change values with the arrowkey too.

[SDX]

While I was checking changes in the docs I found the liveview page which shows a full color image of a cat. Are that just colors from the palette? And if so, does someone have a script to map colors of images to that palette? Would be quite cool to apply that to the designs currently out there and see what they actually are going to look like.

I have thought about the submenu. I wanted to create a few sketches that show different ideas. I started with making the windowed submenu since that one was quite straight forward and it would be usefull to compare it to the new ideas.
But after having spend some time I figured out that windows are the only thing that works. Everything else just looked totally confusing.

Here is what i've got. It's is pretty much what we have at the current moment. Again, please ignore any graphical work. Currently we are only talking about layout and its usability, not colors 'n' fancy stuff. (At least that is how I see it)



Hoping for some ideas.

[1%]

Scrolling for both menus and submenus. Right now I add something extra and it gets cut off because too many settings already on that page. Or window of submenu gets broken.

[a1ex]

http://magiclantern.wikia.com/wiki/Remap.py

With this script you can convert the existing designs to cropmarks. You can tweak it to include unsafe palette entries as well, if you want.

[SDX]

Thanks A1ex.

1%: The point with using points is to avoid scrollbars. But I can see a need to add them to submenus.
On the other side though: A submenu should really not have more that 8 points in order to stay userfriendly. Everything above 8 would indeed require a scrollbar. They are technically a bit complicated to implement in a away that stays usable. For example we could use a little, smooth scrolling animation for making clear, that the upper entries did not vanish into another dimension when selecting the last, visible entry.
 

[mert gundogdu]

Hi Everybody,

I'm Mert from Turkey. I am the founder of one of the biggest photography website in Turkey. Which is called CanonTURK.com. Our aim is to union all Canon users around the Turkey and inform them the lastest news about photography.

Me and my team wants to translate Magic Lantern in Turkish Language if it's possible.
There are a lot of people using Magic Latern in Turkey but, some of the people couldn't use because most of the Turkish people doesn't know English.

I will be waiting for your  reply.

Cheers!

[theBilalFakhouri]

EDIT:
Just to sum it up - these designs exists:
[spoiler]davekatague

Novosibirets

iamtehlolrus

Arthur
[/spoiler]

These are really good and beautiful user interfaces, it should be alive . .

I was thinking for designing new user interface but these are great!