Opinions on screenshots

JasonBarnabeJasonBarnabe
edited March 2011 in userstyles.org
How do you think screenshots on this site could be improved? Some specific questions:

-Are "Before" screenshots necessary? If so, do they need to be displayed directly on the page, or would a link to them suffice?
-What size of images should be used? The latest iteration of the script for automatic screenshots will do 800x600 with 350x262 thumbnails.

Comments

  • AzrockAzrock
    -Are "Before" screenshots necessary.. of course.. but they are also setup in a flashy but crap manner.. because if you want to compare before and after screenshots the last thing you want to do is watch animated fades delaying the process(you're less likely to remember the changes),

    Also the controls on the picture viewer to cycle images is in need of refinement.. its silly that for only 2 images, you've got prev on left half of the image, and if you click it, the image disappears you get white nothing, and then the next image shows up (even if its already loaded, were just waiting for animation delays) and clicking on the 'next' is right half the image... the entire image area should be a clickable link to cycle next/prev image instantly, the current image should stay in view until the other image is loaded and takes its place adjusting the border instantly.

    "If so, do they need to be displayed directly on the page, or would a link to them suffice? "
    Not really fond on lightbox unless its been heavily tweaked myself, I can't [mmb] open images in another tab, but it is still possible to drag and drop the thumbnails and they open in separate background tabs here so, tab mousewheel flicking is still possible at comparing +images are re-sized to fit browser window that way. If the lightbox was more snappy and added those other changes it would be fine.

    Otherwise I often just test the style myself as the screenshots can be useless, maybe a before and after is too limiting.. or perhaps its that the thumbnails aren't even needed, even userscripts allows authors to decorate the script homepage to some extent with loading up for external images as they feel fit. Showing the fullsized cropped images on the page, no extra clicking on thumbnails etc... But obviously providing onsite hosting for at least 2 images is a good thing.
  • aletaziaraletaziar
    Everything Azrock said:
    - before is necessary
    - get rid of the animated fade
    - allow switching by clicking anywhere on the image, not just the left or right
  • mod_wastrelmod_wastrel
    edited March 2011
    Since I'd presume that anyone who might be interested in a style and what it does is already familiar with what a site looks like "before" the style is applied, I think an auto-generated 'Before' screenshot would be superfluous more often than not (especially if it's for a site's "home" page). The size/resolution is more or less OK (it's certainly better than the all too common nothing at all :D); a native size that's a little larger wouldn't hurt, though.

    I like Lightbox [of course], but the current settings for [animation] delay make it somewhat annoying (which I've said before--a little speedier would be better); other than that, it functions pretty much the way any slideshow app does... and you can always right-click to view it in another tab/window. Plus, you can use your cursor keys to go left/right (almost like a toggle). Another option for viewing screenshots, though, is to use the Image Tools extension:
    https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/imagetools/
    (viewer or slideshow)
  • makondomakondo
    To answer the original question - Are "Before" screenshots necessary? - I use 'before' as a second shot of 'after' quite often. Appl style: options window and some other window (like S-C editor and styles in the sidebar. Like Session Manager options dialog and save session dialog, etc. Web: one page/another page, etc.
    Please leave it alone. It's ain't broke.
  • mod_wastrelmod_wastrel
    That brings up another point. (I was, BTW, referring only to auto-generated 'Before' screenshots.) Being able to label screenshots differently would be helpful (which is a "standing" request from long ago)--something other than only Before/After (because we do use 'Before' and 'After' screenshots for other than Before and After. :D Lightbox allows captions, so maybe using that feature?
  • DaedalusIcarusHeliosDaedalusIcarusHelios
    I concur with the ability to have custom labels for screenshots, rather than before and after.

    It might be fine if there were only one thumbnail image, and when you click on it and get the viewer, allow multiple images (more than just two) with captions that you can cycle through.

    I could see myself using this for images for different options in a style, or just other screenshots of different parts of a site that are styled. Maybe allow 2 to be hosted on the site, but for additional, pull from a user-specified site like an image host.

    As far as size goes, I think it's fine. Allowing 100 KB is better than the 75 KB it was, but I still have to shrink and play with the # of colors and dithering to fit in the limit.
  • JasonBarnabeJasonBarnabe
    I understand the desire to have multiple screenshots, but I would like the site to know for sure which screenshot means what. I'm thinking of adding screenshots and descriptions to the search results - I'd want the "after" screenshot for that. Maybe what could happen is I'd keep before and after, but add additional "slots" with customizable labels.
  • LordStrikerLordStriker
    Really sorry, I'd like not to create new topic, but also I'd like to say that the style blue/white of forum is extremely beautiful/elegant! Wouldn't be better if you implement this on usertyles.org too?
  • mod_wastrelmod_wastrel
    If memory serves, then someone already created a style to somewhat duplicate that color scheme (for those who like it) for the main site. Take a look at the recent us.o styles. (BTW, there are already a couple threads related to the 'new forum' and 'new userstyles.org layout' where you could have [perhaps more appropriately] posted your comment.)
  • mod_wastrelmod_wastrel
    Jason, any way you/we might be able to take advantage of Amazon's Cloud Drive--as in authors having thumbnails on the style page pointing to images stored there, either as/with the screenshots (for lightbox) or just in the description or more info or maybe a new section for such?
  • JasonBarnabeJasonBarnabe
    edited April 2011
    mod_wastrel said: Jason, any way you/we might be able to take advantage of Amazon's Cloud Drive
    I think I'm just going to let people put in more screenshots.
  • BarbieBarbBarbieBarb
    Yes more screenshots please ! Thankyou !
    With the ability to choose After or Before for each screenshot.
    Sometimes some of us want to put in 2 or 3 aftershot screenshots.
    Example:
    Show Aftershot of userstyles.org useraccount page and an Aftershot of userstyles.org Browse-search page and an aftershot of the userstyles.org mainpage or just an extra close-up of one of the pages to show more detail.
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