V0.7.4 to v0.8.0 UI Changes

Recap of YouTube Video: HueForge UI Updates (v0.7.4 - v0.8.0)

HueForge v0.7.4->v0.8.0 UI Changes

Overview

This document summarizes the key user interface (UI) changes and new features introduced in HueForge between versions 0.7.4 and 0.8.0, as detailed in a recording of a live office hours session.

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The primary focus is on the new Color Match functionality, along with improvements to file handling, image editing, and core workflows. The speaker emphasizes the importance of the new UI elements and provides a detailed breakdown of how to use them. Some bugs still exist and will be addressed in an upcoming hotfix. The emphasis is placed on a move towards smaller, more focused updates rather than large releases.

Key Themes and Ideas

Enhanced Project Management

• Browse Projects: Replaces the traditional "Open File" with a more visual Browse Projects (Ctrl+B), displaying project thumbnails for easy identification.
  • Loads the last saved project folder and helps locate project folders.
• Browse Example Projects: (Ctrl + Shift + B)
• Thumbnail Capture: Thumbnails represent the view when the project is saved (including zoom level).
• Centralized Storage: Log files and project files are now stored in a centralized location, streamlining file management.
• Project Images: Project images can now be embedded within the project file, simplifying file sharing and reducing dependency on external PNG files.
  • "You may save the image inside of the project file, which means you no longer have to worry about that PNG file."
• Exporting Project Images: Project images can be extracted from project files for use in other applications.
  • Exported images include edited images (bug fix pending).

Image Editing & Brightness Adjustments

• Edit Image Tool: Adjusts brightness before color matching, preventing mesh modifications that affect colors.
• Brightness Adjustment Modes:
  • Alternate: Applies a strong, blanket shift.
  • Context-Aware: Subtle brightness adjustments based on pixel values.
• Bright Adjust: Now works directly on the image instead of the mesh for better results.

UI and Workflow Improvements

• Options Menu:
  • New options to save images inside project files.
  • Display images at print size.
• Show Image at Print Size: Displays prints at the correct resolution for better accuracy.
  • "When using Color Match, it's easier to compare when the image resolution matches the print size."
• Preferences:
  • Use Image Size: Imports images while preserving DPI settings.
  • Load Image with Default Size: Scales images to fit within a defined size upon import.
• Image Updates:
  • Detects changes in externally edited images and prompts users to reload.
• Slider UI Improvements:
  • Clarifies that vertical order, not left-to-right position, determines importance.
  • "Sliders don’t matter left to right, but rather top to bottom."
  • Filaments can be dragged directly onto the slider bar.
  • Ctrl + Click (Cmd + Click on macOS) allows slider movement.
• Hotkeys & Controls:
  • Alt + Letter: Sorting, inverting, resetting, clearing history.
  • Right-click:
    • On a slider → Removes it.
    • On a region → Inverts it (only in Colorware Core).
• Core Switching: Click directly on cores to switch them.

Color Aware & Color Match Core Functionality

• Colorware Region Control:
  • Regions are now interactive controls (e.g., inverting blends).
  • Swapping white-to-black blending ensures smooth, continuous meshes.
• Mesh Core Enhancements:
  • Now displayed simultaneously with color cores for real-time color matching.
  • Users can drag non-filament colors from images directly onto the mesh core.
• Finding Closest Filament:
  • Right-clicking a non-filament color in the mesh core suggests the closest filament match.
• Layer Disabling:
  • Disable layers with the D hotkey or by right-clicking to prevent matching with that layer.
• Slider Enhancements:
  • Locking: Prevents accidental movement via mousewheel (Ctrl/Alt + Mousewheel).
  • Zeroing: Press Z to reset sliders to zero.
  • TD Adjust: Adjusts in increments of 0.5 via mousewheel.
• Color Replacement: Dragging a filament color onto another retains TD values.

Color Match Algorithms & Adjustments

• Four Color Match Algorithms:
  • CAB: Most accurate but slowest.
  • Default: Balanced approach.
  • HSL: Best for hue-based matching.
  • Dot Product: Fastest but less precise.
• Spike Removal:
  • Moderate setting is best for Color Match but is slower.
• Stairstep Algorithm:
  • Creates a posterized effect in the luminance box.
• Bright Enhance:
  • Useful for enhancing midtones and suppressing artifacts.
  • Algorithm 2 is smoother and preferred.
• Color Shift:
  • Adjusts colors directly from the Color Match menu.

Other Features and Fixes

• TD1 Updates:
  • Option to back up the TD1 license to AppData local.
  • Recovery option in case of corruption.
  • Firmware update option (some bugs pending fixes).
• AMD Fix:
  • Compatibility mode for older AMD graphics cards (less efficient but stable).
  • Adjust max triangles in the settings.
• Filament Library Overhaul (Upcoming):
  • Plan to improve usability and allow disabling filaments.
• Hotfix Incoming:
  • Addresses various bugs and minor issues.

Key Takeaways

• HueForge v0.8.0 significantly improves workflows, especially within Color Match.
• Users should familiarize themselves with new file management, image editing, and core-switching features.
• The Edit Image Tool and Layer Disabling provide better control over color blending and print outputs.
• Performance Considerations: Different Color Match algorithms trade speed for accuracy.

This briefing provides an in-depth understanding of the key changes and how to utilize them in the new HueForge version.