Proposed Rewrite of small section of English manual

[OldRadioGuy]

As a followup to my recent post regarding the keyboard shortcut for image rotation http://www.pl32.com/forum3/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=3278, I looked at the instructions for that operation in the PL 17 manual.

Pages 199-200

7.5.5 Rotate Layer

(graphic of the rotation window inserted here)

The rotation angle can be entered via slider and via text field. Rotate Layer offers the same working modes as Scale Layer (see chapter 7.5.3).

The option Crop removes everything from the result, that hasn‘t been in the original. No new parts are created, that are filled with the background color. You can rotate the Lasso, the active Layer, the active Page or the whole Document.

If you want an image to be upright, you can drag a line with the mouse in the picture window. Then PhotoLine automatically calculates the corresponding rotation angle.

As written, the English instructions lack clarity. I propose the following rewrite for that section:

7.5.5 Rotate Layer (Alt+R Windows, ?+R Mac)

(graphic of the rotation window inserted here)

For a simple correction of the image horizon or canting of an upright object, hold down the left button of your mouse and drag either a horizontal line or a vertical line to create the desired correction. PhotoLine automatically calculates the corresponding rotation angle.

For more precise rotation, the angle of rotation can be entered via movement of the slider or entry of numbers in the text box.

The Crop option removes picture information outside the image boundary created by the rotation. Empty sections are filled with background color.

You can rotate the Lasso, the active Layer, the active Page or the whole Document. Rotate Layer offers the same working modes as Scale Layer (see chapter 7.5.3).

The above approach reorganizes the instructions with the most important first, in my opinion. In reviewing the manual, I noted that "field" is used throughout. Here in the states, "box" would be a more appropriate term, and I have used it in my suggested rewrite. Perhaps English speakers in other parts of the world could confirm whether my use of "box" is better.

Bob

[lutz]

Thanks Bob,

in my eyes the new version is indeed much more clear.

[Martin Huber]

Is the description of the Crop option really correct (my English might be too bad to understand it)? And didn't you write in a previous post, that there should be the word "straighten" in the description, because that's what users are looking for?

Martin

[bkh]

Yes, much better indeed.

For a simple correction of the image horizon or canting of an upright object, hold down the left button of your mouse and drag either a horizontal line or a vertical line to create the desired correction. PhotoLine automatically calculates the corresponding rotation angle.

Maybe it should be made clear that "horizontal" and "vertical" refer to the image content, not to the computer screen. (Maybe "line along a horizontal/vertial object in the image"?)

The Crop option removes picture information outside the image boundary created by the rotation. Empty sections are filled with background color.

As Martin pointed out, this should be something like:

The Crop option removes the corners of the image such that the result is an unrotated rectangle again. If you don't use the Crop option, the resulting empty sections outside the original image are filled with the current background colour.

Maybe there is a better expression than "unrotated" – meaning that the edges of the rectangle are parallel to the edges of the computer screen.

Cheers

Burkhard.

[OldRadioGuy]

Is the description of the Crop option really correct (my English might be too bad to understand it)?

Yes, it is correct, Martin.

And didn't you write in a previous post, that there should be the word "straighten" in the description, because that's what users are looking for?

Martin

Thanks for reminding me. Yes, I did. I was working my proposed rewrite off the wording in the English manual and simply forgot to include "straighten." Here we call that a "senior moment, " referring to an old guy like me.

Perhaps the heading should be titled "Straighten/Rotate."

Then the first paragraph begins with "To perform a simple straighten..."

Followed by the second paragraph beginning with "For a more precise rotation..."

Bob

[OldRadioGuy]

...

The Crop option removes picture information outside the image boundary created by the rotation. Empty sections are filled with background color.

As Martin pointed out, this should be something like:

The Crop option removes the corners of the image such that the result is an unrotated rectangle again. If you don't use the Crop option, the resulting empty sections outside the original image are filled with the current background colour.

Maybe there is a better expression than "unrotated" – meaning that the edges of the rectangle are parallel to the edges of the computer screen.

Burkhard.

With all due respect, Burkhard, I believe my wording in the "The crop option..." line is clear and precise.

Bob

[greenmorpher]

Burkhardt, we don’t want to say "removes the corners" because that could sound like rounding the corners. We also don’t want to say "unrotated rectangle". What Bob has written is right, except that we need to insert "If you don’t use the crop option..." s in: "The Crop option removes picture information outside the image boundary created by the rotation. If you don’t use the crop options, empty sections within the new boundaries are filled with background color."

And what we really, really want -- so often missing in this manual about a graphics program -- is simple illustrations of these things which ldeave no doubt whatsoever what the words are describing! That's what graphics is all about! That's what PL is all about! Why on earth are we discussing precise wording when talking about a final graphic form in a graphics program?

Cheers, geoff