Option to have Histograms in another window

What features would you like to see in Pixelmator Pro?
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2021-05-26 07:25:12

Is there an option to have histograms in another window so that they can be moved to another monitor for reference


+ why not add colour scopes inbuilt into the software
It can be very productive for amateur/beginners like me😁
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2021-05-27 11:44:40

Pixelmator Pro is a single-window app so none of its elements are detachable. The addition of color scopes is an interesting suggestion, although, aren't they more common in video editing? Do you know any graphic editors you could point us to that offer this?
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2021-05-27 16:30:37

there are no software known to me and since luts in pixelmator pro can be used directly into final cut i guess useing pixelmators easy interface with added scopes will be perfect for colour grading videos easily !
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2021-06-01 13:55:54

Fair point. I'll share your suggestion with the team. :ok_hand:
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2022-02-17 00:21:04

by Aurelija 2021-05-27 16:44:40 Pixelmator Pro is a single-window app so none of its elements are detachable. The addition of color scopes is an interesting suggestion, although, aren't they more common in video editing? Do you know any graphic editors you could point us to that offer this?
Hi :wave:

Yes, scopes are a must in video workflows, but I'd strongly argue they should have the same importance for any type of image/graphics manipulation. It's the same principle, for example you could white balance an image in seconds under bright sunlight and a dimmed screen without even looking at the image itself using an RGB parade scope, same goes for values, with an intensity waveform is superfast if you know what you're looking at. To me, it feels the same as when seeing code markup, I just know with absolute precision this thing is #3E6697 and not some random blue.

I honestly don't know why was the histogram the canonized scope, they make sense while shooting, but they are mostly useless while editing, they don't account for composition (hi/lo-key), and the only thing they are actually good at is to identify if there are any clipped areas but not where they are — there are many better solutions to find clipped pixels. Really, nothing beats a waveform for values, RGB parade for color balance and a vectorscope for skin tones and checker cards.

While we're at it, color checker cards support sans the cards would be wonderful, and I'm sure the Pixelmator team could come up with some fancy implementation that accomplishes the same using ML Color Match or something.

Here are some photo apps that have scopes: Affinity Photo :unamused: has barely usable and slow scopes, which are not resizable — one ideally stretches the waveform to span across horizontally to match it with the image; then there is CameraBag Pro which has great scopes; Darktable has them all; VideoLUT on iOS just to name a few.

Anyway, hope that helps, cheers!
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2022-02-17 13:19:01

by MATTEMOTTO 2022-02-16 22:21:04
Hi :wave:

Yes, scopes are a must in video workflows, but I'd strongly argue they should have the same importance for any type of image/graphics manipulation. It's the same principle, for example you could white balance an image in seconds under bright sunlight and a dimmed screen without even looking at the image itself using an RGB parade scope, same goes for values, with an intensity waveform is superfast if you know what you're looking at. To me, it feels the same as when seeing code markup, I just know with absolute precision this thing is #3E6697 and not some random blue.

I honestly don't know why was the histogram the canonized scope, they make sense while shooting, but they are mostly useless while editing, they don't account for composition (hi/lo-key), and the only thing they are actually good at is to identify if there are any clipped areas but not where they are — there are many better solutions to find clipped pixels. Really, nothing beats a waveform for values, RGB parade for color balance and a vectorscope for skin tones and checker cards.

While we're at it, color checker cards support sans the cards would be wonderful, and I'm sure the Pixelmator team could come up with some fancy implementation that accomplishes the same using ML Color Match or something.

Here are some photo apps that have scopes: Affinity Photo :unamused: has barely usable and slow scopes, which are not resizable — one ideally stretches the waveform to span across horizontally to match it with the image; then there is CameraBag Pro which has great scopes; Darktable has them all; VideoLUT on iOS just to name a few.

Anyway, hope that helps, cheers!
Awesome, thanks for the in-depth feedback! Color scopes do seem super interesting and, as you've said, show you the location of clipping (and overall composition) in a very cool way. However, this is a super technical feature and there are a few "low-hanging fruit" for us to work on for now. Having said that, we'll definitely keep this in mind as we continue to improve the color adjustments.
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2022-02-17 15:01:34

Sure thing! One step at a time, Pixelmator Pro as is, makes me smile every single time I bring its window to the front.