I’ve been told by David that G’MIC 2.4 will allow for completely localised versions. That’s good but not good enough in the long term. IMHO, the sheer number of settings for most filters requires tooltips with a short description of what each option does/changes in language understandable by mere mortals who aren’t developers.
On a technical level this can be done easily in Qt, but I know that it would divert developer time away from coding. However, G’MIC is such a powerful tool that it would be a shame if it couldn’t be used by more people, simply because there is a scarcity of information on how to use it properly.
I guess it’s down to whether it can sensibly be implemented. It would have to be done in a way which copes well with new/changed filters (or perhaps only available on “official” filters). No problem for me to go through and add at least english text for my own filters… still, it’s a lot of parameters to consider!
How about this: It’d be possible to set up a Wiki that serves only one purpose, namely creating and updating UI info texts for each filter, as well as tool tips for the parameters. A Wiki is easier accessible to most users than source code, so typos or unclear information etc. could be avoided by the many-eyes approach. In advance of a new release, the revised and updated texts would be copied (automatically via a script?) into the code and potential translators could then create or update translations. The latter is quite easy using Qt Linguist.
Like I said in my other reply, the GUI is lacking at the moment. Yes, we could go the Wiki route similar to how RawTherapee has RawPedia. I would definitely help contribute to such a thing if it were to exist (since I have asked more than 100 questions in the span of two years ).
Perhaps @patdavid et al. could help us set up such a Wiki… In any case, let’s wait for more G’MIC devs, contributors and users to chime in.
One thing to note is that many filters have multiple applications and multiple ways to interpret their parameters, so tips can only go so far. However, we could still jot down some common uses and how to approach various objectives with the filter in question. Does that make sense?
I think we’re on to something here. What about a Wiki strictly for UI/tooltips and another one like RawPedia, where specific points can be addressed? It could also include video tutorials or links to YouTube or Vimeo tutorials.
My main concern is that GIMP 2.10.x (or Krita 4.x) + G’MIC is an incredibly powerful combination, but it’s very hard to use even for professional end users, because there’s a lack of orientation, not to mention thorough and usable documentation.
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