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Mouse options
#1
My mouse came with the computer.  It is Cyberpower elite M1-161 gaming which Windows tells me is a Microsoft mouse.  I like the mouse but wonder if there is something better.  One thing I would like would to be able to change the cursor speed on the fly.  Sometimes for fine tuning a selection box for example I would like to slow it down momentarily and then restore to a fast movement.  I don't know what else I am missing.  Is there a more capable or better mouse?  What do the pros use?
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#2
(10-10-2021, 09:10 PM)zeuspaul Wrote: What do the pros use?

I'll try to answer...
From a dirty cheap PS/2 mouse at $1 because the admin disabled USB ports for security purpose or that person is an Indie, to a special console depending the company and how that company is involved in "design" and their budget > but in all cases they got the job done Wink

But gaming mouse not so... on the other hand pen tablets are used a lot.
You might want to look into a wacom tablet or a cheaper one as nowadays there are good tablets compatible with GIMP (I recommend to do some search before buying one)

The thing here, is you seem to not know very well GIMP and its short cuts or key modifiers... (am I wrong?)
You want to fine tune a selection?
zoom in quickly to pixel level using the mouse wheel, multiple options:
you can do it with Ctrl+ mouse wheel, you can also do it with Ctrl + Click on the mouse wheel and move the mouse, the tool magnifier is also an option (draw a rectangle and it will be zoomed in to that rectangle size, up to a whopping 25 600 %)
Also 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 on your keyboard (not the num pad) will also increase the zoom in/out respectively to 100%, 200%, 400%, 800%, 1600%...

You can make your own shortcut (If I recall correctly, GIMP recommend to start personal shortcut by Alt+Shift to not interfere with the one already in place, personally I start all my keyboard shortcut by Alt+Shift+Ctrl + "something" to be sure and when I see the list I know that all starting by those 3 modifiers Alt+Shift+Ctrl are mine)
> Edit > Keyboards shortcuts

or attribute any function to your mouse and mouse buttons
Edit > Preferences > Input controllers

   
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#3
PixLab thanks for the response.  Yes I am a beginner even though I have used Gimp on and off for several years.  Only recently have I become more involved.  I have programed the scroll wheel in Gimp for the clone/heel size and angle which is very helpful.  I am sure to find more mouse features I want to program.

My reference to fine tuning a selection box was in reference to Lightroom.  I manage my image files in an old stand alone version (I don't want any software that requires a subscription).  I do some preliminary editing in Lightroom before exporting to Gimp.  Their crop function doesn't allow for zooming.  I haven't mastered crop in Gimp yet I get confused with the way it works, not the mouse.  Most of my current work involves merging images together to 16x9 format suitable for viewing on a TV or 16x9 computer monitor as a slide show.  I prefer images to fit the screen.

I crop a lot with Gimp mostly when an image exceeds the canvas.  It is a simple task for me to place a selection around the entire image that exceeds the canvas and select image>>crop to selection.  I also use the canvas size to crop.  Simply resize the canvas to an exact size, move the image into position and then export a PNG.  I then undo a few times to get back to where I was, then import the PNG with the portion of the image I want to have.

I took a brief look at Wacom and it definitely will take more research. The first thing that scared me away was the need for a battery.  Also I prefer a standard USB wired connection.  I also need something that works well while I sit back in my chair with my feet on the desk.
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#4
(10-11-2021, 09:23 PM)zeuspaul Wrote: My reference to fine tuning a selection box was in reference to Lightroom.  I manage my image files in an old stand alone version (I don't want any software that requires a subscription).  I do some preliminary editing in Lightroom before exporting to Gimp.  Their crop function doesn't allow for zooming.  I haven't mastered crop in Gimp yet I get confused with the way it works, not the mouse.  Most of my current work involves merging images together to 16x9 format suitable for viewing on a TV or 16x9 computer monitor as a slide show.  I prefer images to fit the screen.

I crop a lot with Gimp mostly when an image exceeds the canvas.  It is a simple task for me to place a selection around the entire image that exceeds the canvas and select image>>crop to selection.  I also use the canvas size to crop.  Simply resize the canvas to an exact size, move the image into position and then export a PNG.  I then undo a few times to get back to where I was, then import the PNG with the portion of the image I want to have.

Oh... I did like lightroom a lot, when I was on mac many years ago, it was a very nice software. If one day you want to switch to a free and open source, I would recommend Darktable, it's a bit of a learning curve, even though it's quite closed to Lightroom, but it's really worth it and there are plenty tutorials out there. In the same range I love Lightzone, but it's a completely different approach though(even if it look like lightroom),  but once you understand it and how you can fine tune each color, light and so... but it's another topic, let's get back on track  Wink

I have a good news for your, you do not need to undo few time once you've cropped.
When you crop, un-tick the "Delete cropped pixels", export, then once exported you just have to do Image > Fit canvas to layer

   

If you did un-tick the "Delete cropped pixels" and save it when it was cropped, then close it, yes... it will keep the full image Wink When you re-open that file, just do Image > Fit canvas to layer, everything will be there Wink (give it a try on something you don't care and see by yourself)

Another tip, is about when you merge layers then Ctrl+Z many times, you do not need to merge layer, right click on the top layer in the stack (or anywhere, but just to keep a clean stack) and select New from Visible , you will have a new layer called "Visible" about what you are seeing in the layer's stack

   

(10-11-2021, 09:23 PM)zeuspaul Wrote: I took a brief look at Wacom and it definitely will take more research. The first thing that scared me away was the need for a battery.  Also I prefer a standard USB wired connection.  I also need something that works well while I sit back in my chair with my feet on the desk.

Oooh I understand you, I broke 4 chairs in the past 5 or 6 years that way  Big Grin  Big Grin , although I did try very hard working with GIMP with my feet on the desk, I can't, at one point I do need to seat normally, but yes I completely understand you  Smile
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#5
I accidently discovered that I can control the speed of my Cyberpower elite M1-131 mouse cursor on the fly.  There are two small buttons on top of the mouse that raise or lower the DPI.  I have to press them several times as it scrolls through the settings.  I would rather have  one high and one low setting.

I was reading Amazon Q & A for the Logitech G502 gaming mouse. "Within the prgram to control the mouse, Lofgitech G HUB, there are options for "Editing" that include copy, paste, cut, etc. that you can assign to any button."  It also has buttons to change the DPI setting preset.  Copy and paste Windows commands are already easy with the keyboard (Ctrl C, Ctrl V) but maybe there is something else that would be useful, perhaps one button for high DPI and one for low DPI.  It has eleven programmable buttons. It requires their G HUB software to program, its free but??  I don't think my mouse is programmable like the pro version of it.

I did a little reading on Darktable and Lightzone.  Many of the reviews are based on using the program for just a few hours. My first impression was they are not good for file management. I use Lightroom to move files from one folder to another, also for renaming. I didn't get the feeling that this was even possible with these two programs.  They do seem to have some good editing features.  I find the shadow slider in Lightroom has a different curve than Gimp.  Gimp seems to have a lower cut off being useful for deeper shadows.  I use both. From my brief review of these programs it seemed at least one of them has good highlight and shadow control.

I downloaded Darktable and gave it a spin.  It took me a half hour to find my C and E drives with the images!  I will visit again but this is going to be a slow project.
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#6
(10-15-2021, 06:58 AM)zeuspaul Wrote: I did a little reading on Darktable and Lightzone.  Many of the reviews are based on using the program for just a few hours. My first impression was they are not good for file management. I use Lightroom to move files from one folder to another, also for renaming. I didn't get the feeling that this was even possible with these two programs.  

I wouldn't use either. Because I use the file explorer, or the terminal. I want to know exactly what happens to my files, and this is the only way. Whys is it important? Because I do backups and I want to make sure the files are in the backups and are recoverable from the backups. I don't want to discover that the file is unusable because it is not also in some database used by the application.

(10-15-2021, 06:58 AM)zeuspaul Wrote: They do seem to have some good editing features.  I find the shadow slider in Lightroom has a different curve than Gimp.  Gimp seems to have a lower cut off being useful for deeper shadows.  I use both. From my brief review of these programs it seemed at least one of them has good highlight and shadow control.

You can likely do everything on only one of the two, if you try to master it. These are two diffferent power drills but they drill the same holes, no need to have both.
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#7
I also do backups  regularly, two or three times a week using SyncToy a free Microsoft program.  I can match folder to folder or entire drives.  SyncToy even knows if I change a file name and updates the file name in the backup location which was a surprise to me.  I see the same thing in Lightroom as I do in file explorer as far as file location.  If I move a file in Lightroom it shows up in its new location in file manager.  If I add some meta data in Lightroom it doesn't actually become part of the file and seen in file manager until I execute *save meta data to file*.  Cropping and other editing does not show up at all and any backups wouldn't include the edits.  For them to show up I would have to export the file creating a new file.  The files don't actually reside in Lightroom.

I like file management in Lightroom because it has better visuals, better thumb nails, better metadata support, better search capabilities.  Also if I move files around in file manager the changes don't appear in Lightroom.  I have to execute *synchronize folder* to see changes in Lightroom that were made in file explorer.
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