Can you PLEASE give an option to turn off sanity checking?

[Who]

The new 2.7.8 version is driving me crazy because when I enter numeric values in filter boxes it tries to check in real time whether the values make sense and wind up changing values I have entered before I am finished.  Some of us know what we are doing, at least when it comes to entering values in those boxes, and I would much prefer that it accept whatever values I enter no matter how outrageous they may seem and not change values in other boxes until I am finished!  The one that really drives me crazy is the delogo filter (if I recall correctly) because it comes with some arbitrary values preset and if for example you enter a value for the start of the box and it would make the box include some area outside the dimensions of the video, it changes the value you just entered when you move to the width or height adjustment to change that. But it is not just that one, some other filters do that as well.  Previous versions of Avidemux did NOT do this and I for one hate this new behavior with the fire of a thousand burning suns.  I am about ready to go back to 2.7 because this is seriously driving me crazy.  PLEASE give us an option to turn this off and go back to the way it used to be.

As a general note, please don't assume that all your users are idiots.  I mean, maybe you can assume that some of us are when it comes to knowing about operating systems and programming, but when setting up parameters in filters I for one really do not appreciate some kind of behind-the-scenes nanny trying to second-guess what I am doing.  I use one other piece of software that used to do that, until enough people complained and they finally realized that it was infuriating more users than it was helping.

The other thing I wish there was an option to change back to the way it used to be is the display of the digits for the time.  I really find the segmented digits a bit hard to read (I tend to get the 5 and 6 confused, for example) and would really appreciate a way to change that back to just plain digits like there used to be in previous versions.

On a positive note, thank you for giving the option to not have Avidemux second guess you when you are setting the A and B markers.  That is the one thing that would really make me want to keep using 2.7.8.  And it is not that I don't appreciate all the other improvements you have made "under the hood" because I do, but honestly it is the usability issues that I tend to notice the most.

[eumagga0x2a]

The new 2.7.8 version is driving me crazy because when I enter numeric values in filter boxes it tries to check in real time whether the values make sense and wind up changing values I have entered before I am finished.

Is the behaviour of spinboxes in the swsResize more comfortable for you? By default, Qt reacts to every input (this is called keyboard tracking) in spinboxes, but this can be disabled. I did it for swsResize for 2.7.6 and some people were furious that "plugin stopped working" as disabling keyboard tracking means that direct input is evaluated only when focus moves elsewhere. I personally prefer doing without keyboard tracking for the same reasons.

Disabling input validation is not viable, we have the rubber band selector which must stay within bounds.

The other thing I wish there was an option to change back to the way it used to be is the display of the digits for the time.

If you build Avidemux yourself, comment out (put # at the start of each line) lines 110-112 in avidemux/qt4/CMakeLists.txt following the comment "Custom fixed width font for time display" (the comment is wrong as the font is not fixed width, but this is the right location anyway). Not going to return to the wobbly display on macOS and Linux which was a pain to watch during playback.

I tried hard to find a satisfactory solution with usual monospace fonts, but they all looked out of place in close proximity to the normal variable-width sans-serif application font. We have already an imitation of a thumb slider. Adding one more reference to a physical device improves the balance.

By the way, whoever created the default font used on Windows 10 (Segoe UI?), those people were clever. It is a variable-width font, but all digits have the same width, thus no shifting / wobbling during playback. Unfortunately, default fonts in use on macOS and Linux don't feature that, therefore LCD style display font for the rescue!

[Who]

The new 2.7.8 version is driving me crazy because when I enter numeric values in filter boxes it tries to check in real time whether the values make sense and wind up changing values I have entered before I am finished.

Is the behaviour of spinboxes in the swsResize more comfortable for you? By default, Qt reacts to every input (this is called keyboard tracking) in spinboxes, but this can be disabled. I did it for swsResize for 2.7.6 and some people were furious that "plugin stopped working" as disabling keyboard tracking means that direct input is evaluated only when focus moves elsewhere. I personally prefer doing without keyboard tracking for the same reasons.

I'm not quite certain what you mean by spinboxes, but I don't have any problems using swsResize.  Let me give you an example of what the problem is with MPlayer delogo 2.  Let's say your video is 1920x1080 and you want to remove a logo that starts at position 1600 and is 200 px wide (ignore the vertical for the moment).  So you bring up the filter and in the X field you type 1600.  The moment you type that second zero, it changes to 960!!!  This should never happen.  Now it sounds if you are saying that you can change it so it waits until I move out of that text field, but even that will not solve the problem if the moment I click in another field (such as "Width" to actually enter the correct width) it changes that X field to 960.  Previous versions did NOT do that, they simply accepted what I typed.

Disabling input validation is not viable, we have the rubber band selector which must stay within bounds.

I am sorry to disagree with you here but this is just wrong.  In all previous versions the rubber band could be outside "bounds" and there was no problem, in fact in a few corner cases it was helpful because it added in some "black" from the area outside the bounds.  Again this is a case where your users have figured out how to use the program but you want to treat us like we are all stupid and need additional hand holding.  This kind of input validation is most unwelcome because it just gets in our way. You seem to be one of those people who thinks there is only one "right" way to do things and you are going to enforce it come hell or high water and the people who actually USE your software have no say in it.

The other thing I wish there was an option to change back to the way it used to be is the display of the digits for the time.

If you build Avidemux yourself, comment out (put # at the start of each line) lines 110-112 in avidemux/qt4/CMakeLists.txt following the comment "Custom fixed width font for time display" (the comment is wrong as the font is not fixed width, but this is the right location anyway). Not going to return to the wobbly display on macOS and Linux which was a pain to watch during playback.

Well here we go again, because YOU don't like the "wobbly" display we get stuck with a font that is difficult to read instead.  I'm guessing you must have pretty good eyesight.  Some of us, not so much, and that segmented display is terrible for some users.

I think at some point you need to decide, did you create Avidemux only for your own personal use, or did you really want other people to be able to use it and to enjoy using it?  Because so often your answers (not just to me) have this tone of "I don't like something so I'm not going to offer that option."  I understand that you can never make everyone happy but some days it feels like you are interested in making no one happy but yourself.  Meanwhile you keep trying to get people to always use the latest version, but then every version you make a few changes to the user interface that you like but that can infuriate other users.  It is no wonder that some people will choose to stay with an older version.

As for building a version myself, I am an older person using a Mac, I would not have the foggiest idea how to build a custom version.  This is why I have to keep waiting for you to do actual releases for MacOS.  If I knew anything about programming at all, not only would I strip out all that infernal input validation completely, but I would also add a few more buttons to make frequently-used functions more convenient (and maybe remove those non-functional seek to the previous/next black frame buttons).  I wish Avidemux were a LOT more configurable so that USERS could configure the user interface in the way we prefer, which is probably not often going to be exactly the same as what you would prefer.  But anyway, asking me to make a change in your program is like asking me to climb Mt. Everest, there are probably a few people that can do it but I am not one of them.         

I tried hard to find a satisfactory solution with usual monospace fonts, but they all looked out of place in close proximity to the normal variable-width sans-serif application font. We have already an imitation of a thumb slider. Adding one more reference to a physical device improves the balance.

And again, my point is that just because you didn't like the wobbly display in MacOS and Linux doesn't mean that no one else preferred it.  Yes, I wish that there was a variable width font with monospace digits (and are you certain there isn't?) in MacOS but what I do know is that the font used in Avidemux 2.7.7 was easy to read and the one used in 2.7.8 is not.  Why can't we have the option to select a font we like?

By the way, whoever created the default font used on Windows 10 (Segoe UI?), those people were clever. It is a variable-width font, but all digits have the same width, thus no shifting / wobbling during playback. Unfortunately, default fonts in use on macOS and Linux don't feature that, therefore LCD style display font for the rescue!

I had actually thought the variable-width font with same-width digits was a very common thing and I am surprised to learn that it is not.  I am not a font person (I don't have huge collections of fonts on my system like some people) but at one time I thought it was a standard to have all digits the same width in a font just so they would all appear lined up in applications like spreadsheets.  I brought up "Bean" which is a word processing program on MacOS and quickly found a font called Geneva (the first one I tried that wasn't the default) that appears to be a variable width font with same space numbers, but I have no idea if that is a default font in MacOS or a font installed by Bean. Maybe someone who knows more about fonts knows of a MacOS and/or Linux variable-width font with fixed-width numbers, but I don't.  But the fact that the numbers may not have been the same width never bothered me in the previous versions!

All in all the numbers are not the major annoyance, I can probably learn to live with them but it will probably mean I will make more mistakes than I should because I mistook a 5 for a 6 or vise versa.  It is the input validation that I find REALLY infuriating, and is the one thing I wish I could nuke out of the program completely!

[eumagga0x2a]

Let me give you an example of what the problem is with MPlayer delogo 2.  Let's say your video is 1920x1080 and you want to remove a logo that starts at position 1600 and is 200 px wide (ignore the vertical for the moment).  So you bring up the filter and in the X field you type 1600.  The moment you type that second zero, it changes to 960!!!  This should never happen.  Now it sounds if you are saying that you can change it so it waits until I move out of that text field, but even that will not solve the problem if the moment I click in another field (such as "Width" to actually enter the correct width) it changes that X field to 960.

I understand this scenario very well. It might make sense to swap the spinboxes for width and height with those for the horizontal (X) and vertical (Y) offsets and give (if it is possible to detect) the currently changed spinbox preference over other fields. This means, if you modify offset, then offset gets priority (the size is adjusted to stay within bounds if necessary). If you modify size, then the offset is adjusted if unavoidable. Currently the size always has priority = usability problem.

However, there are simple ways to handle even the current implementation efficiently and without friction. Just specify the width and height first, offsets second. And if you click into spinboxes (which is the technical term for a field with up and down arrows) instead of navigating with the tab key, you could just drag and resize the rubber band, why not?

Last but not least, if you often deal with videos of the same width and height with logos at one and the same spot, I would recommend saving the state of editing after adding the MPlayer delogo filter as a project script, then leave just e.g.

Code Select Expand

adm = Avidemux()
adm.addVideoFilter("mpdelogo2", "xoff=893", "yoff=665", "lw=251", "lh=51", "band=4", "show=False")
(please replace all the values with whatever suits your needs) in the .py file, rename it to e.g. "delogo2-x-893-y-665-251x51.py" and put it into ~/.avidemux6/custom/ directory. After restarting Avidemux, you will be able to add this filter in the above configuration from the "Custom" menu.

In all previous versions the rubber band could be outside "bounds" and there was no problem

If it ever was (rubber band getting out of sync with spinboxes or hiding outside the graphics view), it was a bug. The rubber band was greatly improved in 2.7.8 so that it can be moved as a whole, not always only one corner at a time. All that doesn't need to become detrimental to user experience for those who prefer configure the filter the old way as the problem is the priority of controls (dimensions vs. offsets).

If I knew anything about programming at all, not only would I strip out all that infernal input validation completely, but I would also add a few more buttons to make frequently-used functions more convenient

Excellent, make it happen. I started a couple of years ago from zero (zero knowledge about programming).

Just one thing I need to correct: One doesn't need to know anything about programming to disable custom font following the instruction.

and maybe remove those non-functional seek to the previous/next black frame buttons

They are actually functional, created by Avidemux developers to satisfy some needs you apparently don't have. You are welcome to remove or tweak them on your system for your needs, this is the essence of free software.

I wish Avidemux were a LOT more configurable so that USERS could configure the user interface in the way we prefer, which is probably not often going to be exactly the same as what you would prefer.

This ends up in the vast majority of configuration never tested by developers and bugs proliferating even more. Already with the present limited options, a lot of possibilities dictated by the stuff like font choice and size, Qt themes, desktop resolutions, multi-monitor setups etc. are beyond testing capabilities.

I brought up "Bean" which is a word processing program on MacOS and quickly found a font called Geneva (the first one I tried that wasn't the default) that appears to be a variable width font with same space numbers, but I have no idea if that is a default font in MacOS or a font installed by Bean.

Indeed, Geneva has same-width digits and is supplied with macOS, thank you. I fear it won't look good to mix similar but not identical fonts, but I'll try it out on my system anyway to know how it fares.

But the fact that the numbers may not have been the same width never bothered me in the previous versions!

Well, we obviously feel very different about it.

I understand that you can never make everyone happy but some days it feels like you are interested in making no one happy but yourself.

There is a lot of truth in it. Achieving the ability to shape the application to my liking was a result of years of hard work. If I take a decision, I remain open to arguments, but not to opinions.

[eumagga0x2a]

The offsets vs size priority bug should be fixed by [mplayerDelogo/qt5] Prioritize offsets or size at bounds check depending on which spinbox value is changed. I also disabled keyboard tracking, but forgot about that as I wrote the commit message :-/

[Who]

I am just going to say one thing in response to your post.  I am old.  I am not a programmer, and I am never going to be a programmer, and what is more at my age I don't want to be a programmer, but even if I did I am losing my mental faculties and the ability to concentrate on anything so even if I wanted to, time is not on my side. Maybe in a year or two I will either be dead or my mind will be so far gone that I won't give a rat's ass how Avidemux or any other piece of software works.  I am just telling you that the way it works in 2.7.8 makes it harder for some of us to use, even if somehow it makes it easier for you (though I honestly don't understand why you are not frustrated by some of these things as well).  I keep asking for simple solutions and you keep coming up with technical answers that I don't understand.  So I give up, if I can find something else I'll use that, if I can't I'll just stick to older versions with all their supposed bugs (which never seemed to affect what I was doing and apparently in some cases were even beneficial) until I am no longer able to figure out how to do anything anymore.

[Who]

The offsets vs size priority bug should be fixed by [mplayerDelogo/qt5] Prioritize offsets or size at bounds check depending on which spinbox value is changed. I also disabled keyboard tracking, but forgot about that as I wrote the commit message :-/

I think you posted that as I was typing my previous message so I did want to add a thank you for at least doing that much, I do appreciate it.

[eumagga0x2a]

You're welcome. I hope the first post-release macOS nightly will happen not too far in the future.

[butterw]

Code Select Expand

adm = Avidemux()
adm.addVideoFilter("mpdelogo2", "xoff=893", "yoff=665", "lw=251", "lh=51", "band=4", "show=False")

If no video is loaded when this script is run, it will cause Avidemux to terminate with crash.py, which hardly seems justified here.

and maybe remove those non-functional seek to the previous/next black frame buttons

They are actually functional, created by Avidemux developers to satisfy some needs you apparently don't have. You are welcome to remove or tweak them on your system for your needs, this is the essence of free software.

The buttons work, but it isn't a real feature.

I wish Avidemux were a LOT more configurable so that USERS could configure the user interface in the way we prefer, which is probably not often going to be exactly the same as what you would prefer.

This ends up in the vast majority of configuration never tested by developers and bugs proliferating even more. Already with the present limited options, a lot of possibilities dictated by the stuff like font choice and size, Qt themes, desktop resolutions, multi-monitor setups etc. are beyond testing capabilities.

Making the interface configurable would mean less bugs as it would force a clear and consistent design with proper documentation.

I brought up "Bean" which is a word processing program on MacOS and quickly found a font called Geneva (the first one I tried that wasn't the default) that appears to be a variable width font with same space numbers, but I have no idea if that is a default font in MacOS or a font installed by Bean.

Indeed, Geneva has same-width digits and is supplied with macOS, thank you. I fear it won't look good to mix similar but not identical fonts, but I'll try it out on my system anyway to know how it fares.

Using two different fonts in an interface is always going to look odd. If the system default isn't suitable, the option should be to replace both the time display and the application font.