RFC: change default scope to waveform or RGB parade?

[ralfbrown]

Given that waveform (and the RGB parade variant thereof) provides much more information about the image contents than the default histogram, should we make it (or RGB parade) the default scope instead of histogram for new installs?

Pro: better feel for color/brightness distribution in the image Con: it's not what most people are used to....

[jenshannoschwalm]

I would vote pro parade.

[wpferguson]

I guess this goes to the what would a new user expect. They are all used to a histogram, but I'm not sure what they would think if they saw waveform or RGB parade. If I had to choose between waveform and RGB parade, I'd pick waveform.

[TurboGit]

Likewise, I think wavefrom is probably the best but I'm not sure not using the good old histogram that everyone knows by default is a good idea.

[ralfbrown]

I understand where you're coming from, but applying the "what everyone knows" reasoning, darktable should be also defaulting to display-referred for both module groups and auto-applied workflow defaults.... And since the vast majority of users never touch defaults or read documentation, they'd never discover the things we believe make darktable superior.

[ralfbrown]

Maybe augment the tooltip if we change the default? In histogram.c, function _drawable_motion_notify_callback:

    gchar *tip = g_strdup_printf("%s\n(%s)\n%s\n",
                                 _(dt_lib_histogram_scope_type_names[d->scope_type]),
                                 _("use buttons at top of graph to change type"),
                                 _("click on ❓ and then graph for documentation"));

[TurboGit]

@ralfbrown : But if we change I think it should be for waveform. I'm not sure RGB Parade is better. But again I'm open to any discussion about this change. My voice here is only from my experience, and as of today I have never used RGB Parade. My main histogram is waveform and I switch to vectorscope when I want to color grade a picture. I never use the standard histogram, so I'm ok for not having it by default :)

[ralfbrown]

Waveform is also my personal choice (I also never use RGB parade and can't remember the last time I actually used histogram).

[rekcodocker]

For new installs the histogram makes the most sense. Darktable is impressive enough when you first open it. At least a histogram provides something instantly familiar. You're dealing with humans here and a little familiarity goes a long way. There are a lot of new concepts that you must understand to start with DT, why add another?

[jenshannoschwalm]

Second thoughts, parade is no good idea as default - was thinking of waveform when suggesting that.

Haven't used good-old histogram "for ages" while working on images. If we want to "teach new users" how to use scene mode and look for colors that would hint to vectorscope.

[Christian-Bouhon]

Hello everyone,

Personally, I very rarely look at the histogram or any other option. As Luc Viatour (a Belgian photographer) advises, I prefer to trust my eyes and concentrate on the image. However, Darktable is free software, and with that in mind, I wonder if I shouldn't opt for a more personalized setup when installing Darktable. Presenting the different possibilities of workflows, different possible interfaces, etc.... . And so do away with the default installation and opt for a personalized one.

Since my English isn't the best, I hope my suggestion isn't too confusing. Greetings from Brussels, Christian

[pomoke]

Though waveform provides more information, a lot of photography guides and software use histogram. Instead, this should be some sort of configurable option and may automatically switch on different kinds of modules, such as using histogram/waveform/parade on modules for tone, and vectorscope for color.

[rekcodocker]

Hello everyone,

Personally, I very rarely look at the histogram or any other option. As Luc Viatour (a Belgian photographer) advises, I prefer to trust my eyes and concentrate on the image.

Interesting. I use it all the time.
I switched to using Waveform and it is so useful to me. It informs me if I am using the full dynamic range already, if there is more room to lift shadows, or if I am close to clipping highlights. It also tells me in which color or in which portion of the image I am reaching or going over the max, so I can make sure that the important parts of the image use the maximum dynamic range.