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March 15, 2007
Multi-touch photo editing demo
I don't have much context for this video, but I'm passing it along as it's an interesting demo of image editing using a multi-touch screen. The pie menus look useful (is that a Healing Brush icon I see?), though to compete against a keyboard and mouse, I think it would need to be much faster and more fluid.
Sidenote: I like imagining that the choice of bloopy, electro-spacey music may not just be a video editing choice, and that it's actually emitted by the multi-touch monitors themselves (see also the Jeff Han origin of the genre). "Hey man, cool screen, but why does it keep playing the pseudo-Moby?"
Comments
I call fake. look around 3:22 or there abouts where he moves his hand back and forth. the UI is moving before his hand does... looks like its a movie that someone tried to rehearse the timing to to make it look real. Unless this only a show of concept and not working stuff.
[I'm guessing it's the latter, but it would be good to learn more. --J.]
Wow! From Wired March 2007 (page 38)
Expired: KEYPAD
Tired: SCROLL WHEEL
Wired: MULTITOUCH
The idea is cool as you say, but not really useful unless it could be done in 3D like in that movie with the virtual computer. I don't see it otherwise as more than a toy.
[It's all in the execution. A multi-touch UI is a pretty generic concept, just like a mouse-driven one is, and in both cases the range of possible experiences spans great to crummy. --J.]
That looks like it is faked to me. I remember seeing Jeff Han's multi-touch videos, and they were very fluid. You could tell the screen was reacting to him. In this video, the screen is sometimes a bit off of the user's actions. Like it was recorded before that the user practiced getting his actions in sync with it.
ha, nice observation about the background music.
not exactly related:
fontographer used to have a beautiful "click" or "knock" sound when object snap to guide. a very interesting feedback response
Definately fake - the rehersed movements are noticably "out". John; something about your web template breaks after posting comments - the header gets compressed vertically.
[Yeah, one of the admins fooled around with my template, and I just haven't had time to figure out how to fix the header. CSS & DIV tags, such joy... --J.]
Ha! Possible mind flood: Multi Touch - iPhone - Apple - some crazy rumors - next Macs will have multi touch screen built in!
Ok, maybe not :))
I didn't look close enough to check whether or not it looked rehearsed or whatnot - but I did notice a severe delay with most everything that was being done_
Aside from the fakery - as for Han and others like him - their concepts becoming a reality - I'm all in favor of_
I've seen Windows Users get on a Mac and stumble like they were a 2 year old_
That would be a matter of getting used to a new interface and gaining speed as one uses it for long periods of time_
I can't say how well some of it would be for other industries - but for Desktop Publishing goes - it would get us back to the days of Light Tables and Full sized spreads without the hassle of having a 10inch stack of paper to file thru_
It would allow for a digital hands on approach_ The keybaord and mouse as we know it have had their time and place and the computer is ready for a new direction_
Yet for those that prefer a keyboard - it could be a finger tap away [like in Han's demo] and the screen would change to accommodate_
I would love to have a screen with these capabilities and a re-engingeered version of Photoshop and InDesign to fit around this type of interface - whether a default or completely customizeable_ And adding in something like a light pen with hand-writing / character recognition that automatically converts to typed text on the fly based on Stytles or preset defaults or whatever_
I'd be the first in line to buy the package deal_
All I can say is embrace the change_ This type thing on the horizon is akin to the GUI and the Micro-computer revolutionizing the industry 20 years ago_
Well, since the video was done by some German university students and I just assume that most of you do not speak German, I'll try to enlighten you. Apparently, this is a kind of concept work for a media class. Therefore, it is quite plausible that we are indeed shown a pre-fabricated animation with a human executing gestures as if he was interacting with an interface. Or, it may just be a crude prototype of a programme which is not as elegantly coded as the ones Jeff Han has demonstrated.
[Gotcha; thanks for the info. --J.]
Nevertheless, these speculations are totally unrelated to the idea of this videoclip: That image editing on a PC might considerably change due to this new technology, and this is a vision how aplications might be used.
[Agreed. --J.]