This is the "Save" dialog in Adobe Photoshop. Notice that the incredibly common and useful PNG file format appears semi-anonymously among a bunch of obscure, out of date file formats that no one ever needs. How obscure? From the wikipedia page for PCX:
PCX is an image file format developed by the ZSoft Corporation of Marietta, Georgia, USA. It was the native file format for PC Paintbrush (PCX = "Personal Computer Exchange") and became one of the first widely accepted DOS imaging standards, although its use has since been succeeded by more sophisticated image formats such as GIF, JPEG, and PNG.
- It helps advanced users pick the option they're likely to want more quickly.
- It guides beginning users to the option that's probably right for them. A beginner might spend time deciding between PNG and PCX in the existing menu because it does nothing to suggest that PNG is far more likely to be the right choice.
This interface isn't perfect though. One problem is that the parenthetical text is much more useful than the actual file format names. Another more subtle problem is that this interface implies that all 3 main options are equally important. In reality though, there are only two choices:
- I want to save this image and resume work later. When I open the file, the image should look exactly as it does now, including layers, history, etc. (In this case, the user wants a PSD)
- I want to save this image and share it with someone else. I won't be able to pick up where I left off in Photoshop, but my friends will be able to view the image without having Photoshop installed. (The user wants PNG or JPG).
This interface is better, but it still raises the question: Why should I have to choose between the ability to resume work later and the ability to share? Obviously you shouldn't, but this is a deeper problem -- one that Photoshop can't really solve, and perhaps the topic for a future post.
4 comments:
I'm sure many photoshop users are also confused choosing between "Save," "Save as..." and "Save for Web." Really, there should be "Save" (only to PSD / native format) and an "Export" dialog which advises on the pros/cons of the formats and provides a preview. Most native Mac applications follow this convention, per the Apple Human Interface guidelines (http://developer.apple.com/documentation/userexperience/Conceptual/AppleHIGuidelines/XHIGMenus/XHIGMenus.html#//apple_ref/doc/uid/TP30000356-TPXREF105). Here's Apple's description of each:
Save (Command-S). Saves the active document, leaves the document open, and provides feedback indicating that the document is being (or has been) saved. If the document has not previously been saved, dim the Save command and make sure the Save As command is active instead. If an open document has been previously saved and the user has made no changes to it, the Save command is dimmed.
Save As… (Command-Shift-S). Displays the Save dialog (described in “Save Dialogs”), which allows the user to save a copy of the active document with a new user-defined name, a new location, or both. The newly saved document remains open and active and displays the new name (if the user has changed it). The previously saved version of the document retains its name, location, and format, and remains closed. If the document has not previously been saved, the Save command is dimmed and the Save As command is active.
Export As… Displays the Save dialog (described in “Save Dialogs”) to allow the user to save a copy of the active document in a format your application does not handle. As with the Save As command, the user is given the option to choose a new user-defined name, location, or both. Unlike the Save As command, however, it is the original document that should remain open so the user can continue working in the current format; the newly saved document should not automatically open. Provide this command if your application needs to allow a user to work with a document in one format and save a copy of that document in a format your application doesn't handle. Be sure to change the label of the document name text field of the Save dialog from "Save As:" to "Export As:".
(Admittedly, the "format your application does not handle" is misleading, since exporting to a format means the application "handles" that format.)
Good point Matt. Save / Export nicely captures the real decision the user faces.
This is still not perfect though:
a) There should be no "Save" command. Documents should save automatically (i.e., the default when you close an application should never be to discard the changes you made while it was open.)
b) "Save as" is very counter-intuitive. It should be called something like "Save a copy" (Google Docs does this).
True. Photoshop, in particular, has such good "history" functions that saving should be automatic. Some of Apple's own apps have no explicit save feature, only "export" or "publish." iMovie is a good example of this. Every change is saved in "non-destructive" digital editing!
You can hide unused types, for example pcx, sct and many other.
Use the "Formats Customizer" utility and make it easy. Simply specify what types of files and documents to clean or remove from the list in save or open dialog.
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