Consistent behavior between SPLIT Layer and SPLIT Clip

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D.T. Nethery
Posts: 4125
Joined: 27 Sep 2006, 19:19

Consistent behavior between SPLIT Layer and SPLIT Clip

Post by D.T. Nethery »

UPDATE: Searching the forum I find that Peter Wassink brought up this issue back in 2015. Peter's summation of the problem was much more succinct than my post below, so here is Peter's request to sum up what I was trying to get at in my longer post below:

When you split a layer TVPaint will split to the right side of the current frame, but if you split a clip TVPaint will make the split to the left side of the current frame.

Split behavior (on either a layer or clip) should be consistent: TVPaint should always cut to the right of the current frame ...or cut to the left of the current frame... I really don't mind which side , as long as it is consistently the same for both cases, Split Layer or Split Clip.



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My original long-winded request with screenshots:


This may seem like such a small thing that I may be accused of "splitting hairs" (ha-ha) , so I hesitate to bring it up, but it's one of those little inconsistencies of behavior between two functions that have the same name which seem as though they should have the same behavior.

I'm talking about SPLIT Layer compared to SPLIT Clip.

SPLIT Layer command (from the Handy Panel and also from the Layer Menu) splits to the frame after the selected frame. So , for example if I have a layer that is 24 frames long and I split it at frame 12, the result is an even split, so the first layer has 12 frames and the second layer has 12 frames.
Split Layer splits AFTER the selected frame.png
Split layer results in even split of 12 and 12.png

However, SPLIT Clip command (from the Clip Menu) behaves differently in that it will split to the frame before the selected frame. So if I am on frame 12 when I click on SPLIT Clip , it splits to the frame before , so the first clip (Clip 001_left) has 11 frames and the second clip (Clip_001_right) has 13 frames , instead of an even split of 12 frames and 12 frames , like the SPLIT Layer command.

Split Clip splits it on frame BEFORE the selected frame.png
First clip of the split has 11 frames instead of even split of 12 and 12.png
Second Clip has 13 Frames_instead_of_even_split_of_12_frames.png


Of course , it's not a terrible burden to have to remember that the two similarly named functions (SPLIT Layer and SPLIT Clip) behave differently in how they apply the Split (after or before), so if I am splitting the Clip and want it to be an even split I have to remember to move the cursor ahead one frame to frame 13, so when it splits the clip it will split it at frame 12 , resulting in an even split of 12 and 12. But it seems like this Splitting behavior should be consistent, whether the user is splitting a layer or splitting a clip, so no mental shift is required. Every time the user invokes a Split command (whether it is to Split a layer or a clip) the user knows that the split will be after the selected frame.

Does the request make sense to anyone else or am I being too picky about this ?

Animator, TVPaint Beta-Tester, Animation Educator and Consultant.
MacOS 12.7.1 Monterey , Mac Mini (2018) , 3.2 GHz 6-Core Intel Core i7,
16 GB RAM , TVPaint PRO 11.7.1 - 64bit , Wacom Cintiq 21UX 2nd Gen.
,Wacom Intuos Pro 5 , Wacom driver version 6.3.39-1
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Peter Wassink
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Re: Consistent behavior between SPLIT Layer and SPLIT Clip

Post by Peter Wassink »

I don't think you are to picky :wink:

Having the exact same action of splitting an image sequence, behave differently within one application still drives me nuts.
i assume that other people can maybe memorize this easily and i sometimes think i'm sort of dyslexic with these things
But after 20 years of TVPaint use i still have to first apply to see what happens. like tossing a coin every time ...its very frustrating
Peter Wassink - 2D animator
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D.T. Nethery
Posts: 4125
Joined: 27 Sep 2006, 19:19

Re: Consistent behavior between SPLIT Layer and SPLIT Clip

Post by D.T. Nethery »

Peter Wassink wrote: 18 Jan 2023, 17:40 I don't think you are to picky :wink:

Having the exact same action of splitting an image sequence, behave differently within one application still drives me nuts.
i assume that other people can maybe memorize this easily and i sometimes think i'm sort of dyslexic with these things

But after 20 years of TVPaint use i still have to first apply to see what happens. like tossing a coin every time ...its very frustrating
Me, too ! It would be so much better if SPLIT (layer or clip) always means the split occurs to the left (before current frame) or to the right (after current frame). I don't care if it's left or right, as long as it is the same every time, so I don't have to stop my work flow to remember where the split will occur.

Animator, TVPaint Beta-Tester, Animation Educator and Consultant.
MacOS 12.7.1 Monterey , Mac Mini (2018) , 3.2 GHz 6-Core Intel Core i7,
16 GB RAM , TVPaint PRO 11.7.1 - 64bit , Wacom Cintiq 21UX 2nd Gen.
,Wacom Intuos Pro 5 , Wacom driver version 6.3.39-1
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