FANNING USER INTERFACE CONTROLS FOR A MEDIA EDITING APPLICATION

• US 20130239056A1
• Filed: 09/27/2012
• Published: 09/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Ubillos, Randy, Roberts, Samuel M.
• Granted Patent: US 9,189,876 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/833
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/00 Network data management

Abstract

Some embodiments provide a method of presenting several user interface (UI) controls for editing images. Upon receiving a selection of an image to edit, the method displays the image in a display area for displaying edits to the image. At a first location, the method receives input to activate a UI tool includes the several UI tools. In response to the input, the method displays, at a second location, a fanning animation that fans the several UI controls from a fanned closed layout to a fanned open layout.

Claims

1. A method of presenting a plurality of user interface (UI) controls for editing images, the method comprising:

upon receiving a selection of an image to edit, displaying the image in a display area for displaying edits to the image;

at a first location, receiving input to activate a UI tool comprising the plurality of UI tools; and

in response to the input, displaying, at a second location, a fanning animation that fans the plurality of UI controls from a fanned closed layout to a fanned open layout.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the fanning animation comprises displaying the fanning animation overlapping the display area.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first location and the second location are different locations.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the input is a first input and the fanning animation is a first fanning animation, the method further comprising, in response to a second input, displaying, at the second location, a second fanning animation that fans the plurality of UI controls from the fanned open layout to the fanned closed layout.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the second input comprises a selection of one of the plurality of UI controls.

6. A non-transitory machine readable medium storing a program which when executed by at least one processing unit provides a graphical user interface (GUI) for editing an image, the program comprising sets of instructions for:

receiving input to fan out a plurality of user interface (UI) controls for editing the image;

determining whether the GUI is in a particular viewing orientation;

upon determining that the GUI is in the particular viewing orientation, displaying a fanning out animation at the first location in the GUI; and

upon determining that the GUI is not in the particular viewing orientation, displaying the fanning out animation at a second different location in the GUI in order to optimize space in the GUI.

7. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 6, wherein the particular viewing orientation is a landscape orientation.

8. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 6, wherein the set of instructions for determining that the GUI is not in the particular viewing orientation comprises a set of instructions for determining that the GUI is in a portrait orientation.

9. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 6, wherein the set of instructions for displaying the fanning out animation at the first location in the GUI comprises a set of instructions for displaying the plurality of UI controls starting at a third location in the GUI and moving to first second location in the GUI while fanning open the plurality of UI controls in order to optimize space in the GUI;

10. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 6, wherein the set of instructions for determining whether the GUI is in the particular viewing orientation comprises a set of instructions for determining whether the GUI is limited for fanning out the plurality of UI controls at the first location.

11. A method of editing an image with user interface (UI) controls, the method comprising:

displaying in a fanned open layout a plurality of UI controls for editing the image;

upon receiving a selection of a UI control in the plurality of UI controls, presenting the selected UI control as the only UI control for use to edit the image; and

upon receiving input to adjust the selected UI control, modifying the image based on the adjustment of the selected UI control.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein presenting the selected UI control as the only UI control for use to edit the image comprises displaying only the selected UI control.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein presenting the selected UI control as the only UI control for use to edit the image comprises displaying a set of the plurality of UI controls that includes the selected UI control.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the selected UI controls is a slider control comprising a sliding region and a slider.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the adjustment of the UI control comprises moving the slider along the sliding region of the slider control.

16. The method of claim 11 further comprising upon receiving the selection of a UI control, displaying an animation that transitions from displaying the plurality of UI controls in the fanned open layout to displaying the presentation of the selected UI control as the only UI control for use to edit the image.

17. A method for providing a graphical user interface (GUI) for an image editing application, the method comprising:

providing a display area for displaying an image;

providing a expandable user interface (UI) tool comprising a plurality of on-image editing tools (i) that are each represented as a handheld object and (2) that each when selected allows an effect to be applied to the image by directly providing input on the image,

wherein upon selection of the expandable UI tool, the expandable UI tool provides a fanning out animation that presents the on-image editing tools as individually selectable tools,

wherein upon selection of one of the fanned out on-image editing tools, the expandable UI tool provides a fanning in animation that reduces the display of the on-image editing tools.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein upon selection of one of the fanned out on-image editing tools, the expandable UI tool contracts to reduce the display of the on-image editing tools.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the expandable UI tool displays only the selected UI control after the expandable UI tool contracts.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein after the expandable UI tool contracts, the expandable UI tool displays (1) the plurality of UI controls and (2) a highlight of the selected UI control.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the display area is further for, when the plurality of UI controls are fanned closed, receiving a gesture for causing the expandable UI tool to provide the fanning out animation that presents the on-image editing tools as individually selectable tools.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the gesture is a swipe gesture.

23. A non-transitory machine readable medium storing an application which when executed by at least one processing unit edits images, the application comprising a graphical user interface (GUI), the GUI comprising:

a display area for displaying an image;

a user interface (UI) tool comprising a plurality of selectable user interface (UI) controls for modifying the image; and

a selectable UI item for activating the UI tool, wherein a selection of the UI item causes the GUI to display an animation that fans open the plurality of selectable UI controls by displaying each UI control in the plurality of UI controls rotating about a fixed location relative to the plurality of UI controls.

24. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 23, wherein the GUI displays the animation by further displaying the plurality of UI controls moving, relative to the display area, from a first location to a second location while displaying the plurality of UI controls rotating about the fixed location.

25. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 24, wherein the GUI displays the animation by further displaying a rotation of the plurality of UI controls, relative to the display area, while displaying the plurality of UI controls moving while displaying the plurality of the UI controls rotating about the fixed location.

26. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 23, wherein the GUI displays the animation by displaying the plurality of UI controls fanning opening at the same speed.

27. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 26, wherein the GUI displays the plurality of UI controls fanning opening at the same speed by starting to fan different UI controls at different intervals.

28. A non-transitory machine readable medium storing a program which when executed by at least one processing unit provides a graphical user interface (GUI) for editing an image, the program comprising sets of instructions for:

in response to input to display a plurality of user interface (UI) controls, displaying the plurality of UI controls in a fanned open layout;

upon receiving a selection of a UI control in the plurality of UI controls, determining that the GUI is in a first viewing mode;

when the GUI is in the first viewing mode, displaying an animation that transitions from displaying the fanned open layout of the plurality of UI controls to displaying only the selected UI control; and

when the GUI is not in the first viewing mode, displaying an animation that transitions from displaying the fanned open layout of the plurality of UI controls to displaying at least two UI controls in the plurality of UI controls in a fanned closed layout, the at least two UI controls comprising the selected UI control.

29. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 28, wherein the first viewing mode is a portrait-viewing mode.

30. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 28, the program further comprising a set of instructions for receiving, when the GUI is not in the first viewing mode and the plurality of UI control are in a fanned closed layout, a selection of another UI control in the displayed UI controls in the fanned closed layout.

31. A non-transitory machine readable medium storing a program which when executed by at least one processing unit edits an image, the program comprising sets of instructions for:

receiving a particular image;

displaying a slider tool for performing a particular operation, said slider tool comprising a plurality of settings;

generating a plurality of thumbnail images, each particular thumbnail corresponding to a particular setting, each particular thumbnail generated by performing the particular operation, with the particular setting, on the particular image;

displaying each thumbnail overlaid on the slider tool at a location corresponding to the particular setting used to generate the thumbnail.

32. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 31, wherein the locations are along a direction.

33. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 32, wherein the direction is a straight line.

34. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 32, wherein the direction lies along a curve.

35. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 31, wherein the program further comprises a set of instruction for receiving a selection of a location of the slider tool for modifying the particular image.

36. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 35, wherein the program further comprises a set of instructions for performing an operation on the particular image to generate a modified version of the particular image based on the setting of the slider tool that corresponds to the selected location of the slider tool.

37. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 36, wherein the modified version of the particular image is larger than each of the thumbnails.

38. A method of receiving a slider setting selection, the method comprising:

identifying an image;

displaying a slider tool for performing an operation on the image;

displaying a plurality of thumbnails of the image that each corresponds to a particular setting of the slider tool, wherein the thumbnails are overlaid on the slider tool different locations that correspond to different settings of the slider tool; and

receiving a selection of a setting of said slider to perform the operation on the image.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein each thumbnail represents a preview of the operation applied to the image at a particular setting.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein, for each thumbnail, a location of the thumbnail on the slider tool corresponds to the particular setting of the slider tool.

41. The method of claim 38, wherein displaying said slider tool comprises displaying a moveable indicator on at least one of said thumbnail image on the slider tool.

42. The method of claim 41, wherein the displaying a moveable indicator comprises highlighting the moveable indicator.

45. A non-transitory machine readable medium storing a program which when executed by at least one processing unit provides a graphical user interface (“

GUI”

), the GUI comprising;

a display area for displaying an image; and

a slider control for receiving settings of an operation, said slider control comprising a plurality of thumbnails of the image for providing previews of different settings of the operation performed on the image.

43. The method of claim 47 further comprising:

receiving a gestural command on the movable indicator area; and

moving the indicator to a different location in response to the gestural command.

44. The method of claim 43, wherein the gestural command moves the indicator to a location of a particular thumbnail, the method further comprising performing the operation on the image using the setting that corresponds to the particular thumbnail.

46. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 45, wherein the GUI further comprises a selectable UI item for activating the slider control.

47. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 46, wherein the plurality of thumbnails are generated when the GUI receives a selection of the UI item in order to activate the slider bar.

48. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 45, wherein the plurality of thumbnails are generated when the image is initially displayed.

49. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 45, wherein the slider control further comprises a selectable sliding region comprising a plurality of locations that correspond to a plurality of settings of the operation.