Update Available - Version 8.0.548

[jsachs]

An update is available to Version 8.0.548 (6-Feb-2026)
Download Link: https://www.dl-c.com/Downloads.html

The changes (taken from the update log) are:

File Preferences: added the option to locate progress indicators and status messages to the lower left corner (instead of the center) of the main window to be less distracting.

Progress Bars: progress bars have always been hidden for images with less than a certain number of pixels. This threshold is now increased for most transformations as computers are faster than they used to be. The threshold is also adjusted to account for the number of threads your computer can run simultaneously. Slower transformations such as Precise Gaussian Blur, Zoom Blur and Multipass Sharpen use a lower threshold.

Updated to libpng 1.6.54 and zlib 1.3.1 -- libraries used to read and write PNG files.

Resize: fixed issue with upscaling binary images.

[davidh]

Until recenty I used the version 8.0.545. Then I updated to version 8.0.558 and found out that the cursor and vertical bar flicker quite intesively when resouces greedy transformations, Paint Tool and Compositon with masks among them, are being processed.
It is probably connected to the changes to progress bar made in version 8.0.548.
Before I almost never noticed the progres bar and cursor flickering and vertital bar trembling were bearable.

Ater this change the cursor and vertical scrolbar flickering became so unpleasant that I had to look away from the monitor till the processing was finished.
Fot the time being I returned to the version 8.0.545.

I guess there is no both sensible and simple solution for this particular situation except for me to get used to it or buy a more powerful computer. Or stay with the versions before 8.0.548.
Is there?

[jsachs]

You can turn the progress bars back on using a new setting in File Preferences. When there are no progress bars, the hourglass cursor is displayed instead which is what is causing the flickering.

Given that computers are faster now and have more cores, I also recently increased the minimum image size for progress bars to be displayed, so there is now more cursor flickering and less very short duration progress bar flickering. I could also make this threshold a preferences setting.

I suppose I could add a setting to never display the hourglass cursor at all or possibly replace it with some other kind of visual indicator to let you know that something is being calculated and you need to wait until the program is ready to accept new input.

[jsachs]

For the next release I got rid of the hourglass cursor entirely. Instead, the new Auto Recalc button changes to an hourglass icon while a long calculation is in progress. Also the new hourglass icon does not flicker the way the hourglass cursor did. As before, progress bars can still be hidden or displayed based on the image size threshold as set in File Preferences.

[davidh]

It is not that I would prefer progress bar over hourglass or anything else. It is OK with me if both the progress bar and hourglass are hidden.
When I come to think of it I wonder whether there has to be any additional recalculation indicator since it is always shown by thumbails turning cyan as recalculation progreses down the tree.

Talking about long calculation, currently it hardly ever exceeds 10 secs for each of the transformation in the tree.
The images processed are TIFs about 6200 x 4200 pixels and 150MB.
I have no idea where on the current image size scale it is nowadays. Whether small or average.
However the trees are often long, around 20 steps, with several side branches with alternative settings.

Anyway, thanks for taking care.

[jsachs]

Long calculations can occur at a number of times other than propagating changes through the image tree (including when changing settings within a transformation dialog box), so a separate indicator that tells you if PWP is busy and will ignore inputs or not busy and ready to interact is still useful.

Also, without a progress bar or status window you cannot interrupt a long calculation since this is where Ctrl-Alt is detected.

6200x4200 is pretty average.