Digital Light & Color

For the purpose of this post I chose to call them:
1. downstream dependency
2. "usage" dependency

This is not about the option to close "only the current image".

Relationship A
Closing a BRANCH BOX will close all downstream images (type 1),
- but will NOT close the images where the image being closed is used (type 2) (Composite, Filter, Halftone),
- and therefore will NOT close all downstream images dependent on those three transformations (type 1).

It just removes the closed image from the respective controls (Overlay, Filter, Screen)

Relationship B
Closing an IMAGE in a branch (..and all the images...) will close all downstream images (type 1),
- AND the images where the image being closed is used (type 2) (Composite, Filter, Halftone),
- and therefore WILL close all downstream images dependent on those three transformations (type 1)

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The two relationshis are not consistent. Whether the difference is intentional or not, the relationship A is more user friendly and I would prefer it also in the Relationship B.
It would also just remove the closed image from the respective dialog controls (Overlay, Filter, Screen) and preserve all dependent downstream images.
It is a different kind of dependency, so I do not think it would be necessary to dinstinguish it in the Close file boxes. Perhaps just a short mention in the Help.

Currently, if you are not aware of the two different kinds of behaviour, you might expect that closing an image in a branch will be similar to closing a branch box. But then you could lose a big part of your previous effort. Unless you have saved it to a script, of course.

The same is valid for Copy, Compare and Stack Images.

The distinction between closing a branch and closing an image in a branch was unintended.

I am considering offering the user a choice when closing an image with dependencies whether to close the dependent image as well or to reset them which is more complicated.

It is a question of dependency visibility. Downstream dependency is visible so you always know what is going to be removed. The "usage" or hidden dependency is not visible unless you go to the transformation dialogs.

Since you cannot see this dependency, you might not know for sure which images were reset with the inevitable impact to all their downstream images, so you will probably want to find out first, anyway.

In my opinion the safest way is just to inform the user that there exists this kind of hidden dependency and that they should first remove or replace it manually, and then retry to close the image.

Looking for the hidden dependencies is not an ideal solution, still it is better then to be caught by surprise to see how some transformation effects disappeared together with the image you have just closed, especially if it was a wrong one.

However, others might see it differently.

I can think of a solution which is probably out of question, but anyway. In case of those six transformations listed above, there might be an item in their local menu with the list of their hidden dependecies. Just an inspiration :).