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Roadmap

This is a tentative plan for the future of NPS Image Editor and Color Picker. Since this is a hobby project, real life takes priority and I cannot commit to any timelines. Depending on difficulty, some functionality may arrive ahead of or behind the specified version schedule.

Versioning is more or less based on Codebase.Feature.Revision. So an increment of the first number indicates a compatibility-breaking restructure of the codebase, the second number indicates a major feature or functionality change, and the third number indicates a revision or bug fix (without adding a major feature).

Version 4.x (codename "Pyrite")

Pyrite is a major update to Obsidian that takes advantage of modern development technologies. It is a "stepping stone" between the long-running Obsidian release and the future cross-platform release.

Version 4.2

  • Support for editing indexed color images
  • Improved color quantization
  • Support for basic animation
  • Support for editing animated GIF, multi-page TIF, and ICO files
  • Modern menu styles

Version 4.3 (Current)

  • Animation playback support
  • Multi-layer operations for animation
    • Adjust speed, delay, and disposal for all frames
    • Unoptimize GIF for easier editing
    • Generate Spin from a single layer
  • Support PAL palette format for compatibility with other programs
  • Support looping GIFs
  • Improved stability and system validation

Version 4.4 (2025)

  • Text tool effects available in one click
  • Multi-layer operations for efficiency
    • Set all layer properties at once
    • Apply filter to all layers
    • Reverse layer order
    • Import and export layers from a folder
  • Improvements to scripting including a GUI script editor and simple looping support

Version 4.5 (2026?)

  • Text layers
  • New extension UI
  • Initial internationalization support to test feasibility
  • Toolbar for script macros

Future Pyrite versions

  • New color picker (with associated web browser variant)
  • MSIX / Windows Store support (tentative)
  • Ruler and Guides
  • Color management support
  • Decouple UI from Windows Forms as much as possible, paving the way for cross-platform and WinUI support
  • Internationalization support to allow translating the program to other languages. Initial planned languages (subject to availability of input from fluent speakers):
    • Russian (native speaker)
    • Spanish
    • German
    • Japanese
  • Ability to edit metadata (such as EXIF data in JPEG images)
  • Improved scripting
    • "Scriptable UI" which will allow for customization of menus/toolbars
    • Complete scripting language with loops, functions, and more
  • Tabs (maybe)

Version 5.x (codename "Amethyst")

Amethyst is a cross-platform version of NPS Image Editor with emphasis on mobile support. Details are still very much up in the air.

  • Android, iOS, Mac OS, and Linux support (in addition to Windows, obviously)
  • Possibly a light browser-based version too
  • Flexible and adaptive UI that works on all screens big and small