SpecLensesLPE

Launchpad Entry: https://blueprints.launchpad.net/inkscape/+spec/lenses-lpe

Summary

I try to bring lens effects to vectorial objects in a way the user can experiment playing with settings like focal distance, diameter and position of the lens over the object (meaning the user can apply the effect over a part of the object, like a magnifying glass).

Synfig has a similar tool (example here).

Scribus also has this implemented in 1.3.5svn version --Prokoudine 11:31, 8 July 2008 (UTC)

Could you explain what's the difference between Magnification lens and Fish-eye lens? --Pajarico 01:38, 10 July 2008 (UTC)

Wikipedia article.

Rationale

Lens effects are really hard to achieve manually. The specs brings the possibility to create these effects easily with the non-destructive approach of LivePath effects.

Design

UI

The dialog has to do these things:

Discussion

I need ideas about which settings should appear so it has some correlation with a real lens system, like:

• f number.
• focal length (distance between lens and film).

Or maybe is better to make the UI in layman terms (like the Scribus example above).

Other random ideas:

• Lens flares (Maybe several forms or an object from the clipboard, like this).
• Simulated shines.
• Allow the use of non-circumferential forms (don't know if 2geom can do this or even if it's doable mathematically).
• Clip option: clips the object to the circumferenced helper.