However, there are other convention-defying interface design choices that seem different for the sake of being different rather than “different because we think we have a better way to do this”.

(I happen to be a fan of the controversial interfaces Kai Krause and Phil Clevenger designed for the mid-90’s Metacreations applications like Bryce and Poser, so I don’t object to non-standard interfaces out of hand).

I initially found it maddening that I couldn’t use some simple UI conventions like “Select All” and “Delete” that are an expected function in any digital graphics application. This frustration was eventually mollified as I began to assign custom key commands (e.g. creating a custom key command for “Clear Layer” as a substitute for Select All and Delete). The pop-up palettes for things like layers, presets, color swatches and tool settings are fine, even if they waste a bit of screen space on design elements, but I found it mildly annoying that the tool palette and color picker are part of the canvas.

They can be hidden easily enough with a key command, and automatically disappear when using a tool in their corners, but cannot be moved or pulled off of the canvas as far as I can tell.

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