I am open for suggestions and concepts that satisfy the needs of users with less encoding knowledge and pro users that want to optimize each single option.
You should simplify current UI.
First of all make a choice on using sidebar with icons or tabs in main window. Using both is a mistake. Choose the one and solid concept. I prefer sidebar with icons. It still allow to use tabs for chosen section in sidebar.
Examples:
Wrong: Icon General, tabs General and About.
Correct: Icon General and icon About.
Wrong: Icon Settings, tabs Settings and Logfile.
Correct: Icon Settings and icon Logfile.
Secondly, split General -> General to 3 icons - video, audio, muxer/format (or misc or other or etc.).
Third, on Video icon make 2 or more tabs. But at least two: Encoding options and Side data (3D).
Fourth, choose a concept for basic and advanced user. Variants:
- wizard;
- simple/advanced UI;
- provide profiles based on original video bitrate, like output with high/medium/low bitrate;
- leave it as is, but provide hints and descriptions which will help user to study and choose the right options.
For any variant you will be responsible and still it will require a lot of support. Encoding options vary on many things and it can be changed in new version of Voukoder, but it will break backward compatibly. This will lead to a lot of questions like "why it works here, but in new version does not".
Additionally:
- remember the size of resizable window (at least in session)
- split long video grid with options to multiple tabs (lke general (preset, profile, level, ...), rate control, analysis, etc.)
- more fundamental change: remove grid at all. Nobody likes to scroll.