A question to the community concerning tutorials about using the B&C

[Brother Tyler]

Getting to the point: Should I make the cursor images in the tutorials larger? (That question might not make any sense to you, so read on for an explanation.)

 

As everyone is aware (hopefully ), we have a range of tutorials about using the B&C in the + BOLTER AND CHAINSWORD 101 + forum. We are [slowly] expanding the range of tutorials offered in hopes of eventually having tutorials for anything and everything members may need to know about using the site's capabilities. For example, the most recently added tutorial helped members with Images and the Gallery Feature. You can also see tutorials for things like Hiding and Unhiding Categories, Editing Your Signature, and Changing Your Avatar/Profile Photo, among others. I'm currently working on a few tutorials concerning things like the Blogs and Clubs features, and we'll eventually add others for things like the Articles, Downloads, and Events (Calendar) features.

 

Each tutorial [that I make] is created through a fairly painstaking process. I go through each step of each process, taking screenshots of everything and documenting each step along the way. Often, screens require vertical scrolling, so I have to take multiple screenshots and then stitch them together. And I have to do all of that using both themes, the "dark" and "light" themes. For those of you viewing the site on mobile devices, the "light" theme is probably closest to what you see, but it's somewhat different on a computer monitor than it is on a mobile device. However, I'm too addlebrained to figure out how to screenshot all of the steps on a mobile device, so the hope is that the monitor-based "light" theme images are sufficient. Once I get the images done, I then have to interpret my chicken scratch and convert everything into [hopefully] clear tutorials.

 

The problem with taking screenshots, though, is that the software doesn't include the cursor position in the image. As a result, once I have the images all stitched together, I then have to go in and manually add cursors to the images (or circles/boxes around areas or arrows pointing at areas). I've used orange cursors instead of the usual white, trying to get cursors that are more easily visible using both themes. However, since those cursors are roughly the size of actual cursors (and before anyone tells me there's a way to make cursors larger, keep in mind that I'm a Luddite), I worry that those cursors are still too small.

 

If you're not sure what I'm talking about, go ahead and click the links to any of the tutorials I linked above and take a gander at the images.

 

It occurred to me, however, that I could simply increase the size of the orange cursor to make it more visible in the tutorial images. The cursor image that I'm currently using is 14 pixels wide by 22 pixels high. I could increase that (2x? 5x) to make the cursors more visible in the tutorial images if members think that would be helpful.

 

Here's how the cursor currently looks (1x): 

 

Here's how it might look at larger sizes:

2x: 

 

3x: 

 

4x: 

 

5x: 

 

Those are simply the 1x image displayed at larger sizes, so whatever size we choose will be a lot cleaner if/when I create the actual image.

 

This poll has two votes. The first is for the smallest size that you would be comfortable with and the second is for the largest size that you would be comfortable with. Each question is limited to four choices (i.e., the question about the smallest excludes the largest option; and the question about the largest excludes the smallest option). It should go without saying that whatever you vote for as the smallest should not be larger than whatever you vote for as the largest (and vice versa ) (I'm taking bets on who is going to screw that up ). I'll calculate the mean for each individual and then the collective mean to determine the final size.

[NovemberIX]

It did take me a second to notice the orange cursor in the images, and that's with being aware of it. So larger is probably better, through I think it starts to get comedic at 4x and above.

[Brother Tyler]

Would you say that 4x and above is...

 

 

ludicrous? 

[Deus_Ex_Machina]

Cursor scale at 1x is fine. Fraters are supposed to have a single bionic eye anyway upon joining the B&C forum as it helps with enlarging minute script.  

[Evil Eye]

I would say 1x is fine, but 2x would also be alright. However, here's an idea- why not have the option to replace it with a similarly sized but A: more visible and B: more thematic cursor like an autoquill?

[Brother Tyler]

On 7/12/2025 at 9:47 AM, Evil Eye said:

...why not have the option to replace it with a similarly sized but A: more visible and B: more thematic cursor like an autoquill?

 

Because I want it to look like an actual cursor to minimize confusion. The orange is just to make it stand out in the images, providing contrast with both the dark and light themes.

 

Thank you to everyone who provided input. I've increased the dimensions of the cursor to 25x40.