MuseScore - Free Writing (function suggestion)

• Oct 20, 2020 - 12:18

I would like to suggest a new function to MuseScore - "Free Writing" anywhere on the page. It would be great to have a pen/pencil tool like in painting software, to be able to freely write/draw anywhere on the page with a mouse cursor.


Comments

In reply to by _Marcin

Not really. Even if MuseScore someday gets some sort of rudimentary drawing tool, it's unlikely to ever be as well-developed as in a program dedicated to this, just as no drawing tool is ever likely to have as sophisticated a music notation system as MuseScore. So you'll almost certainly be able to create your drawing more quickly in just about any other drawing program than in MuseScore. And then it's only seconds to copy and paste the graphic into MuseScore.

Also, you can already add text anywhere you like, using any of several different text tools. Also a palette of thousands of different musical symbols that can easily be added.

In reply to by _Marcin

Well, you don’t need to close MuseScore just to switch to another app for a few moments. I’m just trying help you solve your problem right now, and it is a viable solution.

As for what would be considered redundant, my sense is for every person who is satisfied with just a pencil tool, 5 more would say, that’s useless unless it also allows geometric shapes, and another 5 wpd say it needs to support fills and arrows and whatever else. The trick would be in determining the sweet spot - satisfy the most users with the least effort.

If you explain more about what you’d use such a feature for and more about what the minimum requirement would be, that would be helpful in designing and prioritizing this, as well as in recommending workarounds.

In reply to by Marius Munthe-Kaas

For grading papers, I regularly use ordinary staff text (well, ordinary except I created a custom version in red). For circling things I'd rather have an actual circle than rely on freehand drawing tools, but I do also have a 4sp-tall yellow line I have also added to my custom palette, so I can easily create highlights of any length. See https://school.masteringmusescore.com/courses/educational-partnership/l…

In reply to by _Marcin

If they are symbols you plan to use more than once, then it's definitely far better to simply do it once (e.g., with an external drawing tool) and then add to your palette for easy reuse - you shouldn't need to keep drawing them again and again and again. So whatever price you pay to need to switch programs, at least you only need to do it once, not every time you want that symbol.

Also be aware there are literally thousands of existing symbols you don't see in the default palettes - press "Z" to display the full Symbols palette. Any of these can also be added to your own palette for easy reuse. So you may find the symbol you thought you needed to draw freehand, already exists. Can you describe what you re looking for?

Anyhow, again, not that drawing tools wouldn't be nice someday, but I think you will find that most likely, what you want to do is actually easily done already, and I'm trying to help you do that.

In reply to by Jojo-Schmitz

I think I have it enabled, but I changed username to _Marcin, maybe that is why. However, under the contact settings there is the information: "Allow other users to contact you via a personal contact form which keeps your email address hidden. Note that some privileged users such as site administrators are still able to contact you even if you choose to disable this feature."

In reply to by Marc Sabatella

Ok, I understand. Thank you Marc for your advice regarding importing images and that you are trying to be very helpful. I appreciate it. I wanted to send you a picture as it's hard to describe what symbols I'm using. Maybe I will try using those imported images as you suggested.

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