Compatibility Patch & Stability Fixes A focused bugfix release addressing rendering stability, backend compatibility, and packaging after the major 8.1.0 refactor.

Highlights

• Split-Line & Zoom Fixes: Resolved edge cases with split-line behavior during zoom and pan, including incorrect jumps at image borders.
• Magnifier Geometry Fixes: Fixed magnifier bounds, clamping, and interaction geometry under zoom.
• Quick Backend Migration: Continued migration away from hardcoded pure-OpenGL paths toward the Qt Quick backend for improved compatibility.
• Video Editor Trim Fix: Fixed a bug where trimming without a selection could erase the entire clip.
• Windows CI Pipeline: Added the first Windows GitHub Actions pipeline with release metadata validation.

GPU Acceleration & Canvas Revolution! A major release consolidating months of deep architectural work, introducing hybrid CPU-GPU rendering, a fully rewritten canvas, native Qt widgets, canvas zoom/pan, video editor improvements, and a plugin-based architecture.

Highlights

• Hybrid CPU-GPU Rendering: A new rendering engine offloads work to the GPU via OpenGL shaders for dramatically improved performance on large images.
• Canvas Architecture Overhaul: The comparison canvas was fully rewritten for correctness and performance across all operating modes and edge cases.
• Native Qt Widgets: All pop-up and overlay windows are now native Qt widgets, greatly improving Wayland compatibility.
• Canvas Zooming & Panning: The main comparison view can now be zoomed and panned interactively.
• Video Editor Overhaul: The timeline was rewritten with a keyframe-based model, aspect-ratio-correct thumbnails, and dynamic spacing.
• Plugin-Based Architecture: A plugin system was introduced for extensibility and a cleaner internal structure.

Unification & Analysis - The Collaborative Evolution! Complete integration with shared_toolkit library enabling code reuse, revolutionary clipboard support (Ctrl+V), comprehensive image analysis tools (diffs, metrics, edge detection, channel analysis), and enhanced UX customization.

Highlights

• Unified Architecture with Shared Toolkit: Complete integration with shared component library enabling code reuse across projects.
• Clipboard Integration: Paste images directly from clipboard (Ctrl+V) with intuitive direction selection overlay.
• Professional Image Analysis Suite: Pixel difference highlighting, structural similarity mapping, edge detection, channel analysis, and metrics calculation (PSNR/SSIM).
• Premium Magnifier Rendering: Subpixel precision controls for smooth, accurate comparisons even with different resolutions.

The MVP Revolution - A Monumental Refactor! This is the most extensive architectural refactoring in the project's history, transitioning the entire application to a robust and modern Model-View-Presenter (MVP) pattern and introducing a completely custom-built UI.

Highlights

• Robust MVP Architecture: Re-engineered into a Model-View-Presenter pattern for vastly improved stability and maintainability.
• Custom Fluent UI: The dependency on PyQt-Fluent-Widgets has been removed in favor of custom, lightweight "fluent-style" components.
• Three-Level Caching System: Enhanced caching architecture for improved performance.
• Reimagined Core Features: New dedicated Export Dialog, a structured Help Window, and a powerful two-panel Image List manager with Drag & Drop.

The Definitive Experience Update! A major quality-of-life and rendering engine update focusing on control, quality, and stability.

Highlights

• Reactive State-Driven Architecture: Re-engineered core logic to eliminate race conditions and improve stability.
• Power-User Launcher: The launcher.sh script is now a full-fledged command-line utility.
• Unleashed Magnifier: The magnifier now renders on a dynamic canvas, can be positioned outside image boundaries, and correctly supports horizontal split view.
• Streamlined UI Interaction: Added long-press actions and scrollable image selection lists to speed up workflow.

The Phoenix Rises, Powered by AI! A massive update featuring significant architectural changes, performance enhancements, and a fresh look using qfluentwidgets.

Highlights

• Revolutionary Performance: A new multi-layered architecture and advanced caching service make the application 2-3 times smoother.
• Modern UI with Fluent Widgets: A complete visual overhaul for a sleek, modern aesthetic.
• AI-Driven Development: Major portions of this update were made possible through rapid prototyping with AI agents.
• Enhanced Magnifier Tool: More controls, smoother operation, and better visual feedback.

Stable Windows Release. A significant update that provided the first stable, modern Windows installer. This release also included bug fixes, design improvements, a full-fledged settings panel, and added a setting for JPEG quality.

Cross-Platform Milestone. Introduced the first official Windows version alongside updates for the Flatpak build, marking a major step towards cross-platform availability for the application.

The First Public Release. The initial version of Improve-ImgSLI was released, providing the core feature set including side-by-side comparison, a draggable splitter, and the first iteration of the magnifier tool.