I shuld start a new post for this as there are so many things about the image handling that should be improved. Admins need productivity tools that save time.
1. Fix image handling so that the Transparent Background is not lost during upload or resize of the image.
2. Automatic image Alt-text option based on a category/product name and seo name.
3. Stop the bogus image filename renaming, base it similar to the alt-text.
4. Animated GIF for product/category images.

Yes how about, a Bug-fix release. NO new features, just a focus on fixing all the bugs that are getting ignored because they are considered medium or low priority.
Like the "Add-secondary categories" bug !

Maybe make the templates editable in a similar way to the way Blocks are handled. Making all the variable available, and able to insert images and html.