PixInsight Forum (historical)
PixInsight => Announcements => Topic started by: Juan Conejero on 2015 August 01 04:58:13
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Hi all,
A new version of PixInsight has been just released and is now available to all users: 1.8.4.1170 for Linux and Windows.
Version 1.8.4 is a big step toward a revamped PixInsight platform, which will be released next Fall with new image processing tools, new software development tools, and important improvements to the graphical interface. We encourage you to update your installations as soon as possible.
No OS X and FreeBSD Versions - For Now
Unfortunately, building working 1.8.4 versions for OS X and FreeBSD has been impossible for this release. They will be available in September. In the case of OS X, a number of bugs in the current versions of the Qt5 platform have made impossible to complete the necessary adaptation of our code. We have tried very hard, but right now version 1.8.4 for OS X is not production-stable, so we won't release it. As for the FreeBSD version, the problem has been also Qt5 and lack of time because some components are difficult to build on this operating system.
As we have said, we plan on releasing OS X and FreeBSD 1.8.4 versions in September, once we complete the necessary adaptation and testing work. Sorry for the inconvenience, and please be patient!
How to Install the Release
This version is not available through the update system. You have to download the appropriate installation package(s) for your platform(s) from our Software Distribution system:
https://pixinsight.com/dist/
Linux: Uncompress the .tar.gz archive on a directory under your home directory, then run the installer program as root from a terminal. Answer "yes" to the confirmation question and you're done. The old version (if any) will be removed, and version 1.8.4 will be installed on the /opt system directory by default, as usual. Graphical shortcuts will be created automatically on most X11 desktop environments, including GNOME, KDE, Xfce and LXDE.
Windows: Uninstall the current version if you have it installed (this is absolutely necessary!), then run the new installation package, and follow the instructions. Once installed, you'll have a new entry on your Start > All Programs menu (or equivalent item on Windows 8), namely PixInsight Platform, where you'll find an option to launch the PixInsight Core application.
See also FAQ Section 3 for important information about installations and updates:
http://pixinsight.com/faq/index.html#3_Installation
New Features
Along with hundreds of bug fixes and stability improvements, PixInsight 1.8.4 introduces important new features. This is a partial list with the most relevant ones:
- Support for high-dpi screen resolutions. PixInsight 1.8.4 is able to work at native resolutions up to at least 10240×5760. This includes Retina monitors, 4K (3840×2160), 5K (5120×2880) and 8K (7680×4320) monitors. The application is able to detect the current monitor density automatically in most cases on Windows, OS X (when released) and X11 (with the latest versions of GNOME and KDE). In the cases where automatic monitor density detection does not work (or does not give the wanted results), the Preferences tool provides suitable options to define interface scaling factors and font resolutions manually in a flexible way.
- Universal user interface. Starting with version 1.8.4, the graphical user interface of PixInsight is identical on all supported platforms. The same interface style sheet, fonts and icons work now identically on FreeBSD, Linux, OS X, and Windows. There are only two exceptions, namely: (1) the possibility to use a native menu bar on OS X (enabled by default) and (2) the possibility to render workspace window buttons to the left sides of window title bars. Besides this, dialog frames are different because they are generated by the underlying windowing system, and hence are out of our control (although this will change in version 1.8.5).
- Migration of the whole PixInsight platform to Qt 5 (specifically, Qt version 5.5.0 in this release; version 1.8.3 used Qt 4.8.6). This provides compatibility with Windows 10, OS X 10.10 and future versions.
- New color management system. PixInsight 1.8.4 has a completely rewritten color management system, faster, more accurate and more flexible. The system monitor profile is detected automatically on OS X and Windows by default, as before, but now it can be changed manually with the ColorManagementSetup tool (note that this option has always been available on Linux and FreeBSD).
- Real-time swap file compression. Swap files (which, in case you don't know, are temporary working files generated under the hood to support undo/redo operations) can now be compressed/decompressed in real time with the LZ4 compression algorithm. This option, which is disabled by default, is available on the Directories and Network section of Preferences. Swap file compression can save significant disk space at the expense of some computation time. For moderately sized images on fast machines, the impact on I/O throughoutput is normally negligible, especially when parallel swap storage is being used (that is, several swap storage directories).
- Project compression. Data blocks stored in projects are now compressed by default using the Zlib/deflate lossless algorithm. The LZ4 and LZ4HC lossless algorithms are also available for faster compression, at the price of smaller compression ratios. Project compression can be spectacular in terms of disk space savings. Typical size reductions are between a 40% and a 75%, depending on project contents. For example, most masks can be compressed to just a 10%-20% of their original sizes.
- Resolution-independent projects. Starting with version 1.8.4, projects also support high-dpi screen resolutions. This is achieved by storing all coordinates and dimensions in a resolution-independent coordinate system. This means that you can save a project working with a 4K monitor, for example, and open it later on a standard monitor without major problems. Without this feature, sharing projects between high-dpi and low-dpi platforms would be very problematic.
- Improved project robustness. The new version 1.1 of the XOSM format is even more fault-tolerant than before.
- Improved icon description management. Instance descriptions are now edited with ScriptEditor instances, including specific syntax highlighting and advanced editor features.
- Improved XISF format. The XISF support module implements now many advanced features available in the XISF Specification Draft 7 document (still unpublished). This includes high-performance lossless data compression using the Zlib/deflate, LZ4 and LZ4HC codecs with byte shuffling, block checksums for improved data integrity control, storage of display functions (aka screen transfer functions), storage of RGB working spaces, and generation of image thumbnails.
- Extensive use of the XISF format. The XISF format is now used by default by all tools and scripts working with disk image files, providing a more consistent user experience and all the advanced features and benefits of XISF over legacy formats.
- Integration of the latest dcraw (http://www.cybercom.net/~dcoffin/dcraw/) version 9.26 (revision 1.476, released 2015 May 25) by David Coffin.
- Integration of the LittleCMS (http://www.littlecms.com/) color management engine version 2.7.
- Updated ImageSolver, MosaicByCoordinates, AperturePhotometry and AnnotateImage scripts by Andrés del Pozo, with high-accuracy plate solving based on surface splines and distortion correction.
- New software development tools. The PixInsight Class Library (PCL) (http://pixinsight.com/developer/pcl/) has been rewritten almost entirely with many new classes, much more features, more efficient implementations, and a substantial support of C++11 features. New features include support for resolution-independent resources and high-dpi screen resolutions for interface definitions and interactive GUI code.
- Redesigned GitHub PixInsight repositories (https://github.com/PixInsight) with the whole PCL C++ source code (https://github.com/PixInsight/PCL), more modules (https://github.com/PixInsight/PCL/tree/master/src/modules) released as open-source products, more JavaScript scripts (https://github.com/PixInsight/PJSR), and a new Reference-Documentation repository (https://github.com/PixInsight/Reference-Documentation) with the PIDoc source codes of all existing reference documents.
- Improved JavaScript runtime (PJSR), with new properties, methods and objects to support resolution-independent resources and high-dpi screen resolutions, in a similar way to PCL.
- New ElapsedTime PCL class. ElapsedTime is a platform-independent, monotonically nondecreasing high-resolution time stamp based on hardware time resources that are independent on any external time reference. It allows for high-precision measurement of time intervals (at the nanosecond level) on all supported platforms.
- New ElapsedTime core JavaScript object, with the same functionality as its C++ PCL counterpart.
- New PDF core JavaScript object. PDF is an abstract painting device with the same functionality of SVG or Bitmap. This means that PixInsight scripts can now generate PDF documents, along with SVG graphics and bitmap renditions.
Advance of Next Versions (Fall/Winter 2015)
I can anticipate a few new features that we have already implemented, or are working on currently, which will be available in the next versions:
- Property Explorer. This is a specialized browser/editor component for image properties, which will be a useful tool for developers and advanced users. This component is basically finished.
- Project Explorer. A browser/editor component useful to explore, organize and control all the elements in the current project: images, icons, properties, documents, scripts and modules accessible on a centralized interface. This is under design.
- Integrated C++ compiler. This will make it possible to release PCL-based, open-source modules in source code form, which will be deployed with automatic compilation and building on the user's machine. We are still evaluating several options, but with high probability we'll integrate the clang compiler (http://clang.llvm.org/).
- New tools based on total generalized variation (TGV).
- Improved image calibration tools, including a new, much more efficient dark frame optimization algorithm.
- Improved project generation with XML digital signature support.
- Improved XISF format implementation with more compression codecs, more image properties and XML digital signature support.
- More extensive use of the XISF format. XISF data and image properties will replace FITS keywords by default throughout the whole platform, so that no tool chain will depend necessarily on FITS keywords anymore. Use of FITS header keywords will be optional.
- Official implementations of unofficial tools; for example, revised/improved versions of Carlos' development modules (http://pixinsight.com/forum/index.php?topic=2275.0).
I hope you enjoy this new release. Thank you for your continued support.
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Hi Juan, lot of changes! Once again thank for your great job that allow us to enjoy every minute using PixInsight.
Downloading... :) :) :)
Saludos, Alejandro.
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Will there also be a new PCL distribution?
Georg
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Hi Georg. No, PCL won't be distributed as a compressed archive with precompiled libraries anymore. It will only be distributed through our GitHub repository (https://github.com/PixInsight) from now on.
By the way, yesterday we updated all GitHub repositories with up-to-date versions of everything.
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Excellent, thank you guys for the hard work! I will update my tutorials when the new features hit in Winter, particularly as far as pre-processing is concerned.
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Thanks for the update! It seems I am having an issue though, in the Batch Preprocessing script the program crashes while in the file dialog for loading images into the script. I'm on Windows 8.1
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Strange. I can't reproduce this, and haven't seen it before on any Windows machine. The file open dialog is native on Windows, so PixInsight has no control at all over it.
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Here is a screen capture... yes its strange.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/n0sngkeu79pg77f/Screenshot%202015-08-03%2011.21.45.png?dl=0
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Has this version been tested against Windows 10?
Larry
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Thank you Juan! I have just done the install and everything seems to have gone well. I have not yet updated my video card drivers which is also waiting- but I see that you've enlarged the overall size/fonts of icons, menus?
Also, are we talking this coming fall, or fall 2017 for the major additions? And as I'd asked privately in preparation for my book's screen captures (and I know why you were too busy to answer!:>), will there be other changes to the GUI look? Is it safe for me to start screen captures in a few weeks? Would I have to redo them come fall? Thank you!
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Hi All.
Thank you guys for hard work.
All has gone well but now I was instaling Carlos Interchannel curves and I got this error
C:/Users/Edoardo/Downloads/Astronomia/PixInsight/Moduli/InterChannelCurves-pxm.dll
<* failed *>
*** PCL Win32 System Exception: At address 000007FEFD52B3DD with exception code C0000005 :
Access violation: invalid memory read operation at address 00000000000000D8
I have Window 7
Bye
Edoardo
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Afraid I'm less of a fan than most.
- As one might expect given the necessity to uninstall the previous version, my settings, favorites, recent files list, etc...all gone. Admittedly, by no means a dealbreaker, but it seems the sort of thing one shouldn't have to worry about for what is, at least as version numbering standards are usually interpreted, a bug fix release. If there's a way to save/import some of these settings after the new install, that would probably be appreciated by many.
- The new font is extremely difficult for me to read. Nothing wrong with the font itself, I just have trouble with some fonts, and this is one of them. Wholesale changes to the look and feel of the UI, with no way to retain/revert, make things a bit difficult to adapt to.
Make no mistake...the hard work, and constant drive to improve are always appreciated...but for me personally, this is the first release that's made PI more difficult and less enjoyable to use. Perhaps these issues can be given more attention in future releases?
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Edoardo, I'll have to recompile all my modules for compatibility to the new PCL. Give me a few days, please.
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HI, I am not sure if it is a real issue or configuration problem.
I updated to the new version.
Dragging the image label over the workspace doesn work anymore.
Same for dragging a mask over one image.
when clicking and dragging an "x" is shown at the mouse cursor.
dragging a preview doesn't work either.
Thank you,
Andrea
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I should have posted in the Bug section probably, sorry...
Dragging the triangle from a process doesn't work either...
Andrea
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Edoardo, I'll have to recompile all my modules for compatibility to the new PCL. Give me a few days, please.
Thank you Carlos for the reply.
No problem! Please notify us when done.
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Hi.
I'm running Ubuntu 14.04.2 LTS. Was running previous versions fine. Installed latest version, and now I get (even when starting as root);
PixInsight Core 01.08.04.1170 Ripley (x64)
Copyright (c) 2003-2015 Pleiades Astrophoto
/opt/PixInsight/bin/PixInsight.sh: line 13: 4850 Illegal instruction (core dumped) $dirname/$appname $*
root@siftworkstation:~/Downloads/PI-linux-x86_64-01.08.04.1170-20150802-c#
Bother...
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Thank you very much for your released.
I'll wait impatiently for the OSX version in September. Good luck.
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Hi,
Version 1.8.4.1170 for Linux was compiled with SSSE3 instruction support by mistake. I have just released version 1.8.4.1171 with SSE3, which should run fine on your AMD processor. Sorry for the inconvenience.
Hi.
I'm running Ubuntu 14.04.2 LTS. Was running previous versions fine. Installed latest version, and now I get (even when starting as root);
PixInsight Core 01.08.04.1170 Ripley (x64)
Copyright (c) 2003-2015 Pleiades Astrophoto
/opt/PixInsight/bin/PixInsight.sh: line 13: 4850 Illegal instruction (core dumped) $dirname/$appname $*
root@siftworkstation:~/Downloads/PI-linux-x86_64-01.08.04.1170-20150802-c#
Bother...
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Thanx Juan, much better now.
BTW: Laptop with Intel T5600, cpuboss.com suggests that it has SSE3 (and supplemental SSE3). Not sure exactly what you did, but at least it loads now ;-)
Hi,
Version 1.8.4.1170 for Linux was compiled with SSSE3 instruction support by mistake. I have just released version 1.8.4.1171 with SSE3, which should run fine on your AMD processor. Sorry for the inconvenience.
Hi.
I'm running Ubuntu 14.04.2 LTS. Was running previous versions fine. Installed latest version, and now I get (even when starting as root);
PixInsight Core 01.08.04.1170 Ripley (x64)
Copyright (c) 2003-2015 Pleiades Astrophoto
/opt/PixInsight/bin/PixInsight.sh: line 13: 4850 Illegal instruction (core dumped) $dirname/$appname $*
root@siftworkstation:~/Downloads/PI-linux-x86_64-01.08.04.1170-20150802-c#
Bother...
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Hi Guys,
Thanks for the hard work and awesome program. Very much appreciate it.
One issue I have with 1.8.4 is the font. I find it larger and more obtrusive than 1.8.3. When working on a laptop real and "perceived" workspace is at a premium, and with 1.8.4, the whole UI feels larger and out dated. The kerning also makes it harder to read for myseld (more fuzzy and jagged). Is there anyway to revert to the 1.8.3 UI/font?
Actually, after looking at it, I am quite positive the whole UI grew in size. Some of my tool bars have been collapsed and menus are larger. (1366x768 display) :(
Thanks
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Hello everyone
It is the first time I write in the forum and do not speak English, so I use the Google translator.
I'm using PI long ago and I have a problem with the new version ...
Gone is the SCRIPT "Masked Stretch". Is this normal in the new version?
How I can recover it?
I hope your answer. THANK YOU
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Hola lpeirosaez (supongo que hablas español).
Si tienes cualquier duda, no hay problema con que escribas acá en español.
Hace ya varios meses que se ha reemplazado el script Masked Stretch por un proceso, llamado también MaskedStretch. Lo encontrarás en la categoría "IntensityTransformations". Este proceso debería funcionar mejor, y correr más rápido que el script.
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Gracias por la respuesta.
Ya conocía el proceso; pero lo que no sé es que diferencias hay entre el proceso y el Scrip. ¿Dónde puedo conseguir la información de los procesos que no tienen documentación en la aplicación ni en la web? Hay algún lugar histórico de documentación?
Un saludo,
Leoncio
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Hola Leoncio
Hay dos diferencias importantes. La primera es que el proceso es más determinístico en el cálculo de los cambios necesarios, para cada iteración. Esto hace que el algoritmo sea más rápido/eficiente. Por otro lado, se calcula también de forma distinta cómo se distribuyen los cambios a lo largo de las iteraciones, previlegeando cambios homogéneos, en vez de concentrar cambios bruscos en alguna parte. En mi opinión, el proceso debería mejorar mejor que el script, tanto en calidad de los resultados, como en rapidez.
En general la información de los módulos se publica aquí en el foro, y hay descripciones bastante completas.
Otra forma de obtener información es leer lo que sale en las herramientas, en las ventanas de ayuda (tooltips, que aparecen al dejar un tiempo el mouse sobre textos o sliders o campos de edición).
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Hi Juan,
great news!
>Integrated C++ compiler. This will make it possible to release PCL-based, open-source modules in source code form, which will be deployed with automatic >compilation and building on the user's machine. We are still evaluating several options, but with high probability we'll integrate the clang compiler.
This sounds interesting. I think it includes that module developers
- Must avoid writing platform depended code sections in the module code, e.g. code containing Microsoft extensions to C/C++ which are not supported by clang
- Have to distribute the binaries themselves until this feature is available.
Klaus
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Hi Klaus,
- Must avoid writing platform depended code sections in the module code, e.g. code containing Microsoft extensions to C/C++ which are not supported by clang
Absolutely. PCL allows you to write 100% standard C++11 code that is 99.9% platform-independent. My goal is to reach a practical 100% this year. Note that this is true right now.
- Have to distribute the binaries themselves until this feature is available.
Yes, this is what we are doing now with module releases and updates. Naturally, binary distribution will continue being available in the future along with source code distribution (for example, for distribution of closed-source modules).
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Hi,
I had installed Windows 10 (from W7), and PixInsight crashed when I tried to load a file. It was working fine with W7. I reinstalled PI, but the problem persisted. I had exactly the problem described by WesChilton in his post. I then reverted to Windows 7, and the PI problem vanished. Today I reinstalled W10, and the crash problem persisted with PI. Please help me.
TIA,
Luiz Duczmal
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I tried Juan Conejero´s suggestion given in another thread, and it is working now! Many thanks!
>>Try with multiplatform file dialogs: EDIT > Global Preferences > File I/O Settings > Use native file dialogs (disable). Press F6 or click Apply Global. With this option disabled the application will not use Windows file dialogs, but its own platform-independent implementation. Hopefully this will help with this specific issue.