Two Items for PixInsight

[Jack Harvey]

Have been playing a lot with PixInsight lately and wonder about a couple of items.  First will it be possible to use FitsLiberator as a "Plug in" to bring images into Pixinsight and then will there be a Merge Channels function to create a RGB from the individual chromanince master frames.  Second in another application (PS) you can hit the "F" key a couple of time and it blacks the screen around your image so you can visualize it better.  This I find very helpful in making final color decisions.  SOmthing like this would be nice.  Thanks for listening.  Jack Harvey

[Carlos Milovic]

Hi Jack!

First of all, thanks for using PI and for posting your suggestion here!

The next release of PixInsight, the standard edition, is going to be based upon a modular system, where you can plug in (or out) file formats, dynamical and static processes. The basic tools to create those modules are going to be freely avalaible, so the users may create their own processes or include more file formats. Right now this is possible only in the C++ language, with Microsoft .NET 2003/2005 and GCC compilers.

Having said that, as far as I'm aware, there is no need to another "plug in" to manage FITS files. PI fully met the standards, and has some very powerfull features incorporated. For example you can save/open fits files with an unlimited number of channels (RGB+alpha channels). If you have some grayscale images, and want to combine them into a color one, you need to use the ImportChannels process. Select the color model, and the desired images, and apply it to a color image (you may create a new one, or convert one of your grayscale ones into a RGB image).


Now, about your second suggestion: Take a look into the Preferences (Edit>Preferences). There is an item where you are allowed to change the color of the backgroung of the main window's workspace. You may make use of process icons to quickly change into different configurations. Also there is an option under the Windows menu that allows you to hide the tool bars. In the comercial release will be avalaible a full screen mode that will simplify a bit all of this, and give you a "cleaner" view.

Thanks you for your feedback!

[Jack Harvey]

Got the background changed to black as you said and that works great.  I am unsure if you are telling me the release version will support merging of fits file to produce RGB images or if I can do that now via import channels?

[Carlos Milovic]

Hi Jack

The FITS file format standard allows an unlimited number of channels. That means, you can save as .fit files your grayscale or color images, and include as well as many alpha channels as you want (althrought PI does not support any operation with them, right now). In theory you may even save as a single FITS file a whole set of images, keeping in a header entry the information of the order.

So, in the current release of PI you area allowed to save and open grayscale and color images, in any file format. If you have several FITS grayscale images (lets say 3), taken with different filters, and want to combine them into a single RGB image just follow the following steps:

- Convert one of them into a RGB image (Image>Color Spaces>Convert to RGB color). The image contents will be copied in each of the new channels.
- Open the ImportChannels process (Process>Color Spaces>Import Channels) and unselect the "Auto Identifiers" checkbox.
- Select the RGB color space
- Uncheck the channel of the image you converted to color.
- Choose the propper images to import.
- Apply this process to the color image.

If you want to import a luminance to a color merged image, you have to follow a similar scheme. Now select the CIE L*a*b* color space and import the luminance only.

[Jack Harvey]

Got it Thanks!!!!!!!  Jack