Harrys user guide

[Harry page]

Hi All

Pi has had its ears bashed about the lack of documentation that is available , and you may agree that it is lacking 

Somewhere along the lines Mr juan will have to do something and rumour has it there will be some tech info coming 

Anyway it seems people want to read something so I was thinking about do a user guide ( not full documentaion ) but with a little bit more info than my video's

As a taster I quickley did one on the STF   http://www.harrysastroshed.com/pixuser/pixuserhome.html

Obviousley it does not contain details about how to apply and other general things as it would be covered under a general page

What do you think ?

Harry

[Jack Harvey]

Well done Old Chap!  I would add sentence or two on how to adjust the individual RGB channels if you need to make some color adjustments.  And maybe a note on how to apply the STF changes to the Histogram tool, to produce the changes in the image per se?


But I really like it!!!!

[mmirot]

I think Juan should just give in and start paying you to do a manual. 

Great start

Max

[Nocturnal]

Hi Harry,

I think this is a great initiative but the problem is that new users won't even know what an STF is. I think a user guide should be indexed in non technical terms. STF could be described under 'Loading your image' for example. I wasn't quite as consistent as I should have been in my articles but chapters like 'noise reduction (smoothing)' are less intimidating than 'Adaptive Contrast Driven Noise Reduction'

[Harry page]

Hi Jack

Your wish is my command 


Harry

[Harry page]

Hi Sander

Yes I agree things do need setting out clearer for new starters  

This page was done as a idea , but I think I will  write a introduction to cover your suggestion .

Also it was why I suggest  the basics work flow on the piuser homepage as people seem unsure in which order to use the tools, Of course I will say people will Find their own work flow eventually

I will do the image registartion and image intergration as number 1 and 2 and then STF and so on ( suggest people )

I would like people to suggest things or say when they think I am loosing the plot  

Harry

[RBA]

I believe D is used to manually enter the values of the different channels, not to set the autostretch settings.
To do that, you ctrl-click the "A" icon (C in your doc).

[Harry page]

OOpppss  


I have never used this and I got it wrong , Please tell me if I goof up

Harry

Changed Many thanks

[Cheyenne]

Harry, great idea

would it be possible to put a copy of your guide in the wiki under the STF process?

[Nocturnal]

Hi,

PI is a toolbox. Just like going to Sears and buying a $500 mechanic's kit doesn't magically teach you how to change the timing belt in your care, buying PI doesn't magically teach you how to process images Unfortunately new users seem to think along those lines sometimes. I had a bit of that when I got started. PI was a big, intimidating tool box and I didn't know in what order to apply what. So what I needed was a method and then I translated that into PI. That's why I think a 'Common English' translation of PI terms is handy. Module names aren't always clear, STF being a good example of that. ACDNR is another example. Histogram and Curves are pretty clear

I still think (arrogantly enough) that my astro photo insights article series is a good introduction to some of the PI techniques you can use on a typical image. I am reluctant to keep sending people there but it's a decent starting of point both for newbies and experienced astro photographers as it helps them translate part of their processes into PI. It would have been nice to have this available in the public domain but then I wouldn't have been paid

Meanwhile I remembered I did this a long time ago. To be honest I haven't reviewed it for accuracy.

http://gallery.tungstentech.com/main.php?g2_itemId=1247

[dhalliday]

Harry
That is a good start !
Especially to actually tell folks what the heck all the buttons do...
To be honest,I am still learning some of its features..
thanks

Dave

PS perhaps someone was sort of correct in an earlier post;
Maybe we don`t want to get too mainstream and lose our coolness factor... 8)

[sleshin]

Harry,

Great start on an important project. Keep up the good work.

On my documentation wish list for PI is a detailed tutorial DVD like the excellent one Adam Block did for CCDStack. It would need to be done by someone very knowledgeable about PI so all those buttons and sliders could be explained and demonstrated. Certainly a big project but a tutorial like that could be sold so perhaps some financial reward for the author. Hey, maybe someone can talk Adam into doing one for PI.

Just rambling.

Steve

[Nocturnal]

Steve,

it would be great if Adam Block or Warren Keller or any other of the 'greats' in astro classes would make a set for PI. Of course the problem is they'd be PI beginners too

[Harry page]

Charge for video's now thats a idea 


Harry




  Just kidding 

[Nocturnal]

Don't see why not Harry. It will never pay for your time (at least the magazine articles sure didn't) but it's a nice 'thanks for your efforts'.