New Script: iHDR -- Advanced Multiscale HDR Stretching!

[Uri Darom]

After many few weeks of refinement and testing, I am happy to present a script I have been working on for a while!

iHDR allows you to stretch the image in a way that preserves the bright areas while revealing its fainter regions.
An example use case for this script would be revealing the faint extensions of a galaxy, while not blowing out the bright center.
Below I have attached the image before iHDR, the image after two executions of iHDR, and the image stretched using HistogramTransformation instead (data courtesy of Prashant Ranganath):

Example 1: Galaxy

Note how the bright core of the galaxy is preserved while its outer arms are revealed, all while preserving the contrast of the image.
Galaxies are not the only use case; below is an example with the Orion Nebula:

Example 2: Nebula

Installation and Use:

To use the script, simply stretch the image (using HistogramTransformation) such that the bright areas (i.e., nebula / galaxy core) are at the brightness you want them to be in the final image. Then, select the appropriate preset and click Execute.

• Often, you will find you need to run the script multiple times. In the above example, it was run three times.
• If you want to increase how much the bright areas are preserved, increase the Mask Strength parameter.
• If you want to decrease how much the image is stretched, reduce the Stretch Intensity parameter.

To install the script, use the following repository: https://astrouri.com/pixinsight/scripts/iHDR/

• Note: since my developer certificate has not been approved yet, PixInsight will warn you about the script being unverified.

I would love to know people's thoughts or feedback!

 

[jmaccollum]

Hope they get your dev cert verified soon! Looking forward to trying this out!

 

[Stanty8]

Works really well if you have clean data!

 

[wconde]

Hello there! I tried to access the repository but I got the following message:

404​

File not found

The site configured at this address does not contain the requested file.

If this is your site, make sure that the filename case matches the URL as well as any file permissions.
For root URLs (like http://example.com/) you must provide an index.html file.

Read the full documentation for more information about using GitHub Pages.

GitHub Status — @githubstatus


Was the repository changed to another link?

 

[Uri Darom]

Hello there! I tried to access the repository but I got the following message:

404​

File not found

The site configured at this address does not contain the requested file.

If this is your site, make sure that the filename case matches the URL as well as any file permissions.
For root URLs (like http://example.com/) you must provide an index.html file.

Read the full documentation for more information about using GitHub Pages.

GitHub Status — @githubstatus
View attachment 22429

Was the repository changed to another link?

Hey! The repository should be used in PixInsight; accessing it in a web browser will not work. Here are instructions for installing the script:

1. In PixInsight, go to Resources--> Updates --> Manage Repositories
2. Click the "Add" button on the bottom left of the popup
3. Enter the repository https://astrouri.com/pixinsight/scripts/iHDR/ and click "OK"
4. Close the window and click on Resources --> Updates --> Check For Updates
5. Click "Apply" on the bottom right of the popup and restart PixInsight
6. The script should appear under Scripts --> Sketchpad --> iHDR

 

[aworonow]

On all first runs of iHDR, an error message appears in the Process Console reporting that line 543 has an undeclared variable

 

[Uri Darom]

On all first runs of iHDR, an error message appears in the Process Console reporting that line 543 has an undeclared variable

Ah yeah; this is a harmless bug that I haven’t gotten around to fixing. Thanks for reminding me, I’ll take care of it tonight.

 

[Gary Seven]

Saw the script on Sascha Weiss View Into Space, looks interesting.

Is there documentation yet?

 

[Uri Darom]

Saw the script on Sascha Weiss View Into Space, looks interesting.

Is there documentation yet?

No documentation as of yet; I hope to make a section explaining each setting on my website at some point in the future. For now, the tooltips for each setting should give you a rough idea of what each option does.