RBA
Well-known member
Just a teaser, for now...
(click here for a quick video showing the tool being used)
After nearly 14 years using PixInsight, this week I finally decided to write a PixInsight module (not just a script), and I chose a very simple tool that will likely never be developed by the PixInsight folks (otherwise it'd be already part of it long ago): a PAINTBRUSH
Since applying a paintbrush over an astroimage doesn't make a lot of sense (you tell me), I focused on developing the tool as an aid to manipulate masks at will. For that reason, the tool only paints in black and white, using different softness and opacity levels. It works much like the CloneStamp tool (it's based on the CS tool, in case it's not obvious), and like CS, DBE, etc. it has to be a dynamic process.
This is a very first implementation, almost a "proof of concept", that will be improved over time. Now, don't expect a paintbrush tool as customizable as those found in PS, mostly because in AP we don't need that level of sophistication in a brush to manipulate masks, but there's definitely improvements to be made that make sense for AP.
BTW, if you're the kind of person who thinks painting over a mask is a dreadful thing to do, that's awesome. Keep that thought to yourself (yes, we've heard it a million times and I think it's wonderful you have an opinion) and maybe still use the tool to highlight things on an image when sharing image details with others, if you like (darn... maybe I need to add color after all!)
As I'm getting the hang of PCL development (a very different beast than writing scripts), I'm motivated to keep writing other tools I have in mind but were too ambitious to be done in a script (or just impossible), with the goal of creating a small suite of tools in the end - yes, commercial (AP is how I make a living) but very affordable
.... I'm not making this tool available YET, as I still want to refine it a bit more, but it shouldn't take long. Also, at this moment I can only create Windows and Linux modules, no MacOS, but hopefully I'll get that sorted out at some point.
Hope you enjoy the video teaser - obviously, there's better ways to use the tool than the doodles I made there
Cheers!
RBA
(click here for a quick video showing the tool being used)
After nearly 14 years using PixInsight, this week I finally decided to write a PixInsight module (not just a script), and I chose a very simple tool that will likely never be developed by the PixInsight folks (otherwise it'd be already part of it long ago): a PAINTBRUSH
Since applying a paintbrush over an astroimage doesn't make a lot of sense (you tell me), I focused on developing the tool as an aid to manipulate masks at will. For that reason, the tool only paints in black and white, using different softness and opacity levels. It works much like the CloneStamp tool (it's based on the CS tool, in case it's not obvious), and like CS, DBE, etc. it has to be a dynamic process.
This is a very first implementation, almost a "proof of concept", that will be improved over time. Now, don't expect a paintbrush tool as customizable as those found in PS, mostly because in AP we don't need that level of sophistication in a brush to manipulate masks, but there's definitely improvements to be made that make sense for AP.
BTW, if you're the kind of person who thinks painting over a mask is a dreadful thing to do, that's awesome. Keep that thought to yourself (yes, we've heard it a million times and I think it's wonderful you have an opinion) and maybe still use the tool to highlight things on an image when sharing image details with others, if you like (darn... maybe I need to add color after all!)
As I'm getting the hang of PCL development (a very different beast than writing scripts), I'm motivated to keep writing other tools I have in mind but were too ambitious to be done in a script (or just impossible), with the goal of creating a small suite of tools in the end - yes, commercial (AP is how I make a living) but very affordable
Hope you enjoy the video teaser - obviously, there's better ways to use the tool than the doodles I made there
Cheers!
RBA