Hi all,
I am pleased to announce the new WBPP 2.4.3 distributed with PixInsight version 1.8.9-1. This new version integrates with the new Star Detection Engine and PSF Scale SNR Estimator and includes additional new features, improvements and bug fixes. As being updated to the last features, this version requires PI 1.8.9-1 as the minimum version.
New Features
Execution Monitor
This feature has been introduced to keep track of the execution status of WBPP. While running, now WBPP shows the Execution Monitor window that reports in real-time:
PSF Scale SNR weighting mode
The new PSF Scale SNR weighting mode is selectable amongst the other image weighting schemas.
Estimated space occupied
At the bottom of the Diagnostic Message view, WBPP will report the estimated space required by each step type and the overall total amount of space required to complete the overall steps compared with the available space in the destination drive. In case there is not enough available space or the estimated remaining space is less than 5% of the current free space, a proper warning is raised.
Frame size is now used as a matching factor
WBPP now reads and takes into account the image size as a matching factor to ensure that images with different sizes are never wrongly associated.
This involves both the image grouping (images with different sizes never get grouped together) along with the master file matching (images are never calibrated with master files with a different size).
GUI Improvements: addressing small screens
WBPP interface now adapts to small screens (theoretically down to 800x600). When the screen resolution is not enough to contain the regular WBPP window, a new "compact GUI mode" is activated, enabling the selective collapsing of the calibration, post-calibration and global settings controls. The screenshot shows what this new interface looks like on a resolution of 1024x768 pixels.
Adaptation to the new Stars Detector
Default parameter values and interface controls have been adapted to the new Star Detector V2 engine, including parameter ranges and tooltips.
New StarAlignment parameters have been exposed under the Image Registration controls:
Local Normalization
Reference frame evaluation criteria
The criteria used to select the local normalization reference frame can now be selected amongst the following:
When the reference frame is generated by integrating the set of the best frames, Local Normalization is applied to such frames using the very best one as a reference. This ensures that any gradient potentially present in one of such frames will not contaminate the final integrated reference frame.
High and Low clipping level
Low and high clipping level parameters have been added.
Image Integration Minimum Weight
A new threshold Minimum weight has been added to discard frames with a weight lower than this threshold.
Global Settings Updates
The previous option "Save logs" has been removed since logs are now always generated.
A new "Smart naming override" checkbox has been added; when enabled, the metadata found in the full pathname, accordingly with the smart naming syntax convention, will override the corresponding data stored in the FITS header.
Automated Mode: Grouping Keywords handling
This new version allows specifying the grouping keywords to be used when WBPP is launched in automation mode.
The inline syntax is shown in the following example:
The chunk keywords= denotes the beginning of a keywords list. Keywords must be separated by a semicolon, and each keyword must be defined by the name optionally followed by its mode separated by a space. If the mode is missing, the value assumed is pre. If defined, the keyword mode must be one of pre, post or prepost.
In the above example, 4 keywords are defined: EXPOSURE, PANEL, FILTER and CAMERA. EXPOSURE is pre by default, PANEL is in post-calibration mode, FILTER is in both pre and post-calibration mode, and CAMERA is in pre mode.
An example of a full automated WBPP execution command line is the following (valid on Linux):
This command:
As usual, feel free to provide any feedback; constructive critics and suggestions are always welcome!
Enjoy!![Smile :) :)](https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png)
Robyx
I am pleased to announce the new WBPP 2.4.3 distributed with PixInsight version 1.8.9-1. This new version integrates with the new Star Detection Engine and PSF Scale SNR Estimator and includes additional new features, improvements and bug fixes. As being updated to the last features, this version requires PI 1.8.9-1 as the minimum version.
New Features
Execution Monitor
- the list of the scheduled operations to be executed and the relative status
- the execution time of each completed operation
- the overall elapsed time
- A cancel button to interrupt the execution if needed. Pressing the cancel button does not interrupt the execution immediately but schedules the interruption of the current process, which could take a while before stopping in order to complete the currently ongoing operations.
PSF Scale SNR weighting mode
Estimated space occupied
Frame size is now used as a matching factor
WBPP now reads and takes into account the image size as a matching factor to ensure that images with different sizes are never wrongly associated.
This involves both the image grouping (images with different sizes never get grouped together) along with the master file matching (images are never calibrated with master files with a different size).
GUI Improvements: addressing small screens
Adaptation to the new Stars Detector
Default parameter values and interface controls have been adapted to the new Star Detector V2 engine, including parameter ranges and tooltips.
New StarAlignment parameters have been exposed under the Image Registration controls:
- Local distortion checkbox
- Hot pixel removal (filter radius)
- Bright threshold
- Allow clustered sources
Local Normalization
Reference frame evaluation criteria
The criteria used to select the local normalization reference frame can now be selected amongst the following:
- PSF Signal Weight: the higher better
- PSF SNR: the higher, the better
- M*: the lower, the better
- Median: the lower, the better
- Number of Stars: the higher, the better
When the reference frame is generated by integrating the set of the best frames, Local Normalization is applied to such frames using the very best one as a reference. This ensures that any gradient potentially present in one of such frames will not contaminate the final integrated reference frame.
High and Low clipping level
Low and high clipping level parameters have been added.
Image Integration Minimum Weight
A new threshold Minimum weight has been added to discard frames with a weight lower than this threshold.
Global Settings Updates
The previous option "Save logs" has been removed since logs are now always generated.
A new "Smart naming override" checkbox has been added; when enabled, the metadata found in the full pathname, accordingly with the smart naming syntax convention, will override the corresponding data stored in the FITS header.
Automated Mode: Grouping Keywords handling
This new version allows specifying the grouping keywords to be used when WBPP is launched in automation mode.
The inline syntax is shown in the following example:
keywords=EXPOSURE;PANEL post;FILTER prepost;CAMERA pre;
The chunk keywords= denotes the beginning of a keywords list. Keywords must be separated by a semicolon, and each keyword must be defined by the name optionally followed by its mode separated by a space. If the mode is missing, the value assumed is pre. If defined, the keyword mode must be one of pre, post or prepost.
In the above example, 4 keywords are defined: EXPOSURE, PANEL, FILTER and CAMERA. EXPOSURE is pre by default, PANEL is in post-calibration mode, FILTER is in both pre and post-calibration mode, and CAMERA is in pre mode.
An example of a full automated WBPP execution command line is the following (valid on Linux):
Bash:
/opt/PixInsight/bin/PixInsight.sh -n --automation-mode -r="/opt/PixInsight/src/scripts/WeightedBatchPreprocessi
ng/WeightedBatchPreprocessing.js,automationMode=true,outputDirectory=/home/users/me/M31/wbpp,dir=/home/users/me/M31/data,keywords=SESSION;PANEL post,
smartNamingOverride=true" --force-exit
This command:
- runs WBPP in automation mode (automationMode=true)
- runs PixInsight in a free slot ( -n, instantiate a new dedicated PixInsight process if other PixInsight instances are running already)
- adds all files under the folder /home/users/me/M31/data (including the subfolders)
- outputs the results into the folder /home/users/me/M31/wbpp
- enables the smart naming override option (smartNamingOverride=true)
- adds two keywords, SESSION in pre and PANEL in post (common configuration of a multi-session multi-panel data)
- When a file type is not recognised, it is now added as a light frame (before it was discarded).
- This version comes with the following bugfixes:
- the character ":" is now replaced by "-" in the group folder name to avoid folder creation errors in some OS
- image measurements are disabled if both registration and subframe weighting is disabled
- the maximum number of stars was not correctly handled in the Local Normalization panel
- the master file names sanitization was corrupting the keyword values in some cases
As usual, feel free to provide any feedback; constructive critics and suggestions are always welcome!
Enjoy!
![Smile :) :)](https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png)
Robyx
Last edited: