TheSkySearchers

Hi all,

After a long, long period of R&D and subsequent beta testing, I am proud to announce the next big version of StarTools!
It finally brings together everything researched and developed over a period of 4 years, only some of which could be glimpsed in the 1.4.x development versions.

What's new

1.5 is a massive release, jam-packed with enhancements, features and exciting signal-processing innovations;

• Create and process complex composites as if they were simple DSLR datasets. The new Compose mode processes luminance (detail) and color separately in parallel. In a world first, processing LRGB, LLRGB, LSHO and more in one go without combining later is now possible and yields cleaner results to boot due to cross-dataset signal consultation. Video of LLRGB example here and video of LSHO example of the iconic Hubble Pillars of Creation here.
• Multiple years of work have gone into improving the signal evolution Tracking engine performance across all modules. Noise mitigation and signal fidelity preservation is more effective than ever before,
• New presets and a brand a new module (video here) are now available for quick and intuitive manipulation of narrowband datasets.
• Many other quality-of-life improvements are included, such as pre/post-tweak buttons, hot keys, UI overhaul, optimizations, new docs and videos, STREPLAY support and much, much more. See CHANGELOG file in the download for details.

The trial is still free as always and downloadable now. Any StarTools license ever issued will work with 1.5 and make it fully functional. As a courtesy, this is true even if your license has expired (though if you like what you see, please consider supporting us by renewing your license).

Many thanks to the beta testers and those sending me datasets here on TSS and elsewhere. I couldn't have done this without you!

Great news, Ivo. I have done a little testing with the pre-release versions, and have to say that the new features are fantastic. I noticed the pre- and post- tweak buttons while messing with something else, and just love them.

Thanks for all your hard work and dedication to continued improvement of an already fine product!

Bob

Thank you Ivo. Can I update from my earlier license version? Or do I need to do a new download and install?
Thank you again.

Great news Ivo!

Congratulations on the update. Looking forward to giving it a good test once I get moved and my "'processing" computer back up and running!

Thanks Ivo!

Can’t wait to give it a try.

No clearing anytime soon. Maybe try with some old data.

Downloaded and ready to go!

Thanks again,
Jim

Don Quixote wrote: ↑Fri Aug 23, 2019 3:27 pm Thank you Ivo. Can I update from my earlier license version? Or do I need to do a new download and install?
Thank you again.

You download the new version from the download section, unzip it to a location of your choice (has to have read/write permissions), copy your license file into the 'distro' folder and you're good to go!
Any trouble let me know,

Woo hoo! What a nice surprise! Thanks, Ivo!

Thank you, Ivo.
I'll be checking the video out!

Thanks Ivo!

Looking forward to playing with it!

Larry

Hi all,

A 1.5 Maintenance Release has been uploaded with some important fixes. Updating is recommended.

A 1.6 alpha version is also available which implements a number of new features, improvements and a completely rewritten signal-aware multiscale (wavelet) sharpening module. See CHANGELOG file for details.

1.5.369MR1 Maintenance Release

• Fixed memory leak in Wipe module
• Fixed bug where small screens would not show Rotate functionality in main screen
• Fixed bug in handling edge cases in Decon where Decon would generate pixel artifacts
• Improved Decon deringing of small stars
• Small improvement in overall handling of Tracking fidelity
• MaxRGB mode now shows linear color dominance in "before" mode
• Fixed memory overflow bug in Shrink module

Clear skies!

I’ve been using version 1.6 alpha for processing the past few images. Does 1.6 alpha incorporate the fixes as the 1.5.369MR1 Maintenance Release?

Thanks,
Jim

Juno16 wrote: ↑Tue Oct 15, 2019 10:57 am Does 1.6 alpha incorporate the fixes as the 1.5.369MR1 Maintenance Release?

The latest 1.6.380 alpha does indeed Jim. If you are using an older version, you may want to update, Cheers!