StarTools

Hello
I am stacking my photos with AstroPixelProcessor last 3 years and process them in StarTools. Today I try stacking Comet in comet mode in APP, save file in fits format but ST was unable to open any fits file from that session, no mather I saved it in 16 or 32 bit version. ST was unable open the file, it says "Could not read file, make sure image file is a fits file, an uncompressed, IBM PC byte order tiff file or a png file".
Saving it in APP to all files, to all bytes, but ST was unable to open those files.

I was trying to open same older files from summer stacking and ST opens them normaly. So, I am alomst sure that is a APP in question. Is there any procedure to save proper file (fits, 32 bit or tiff 16 bit etc....).

Thank you for answer.
Marko

Hi Marko,

That's weird. I've seen this with TIFF, which can sometimes have a non-lossy compressed mode, but not FITS. Or if I have I can't remember it.

I agree it might be something in APP, either a new change or specific to the comet procedure. Could you link that comet stack? Maybe Ivo can figure out what aspect of the file is causing trouble.

In the meanwhile, I would simply use a third program to open and re-save. There are several that may be able to handle just about anything, so it depends what you have available. PI, Gimp, ASTAP, Siril, DSS. The easiest may be DSS and almost everyone probably has it installed even if not used anymore? See if it can open your file, using open picture for viewing (not the stacking tabs). If it does, do a save as (adjustments embedded, not applied) and choose 32-bit FITS. I always use FP, even though guidelines often say integer. If you want to use save as to save out a TIFF, you have to tell DSS not to use TIFF compressed. There's a little setting for that.

The others may also have their own idiosyncrasies. For example in Gimp for a TIFF, you have to have all the export parameters just so in order for ST to open it -- I believe leave them at defaults, including saving layers even though there aren't any layers.

Save outs after loading from Siril and ASTAP may be fairly straightforward too, depends what you are familiar with. Also PI and ASTAP both have batch format conversion tools, if I remember right, above and beyond simple open and save as/export.

Thank you ......
I tried open in DSS, same thing, can t open fits - so I am pretty sure that is APP (you could sav in APP file in fits format 8 byte,16byte, 32 bytes integers and 32 bytes floats, whatever this means - no one of this files cant open in ST or DSS).

Link to the file: https://we.tl/t-xg6REZ4G8G

I will reinstal my APP and see, if it works ......

Marko

Hey Marko,

Well....

Sorry if I sent you down the wrong path with DSS though. It's always worked for me if I needed a quick conversion, though admittedly I probably tend to use PI or Siril for that these days. Or Gimp.

The file you provided is 8-bit. I kind of think you don't want that output from APP, or your processed result will end up looking quantizized (real word?). Try 16 bit minimum, but if APP's output actually created 32 bit results, use that!

What ST version are you running?

I downloaded your file and was able to open in Siril and Gimp, and save it back out. Siril it's easy to choose which bit depth to save out as. In Gimp you have to change the depth first. But again, because the original file is 8 bit, the format change isn't getting "real" depth back, just changing the file type.

However, even your original file opens for me in DSS, and most importantly, ST also! I tried both 1.9 alpha and the most recent 1.8.

So, I'm not quite sure what is going on here.

As an experiment, perhaps you could download your own file back to yourself, and see if that "massaged" it somehow? It shouldn't.

Anything else unusual here - use of very old versions of ST or DSS? Something other than Windows PC versions? I can't say what might be up with Mac or Linux.

emarko wrote: ↑Fri Feb 10, 2023 6:32 pm Thank you ......
I tried open in DSS, same thing, can t open fits - so I am pretty sure that is APP (you could sav in APP file in fits format 8 byte,16byte, 32 bytes integers and 32 bytes floats, whatever this means - no one of this files cant open in ST or DSS).

Link to the file: https://we.tl/t-xg6REZ4G8G

I will reinstal my APP and see, if it works ......

Marko

Hi Marko,

I had no trouble opening the linked file, so something must be going on on your machine.
Have you got any virus scanners or backup tools running in the background?

Hi, I think I solved the situation.

Download my own file from WeTransfer and ST was able to open it.
So, next step was, I am moving my fits file from the folder to the desktop and open with ST. It works. I don t know, but seems that the folder is somehow corrupt, it is my only explonation.

I make new folder on desktop and copy my lights and calibration frames into it,now ST was able to open them.
Reason, why I have my last sesion folder on deskotop instead on external disk, it is because of the fact that APP somehow was not able properly stack photos from my external drive and the result was artifacts on the final stak picture.

Thank you guys ......

Marko