StarTools

Hi Ivo
Wasn`t sure which section to post this in so try here!
I`ve been trying to use Startools on and off for a couple of months now and have to confess I`m still not sure what the difference is between `Develop` and `AutoDev` or when/why to use a `mask`. I remember you advising me of a usual procedure would be something like autodev>wipe>autodev>decon...etc but where would other modules like `Life` or `Magic` come in.
The odd time I try Startools I use the modules defaults as I`m not sure what they do and I`m still in the dark what a `Dark anomaly filter` is or its headroom .
My plea? if you could possibly do a quick .pdf explaining each module and its variables saying when/when not to use them it would be brilliant for thicko`s such as me .
I would like to use Startools more than I do as I can see its potential and I know Startools is supposed to be intuitive but I think my intuition must have gone walkabout.

Cheers
Steve

Hi Steve,

By far the easiest way to find out what modules and their parameters do is to consult the in-app help - it explains these things in more detail, including why and when to use a mask. It seems to be exactly what you're after.

For example, clicking on the Wipe module's help button will yield the following;
Then, clicking the help button for, for example, 'Dark Anomaly Headroom';
The good thing about in-app help is that the help is always up-to-date and always pertinent to the exact version someone is using, as things sometimes change between releases.

Does this address your issue at all?

Hi again Ivo
Yes I`ve been trying the inapp help windows and thought I`d be able to copy paste them into a printed sheet that I could follow but it won`t let me do that.
Afraid I`m from the old school where you follow a logical set of instructions to get from a to b to c and so on. Is there some priority listing of which module to use and in which order eg must `Wipe` always come after Develop or Autodev or can 'HDR' come first and then `Wipe` or 'Decon' or 'Noise' ??? Would I get a different image if I went dev>wipe>autodev>decon instead of autodev>decon>dev>wipe.........etc . The available paths you can take in Startools and the individual parameters within the modules seem vast and its not immediately apparent (to me at least) which path to take to get where you want to go. Does that make sense?.
Cheers
Steve

You may not be aware of it (because it's not very 'in your face' about it), but StarTools already enforces a sequence! It does this by 'going back and forth in time' to insert the operation you're currently performing in the right sequence for you. That's why you can, for example, perform deconvolution after already having stretched your data (in all other software this is a *big* no-no), even if you've done all sorts of other stuff to your data like HDR manipulation. In all other software you need to be aware of the sequence in which you perform things, as well as being aware of whether an operation requires linear or non-linear data. Less so in StarTools.

Another example; you may also have noticed that noise reduction refuses to store the result - it tells you it will be launching in preview mode, with the 'Keep' button greyed out. This is simply because it can do the best job possible *only* when you're done with all the other processing and it refuses to let you make the sub-optimal decision to apply noise reduction at any other time.

Global stretching, deconvolution can be redone time and again if you decide you don't like the result after some processing. Redo these operations and everyhting you did *after* them stays intact and gets reapplied.

As of the 1.3.5 alpha version, a new 'Restore' function that lets you reapply only certain aspects of your processing to the virgin data, so it is quick and easy to make multiple interpretations of your data. For example, clicking the 'Restore' button will allow you to start off again with the linear, deconvolved and wiped data, after which you can build on that to create a new interpretation of your data.

Sequence is much less important in StarTools and therefore it is much harder to do something catastrophically wrong. Similarly, overcooking your data is seldom a problem, as applying filter-upon-filter is simply not the way StarTools works.

There is no silver bullet or 'right way' to process data, whether it be settings, parameters or sequences - it's all highly dependent on the data and personal taste. There are however 'wrong' ways (ways that destroy your data), and most of the choices that lead to those 'wrong' ways are much harder to make in StarTools. Even if you do make the wrong choice, it is much easier to recover at a later stage.

If you'd like to know more about what modules, sequences and parameters are important for your particular circumstance, data and gear, do share a typical night's worth of stacked data with me and I'll write up a personalised tutorial for you!

Thanks for the in depth reply Ivo appreciated!. I wasn`t aware of some of the points you just made which I think emphasises my point that this excellent software is crying out for a user guide or manual of some sort so folk like myself who are not fully up to speed with image processing can read it over again and understand when/how/why the steps taken are the right ones!.
Thanks also for the offer of a tut.
Best regards
Steve

Gasman. I had a similar problem coming from a very different school of image processing and it was hard to break the cycle. If this is helpful, well and good. I imagine an updated manual is in the pipeline. There have been so many changes to ST since its inception.

I do the following workflow which is very basic, but produces nice results consistently.

Load linear image

Develop - 95 - 98% or use the home-in function (non-linear stretch)

Wipe - defaults - I also select Cap Green to Yellow or Brown - whatever looks correct.

HDR Reveal - defaults (optional)

Now apply a star mask and invert it, as follows; Select Mask and Auto Star Mask, Do. Then Invert. This prepares the image for Life, so that ST will only process the masked part of the image.

Life - Power of Inverse (top right below image)- click to cycle between options.

Colour - here, you can elect to either fill the mask or keep the inverted star mask (I keep the mask as is) - settings as required.

Follow up as required with Contrast or Wipe, maybe Sharp.

Turn off tracking with final noise reduction.

This works pretty well. Ivo showed me this and I have used it ever since with variations here and there as needed - maybe Repair, Warp using a standard star mask so that only the stars are affected.

If you have a close look at the Mask Auto settings, you will see that it is possible to change the depth of data on which the mask will act ( use the defaults for now - setting is 8). Furthermore, you can exclude colours, so that the mask acts only on some colours but not others. This is really useful for highlighting blue, for example, while making no change to red or green and disturbing your colour balance.

Hi artefact
Many thanks for taking the time to enter that workflow. I didn't wish to appear like I was criticising Ivo or ST, far from it when I see what others can achieve using Startools . Its an excellent piece of software and I like to know why things work in the order they do and my confusion came from not knowing at which point to apply which module and why!.
Sorry if I came across as a bit of a winger I didn't mean to
Thanks again
Steve

Gasman wrote:Hi artefact
Many thanks for taking the time to enter that workflow. I didn't wish to appear like I was criticising Ivo or ST, far from it when I see what others can achieve using Startools . Its an excellent piece of software and I like to know why things work in the order they do and my confusion came from not knowing at which point to apply which module and why!.
Sorry if I came across as a bit of a winger I didn't mean to
Thanks again
Steve

Steve,

My philospphy with software developement is that the user is always right. If you have trouble with any part of the software and can't find a solution, then I have work to do - it's that simple!
I'm happy and grateful you're letting me/us know what you think can be improved! Trust me, the last thing I think of you (or any of my users for that matter) is you being a whinger!

Thanks Rowland for your workflow - looks great!

artefact wrote: Wipe - defaults - I also select Cap Green to Yellow or Brown - whatever looks correct.

Don't be mad with me, but in the latest alpha I've simplified the Wipe module (making it more effective in the process) and have removed a number of obsolete or sub-optimal 'features'.
Cap Green in the WIpe module is one of the things that have been removed, as it is really the wrong place to perform this action and actually messes slightly with the luminance data in a bad way (usually not too noticeable). It is still available in the Color module, where it is applied in the correct way (e.g. only on a presumed color balanced image).
It all has to do with the Tracking mode and StarTools inserting each manipulation in the right order, using the right data from the point in history. If you thought getting your head around the Tracking concept was hard, try actually implementing it!

I'm furious! Sounds great Ivo.

Gasman, I empathise. Not whinging at all.