Deconvolution and file types

[Astroscapist]

I want to use deconvolution of some of my FITS-files which are in a linear form and then save it to FITS-file so I can edit it in another software. Can I do that? And if yes, how do I do it?

/Stefan

[admin]

I want to use deconvolution of some of my FITS-files which are in a linear form and then save it to FITS-file so I can edit it in another software. Can I do that? And if yes, how do I do it?

/Stefan

Hi Stefan,

You can do sort of do this, however there are a couple of significant caveats;

Like many other modules, Decon in StarTools uses knowledge about how you stretched and enhanced detail in your image for determining how much to deconvolve per-pixel (hence decon in StarTools coming quite a bit later in your workflow). If you decide to stretch and post-process in other applications, this knowledge would be based on incorrect assumptions. It would still likely be miles ahead of what other software would produce, but it will be sub-optimal and artefacts/grain more noticeable, unless you perfectly replicate the stretch and detail enhancement in the other application.

You can at any point revert to the the linear, deconvolved data using the Restore function. You cannot save the data as FITS, but you can save it as 16-bit TIFF files. Given the data would have been pre-processed/optimized and cleaned up using Wipe, this loss in bit-depth should have negligible effects on the result achievable in other applications.

Hope this helps,

[Mike in Rancho]

Hey Stefan,

I would just add that you might need to compose the data and choose RGB, RGB (Legacy) so that the saved out tiff, after restore (linear, wiped, deconvolved) gives you a color file and not mono?

Uncertain what type of original data you are contemplating here. Anyway and using such a compose, Wipe probably can't be skipped and maybe shouldn't be anyway, in order to set the channel floors. But, if your plans for that include other software, actual gradient aggressiveness could be lowered or even zeroed out.

The file as noted will be 16 bit tiff (unsure if 32 might be in the works someday?) but if needed you could convert that back to fits in something like ASTAP, DSS, or other programs I'm sure.

[Astroscapist]

I want to use deconvolution of some of my FITS-files which are in a linear form and then save it to FITS-file so I can edit it in another software. Can I do that? And if yes, how do I do it?

/Stefan

Hi Stefan,

You can do sort of do this, however there are a couple of significant caveats;

Like many other modules, Decon in StarTools uses knowledge about how you stretched and enhanced detail in your image for determining how much to deconvolve per-pixel (hence decon in StarTools coming quite a bit later in your workflow). If you decide to stretch and post-process in other applications, this knowledge would be based on incorrect assumptions. It would still likely be miles ahead of what other software would produce, but it will be sub-optimal and artefacts/grain more noticeable, unless you perfectly replicate the stretch and detail enhancement in the other application.

You can at any point revert to the the linear, deconvolved data using the Restore function. You cannot save the data as FITS, but you can save it as 16-bit TIFF files. Given the data would have been pre-processed/optimized and cleaned up using Wipe, this loss in bit-depth should have negligible effects on the result achievable in other applications.

Hope this helps,

Ahh ok. Thanks!

Hey Stefan,

I would just add that you might need to compose the data and choose RGB, RGB (Legacy) so that the saved out tiff, after restore (linear, wiped, deconvolved) gives you a color file and not mono?

Uncertain what type of original data you are contemplating here. Anyway and using such a compose, Wipe probably can't be skipped and maybe shouldn't be anyway, in order to set the channel floors. But, if your plans for that include other software, actual gradient aggressiveness could be lowered or even zeroed out.

The file as noted will be 16 bit tiff (unsure if 32 might be in the works someday?) but if needed you could convert that back to fits in something like ASTAP, DSS, or other programs I'm sure.

I'm outputting a linear FITS from APP. Want do use functions in Startools and then save it back to a linear FITS file so I further process it in APP.
I would like to output a stretched file from APP. But the deconvolution works best in linear mode, or so they all say.

/Stefan

[hixx]

Hi Stefan,
I think the better path would be the linear one. Outputting stretched files from APP, would require You to reverse the stretched file while importing into ST (as "non-linear sRGB source"), but that would result in losing signal fidelity.
If You really feel the need of "polishing" ST images to taste, You might want to try to apply a stretch after Wipe, run DECON and whatever suitable ST modules up to Tracking off, then save as 16-bit TIFF file and reload this into APP. APP should be able to handle this stretched image, requiring a shorter way to go in tab 9) "Tools".
The best results I could get from my limited datasets using this combo was by using APP as a great stacker and ST as an awesome AP Post-processing engine....

Clear Skies,
Jochen