Astro Photography Tool - APT v1.93

[βολιωτης]

http://www.ideiki.com/astro/

 

 

APT - Astro Photography Tool is an application that allows controlling Canon EOS cameras and is completely designed with astro imaging in mind. It is developed from astro photographers for astro photographers. The focus of this tool is to automate the control of your camera, to help in almost all stages of your imaging session, to preserve the dark adaptation of your eyes and to bring all this packed in flexible and easy to use form. Also important part is the possibility to plan and prepare your imaging session before you go out in the field. Currently APT works only on MS Windows.

 

We are very proud that with our user interface, we started a new wave among the developers that work on astronomy dedicated software and now there are other products with similar levels of dark adaptation preservation. Other important point is that we keep close contacts with astro photographers from all over the world and the discussions with them help us a lot to improve APT. Every change is inspired from ours or others real experience under the sky, every new feature is added because there was a need. If you want to see what we made for more than a year, take a look on the History page.

 

Some key features are:

Support for three generations of Canon EOS Models. Check the models matrix page for details.

Dark adaptation friendly user interface

Multi-monitors support

Imaging automation

Images browser

LiveView automation - tunes LiveView parameters for maximum sensitivity

Easy-to-use plans editor

Light, Dark, Flat and Bias exposures plan types

Supports multi-camera operation

Storing destination selection (Camera/PC/Camera+PC)

Live View recording in sequence of JPGs

Field Of View calculator

Alignment aid - Rotatable/Movable cross

Object framing aids

Name prefix for PC stored images

Shoestring Astronomy DSUSB/DSUSB2 support

Support for any Serial control cable. See a list of serial cable vendors

Lens control (Digic III and latter)

Lens aperture control

Support for TEMPer and TEMPerHUM sensors (can be found in eBay too). Never implemented in astro program before!

Displaying the current temperature (requires TEMPer or TEMPerHUM) and current dew point (requires TEMPerHUM)

Corrected image (right orientation) in Preview and LiveView by live flipping of the image horizontally and/or vertically, for easier object framing

LV++ - LiveView image intensification in real time to show fainter objects

LV Stack - Stacks the LiveView images in real time to help fainter objects framing

Sharpening and Negative image effects in Preview and LiveView.

Gamma and Brightness image effects in Preview and LiveView.

Exif Temperature readings - Show them after exposure in plan is taken

Tooltips help - Shows description per every feature (there are translations in English, Dutch, Polish, German, Portuguese, French and more are coming)

Histograms - R, G, B and L histograms of the taken image

FWHM (Full Width Half Maximum) focusing method

PHD Auto-Dithering, exposure Auto-Canceling and real-time monitoring of the distance to the guide star

MetaGuide Auto-Dithering

Storage folder selection (in FULL version only)

Sound notification (in FULL version only)

Multiple color skins (in FULL version only)

Objects browser with 545 objects for size selection and coordinates selection (in FULL version only)

Automatic image name prefix and suffix - ISO, Exposure, Date, Time, EXIF or TemperHUM temperature (in FULL version only)

Notifications for refocusing when the temperature changes or closing dew point to avoid un-needed heating (in FULL version only)

Framing Masks to help during multi-nights sessions. Never implemented in astro program before! (in FULL version only)

ASCOM telescopes control (in FULL version only)

ASCOM focusers control (in FULL version only)

Automatic Lens focusing. Never implemented in astro program before! (in FULL version only)

DARV - Drift Alignment by Robert Vice method - experimental. Never implemented in astro program before! (in FULL version only)

Manual DARV (no Telescope-PC connection required) - experimental. Never implemented in astro program before! (in FULL version only)

Various other small details that make astro imaging easier and pleasant

To see more, go to Features page.

Demo version available in the Download page.

 

 

Features that are planned for the next version:

Addressing more user requests

PointCraft

Zoom enhancements

More things...

 

Planned to include in the next few versions:

DARV using Images

Weather stations integration

APT controlling API

Automatic focusing using motorized focusers

[ziorange]

καλό...αλλα νομίζω δεν δίνει κάτι παραπάνω απ΄τα άλλα προγράμματα! Σε ευχαριστούμε πολύ!!

[ramius]

http://www.ideiki.com/astro/

 

 

Καλημέρα.

 

Προσπαθώ να κατεβάσω την full version του APT και εδώ και δύο ημέρες, το site φαίνεται να μην λειτουργεί. Το μόνο που πρόλαβα, ήταν το demo, που προσωπικά μου άρεσε αρκετά.

Μήπως κάποιος φίλος συμφορουμίτης το έχει? Με το αζημίωτο βέβαια, καθώς κοστίζει 12,70.

 

Ευχαριστώ εκ των προτέρων...

 

 

Δημήτρης

[ikoms]

Αν και καθυστερημένα (δεν έτυχε να το δω το θέμα) εγώ το APT αγόρασα πρόσφατα.

Μετά την αγορά του μου έστειλαν ένα key για κατεβάσω το full version και μάλιστα μου έστειλαν και e-mail που με ενημέρωναν ότι υπάρχει update!

 

Χθες μάλιστα ήρθε και ένα e-mail που αναφέροντάς το στην υπογραφή μας σε ένα αστρονομικό forum θα έχουμε μια παράταση στο registration για 3 μήνες.

Για όσους φίλους λοιπόν έχουν αγοράσει το πρόγραμμα δεν χάνουμε τίποτα να δοκιμάσουμε.

[ikoms]

Πριν από λίγο έλαβα ένα e-mail από τον δημιουργό του APT (Ivaylo Stoynov).

Ενέκρινε λοιπόν την επέκταση της άδειάς μου για 3 μήνες όπως σας αναφέρω παραπάνω.

 

Επίσης έκανε μια μετάφραση στο θέμα κα είδε ότι ο Δημήτρης αντιμετώπισε κάποιο πρόβλημα με το full vesrion και μου είπε ότι αν θέλει ο Δημήτρης να επικοινωνήσει μαζί του.

Ivaylo Stoynov

[βολιωτης]

Σημερα κυκλοφορησε νεα εκδοση .

 

http://www.ideiki.com/astro/

[ikoms]

Ευχαριστώ Αλέξανδρε το είχα ξεχάσει ότι σήμερα θα κυκλοφορούσε.

 

 

2011/3/29 - v.1.50 New features and bug fixes

-Added: DARV - Drift Alignment by Robert Vice method using LiveView. (in full version only)

-Added: Auto detection of the dial mode and advise for the needed mode.

-Added: New plan type - Bias plan. Automatically selects the fastest shutter speed supported by the camera.

-Added: AV dial mode support for Flat plans - the exposure duration will be determined by the camera.

-Added: "L_", "D_", "F_" and "B_" (for Light, Dark, Flat and Bias plans) are added in the beginning of the file names for easier post-processing.

-Added: Image Path selection dialog. (full version only)

-Added: Autostar extension of Telescope Panel with all hand-box keys - available for Meade mounts. (full version only)

-Added: 600D and 1100D support. (may require an non released yet update of the Canon library)

-Change: Telescope connection will not be closed when the panel is closed. (full version only)

-Updated: User's Guide document. (the new things are in green)

-Fixed: A problem with 60D LiveView .

-Fixed: Fix of the problem when ASCOM and EQMode are used. Now tracking will not stop after a move. (full version only)

-Fixed: Some UI issues under Win7.

[βολιωτης]

Τίποτα

 

Μακάρι να υποστήριζε και τη δική μου EOS 10D .

[ikoms]

Μια μικρή αναβάθμηση APT 1.51

 

There is small update of APT - 1.51. The changes are :

 

- Better DARV. The optimal position is displayed as red circle (in full version only)

- Usage of the latest Canon library 2.10.0 that supports 600D and 1100D

- ISO and exposure are restored the previous values after LiveView session

- Verified that 600D works with APT 1.51

[βολιωτης]

Και νέα έκδοση από σήμερα η 1.6 .

[ikoms]

Νέα έκδοση v1.82

 

The issues with v1.80 are resolved and now we have an usable version – v1.82

 

 

2011/10/22 - v.1.80 New features and bug fixes

-Added: Showing the remaining plan duration.

-Added: Showing the expected plan ending time.

-Added: Rotate image effect.

-Added: Magnifier, allows x3, x5, x10 and x15 times zoom.

-Added: AstroTortilla integration (AT team is still working on their side).

-Added: Scripts execution after exposure end.

-Added: Small User Interface enhancements.

-Added: Usability enhancements.

-Added: Showing Alt/Az coordinates (full version only).

-Added: Support for M dial mode for Flat/Bias plans (full version only).

-Added: Possibility to change the limits for Low Cam/PC battery and Cam Space notifications (full version only).

-Added: Start APT in window mode (full version only).

-Added: AutoStar Sync function - Ctrl+Enter (full version only).

-Fixed: Bug that makes APT to crash sometimes when using Focus Aid and Zoom.

-Fixed: Bug that degrades the LiveView image quality in some rare situations.

-Fixed: Bug in scrolling image in left direction.

-Fixed: No low space notification when there is no memory card.

-Fixed: Bug that requires to click once before Zooming LiveView.

-Fixed: 1:1 Scroll mode initially will show the image center.

-Updated: User's Guide document (the new things are in green).

[ikoms]

Νέο update v.1.92 (πριν το release 2 στα τέλη Απριλίου)

 

Hello,

 

A small update was released. It allows to make available few more features before the release of 2.0 that is expect in late April. The 500D and all Digic 2 cameras users will get guiding messages what is the required Mirror Lockup state. Thanks to Jeff Seivert recording audio files for the objects in Object Browser. The complete list is:

 

2012/3/02 - v.1.92 Small update

-Added: Mirror lockup status reporting for all models

 

-Added: Check if Mirror lockup is in the right status depending on the model, Anti-Vibration pause and Automation setting

 

-Added: Check if for the right dial mode when recording HD video

 

-Moved: Object Browser is available in the demo version

 

-Added: Possibility to play MP3 file for object in the Object Browser (requires an audio extension)

 

-Added: Full and short audio extensions as separate downloads in the site

 

-Added: Framing mask flip (180 degrees rotation) for use after Meridian flip (full version only)

 

-Change: Improved "Frames per second" ratio in LiveView Planetary mode, more than twice. The preview refresh rate is slower

 

-Fixed: Bug when plan is executed with Camera only destination and after that again with Camera+PC destination

 

-Fixed: Few more small odd things

 

-Updated: Some of the interesting facts in Objects browser are extended by Jeff Seivert. Thank you!

 

Clear skies,

Ivo