iAstroPhoto v. 1.2.1
Focus Module
Other Features
This page describes features not described on the quick start page. See the interface page for more details on usage
(click on the thumbnails to see larger images)
Saving Images Taken Under USB Control : Images taken under USB control are automatically downloaded from the camera. The default location is the directory /tmp. In the Preferences dialog box you can select the location on your disk for these downloaded pictures as well as select whether the images taken with the camera control module are erased on program exit. Images taken with the focuser module are always erased on program exit. In bulb mode the images remain on the camera.
Shutter Interval Timer: You can set up the software so it will repeatedly take and download pictures so that you can change focus between exposures without having to touch the computer. See here to find out how via the shutter timer check box.
Clear History button: Erases the image history so you can start over.
Auto Center check box: Allows you to have the extract automatically center on an object in the selected extract region. This works best when there is only one bright, round object entirely contained in the extract. Auto center should be turned off when working with larger objects such as the moon.
Analysis Type selection: iAstroPhoto can measure the focus of either points or edges. Points are appropriate to stars and edges are appropriate to planets or the moon. You control this via a pop-up menu, which has the following choices:
Analysis Channel selection: A pop-up menu which allows you to focus using the luminance, red, green or blue channels of the image.
Half-image checkbox: When checked, the analysis uses only the right half of the x cross section and the lower half of the y cross section. Useful when focusing on planets when a cross section may cross more than one edge, by making sure only one edge is in the right or lower half of the extract.
Analysis Direction selection: A pop-up menu which allows you to choose which cross section is used for focus analysis. Use of this menu will turn on and off appropriate graph displays.
Graph Display selection: Turns on or off graphs in the display of the current extract.
Extract Zooming: zoom up or down the extract displays in the image history via the up and down arrows.
Focuser setting data: Allows you to input the setting of your telescope's focuser for those of us who have focusers with digital readouts. The setting for each image is displayed in that image's extract in the image history region. Useful to return to the best focus setting. Data is input after each image is downloaded from the camera:
Turned on or off in the Focuser pull-down menu.
Draw White Text : A menu item that toggles the use of color in the focus window. White text us useful if you cover the screen with a red filter (also triggered by command-T).
Speak Focus : A menu item that toggles spoken output for each new focus image, providing the score and an indication of whether or not the focus is improved (also triggered by command-S).