Scripts normal user 'hope'

Software Siril
1

Hi all,

I’m using Siril since 1.5 year and mostly one or two scripts even if for my ‘sessions’ data is not the best way to stack them, but until now, for my surprise, the result has been ‘satisfactory’.

Saying it, I think that mybe more than 90% of the astrophotographers usually do several nights with the same DSO.

The option given by Siril for how process data of ‘several sessions’ is really not clear and very hard to follow for me, but also rely that if is complicated -the suggestion-, is more ‘easy’ that you learn other program (sirilic) for do a script for process it ‘automaticly’.

I would like the developers to reconsider the usual user of this program. Astrophotography is getting very popular in the last 3 years and most of the ppl are a beginners amateurs like me and no related with Astronomy/Astrophisic/Science directly. Even though I have to learn a lot of things for be abble to reach a good level of image acquisition and second and no less in importance, process the data in a stacking and then imaging program.

One thing is manage the settings of the basic astrophotography programs (and have the criteria when to use each of the options), or write a suffix or create folder for dispose the data in a way that the program can read it under a script for Siril in this case, and other very different ask to the user learn a programming lenguaje for be able to full use the potenciality of the program.

I’m not a programmer, and to be honest I’m scared to put my hand in something I do not understand how to manage at all, less in a script (I readed several times the script session, the commander session and sirilic part and I’m sorry I get lost) and where a single wrong ‘dot’ can just induce an error. Just overhelm my capacity.

Siril has evolved in an impresive way and new features since I knowed and used it and its team has done an extraordinary work and best of all is Free, but I feel if developers has done the script option for smooth the work that the program do processing the user image data (saving a lot of time that no need to be sticked within the PC) mybe do a special window for insert in the script like OSC_Preprocessing for example and give the user the opportunity:

  • to write the percentage of best frames to stack
  • select the frame that should be the ‘guide’ for stack (or at least that the script choose the frame with better values automaticly and not just the first frame light by default)

Also I wonder how the ppl that have dedicated astrocamera do with LRGB data when they have to repetely 16 times same steps for get a final result, why there is not a script for that fundamental and usual data astro process in Siril?

Same for several nights sessions as mentioned before.

In conclusion as a Siril user I feel that I can not use its full capacity and process my data in more eficient way.

The last six months I choosed to stack in DSS and process that data (at least I know is stacked properly the several nights with its calibrated associated frames in ‘one single shot’) and also I stack with Siril mixing all for have ‘one shot hopeless result’, processing it and blend both for completiness in a final merge image.

The Siril ‘result’ image have a special ‘granulosity’ that I like more than the one I get from DSS for example.

Is the best way? No, but is the solution I found.

Is just a hope from a normal user that someday the script tool can offer more options and friendly modification without the need to be a programmer.

Best Regard and Clear Slies

Chicca

PD If there is any that have done a script for several nights data of the same DSO for Siril I will appreciate let me know.

2

Hello.
What a big message. Will try to answer to everything.
First, thanks for your kind message.

Second, as you said, astrophotography is a particularly difficult area where the prerequisites are mandatory.
Siril is not really difficult to use, astrophotography need to be understood first. Try to use Blender with no 3D prerequisites ? If I try it I will feel like a chicken using a knife. And this is normal.

Scripts have been created for that, for helping people to process their image as soon as they have first subs. However, you will never have a better result with scripts as if you do it manually.

DSS can do it all automatically, yes that is true, however as you said, result looks nicer with Siril ? Why ? Because Siril needs some human intervention. I don’t believe in a all automatic software, for every situation.

You can add it in the script if you want. Also Sirilic can write scripts for you with no effort.

This can be done too in the script. But to know the best image a first pass need to be done. Ideally I would apply a “PSF for the sequence”. This is a tool dedicated for that. But it can not be implemented in scripts for many reasons and the main is you need to chose the star you want to analyze.

I’m sorry, I don’t understand. What do you mean by ppl ?

Only preprocessing have been scripted. Because it is reproductible steps. This is just maths.

Sirilic is dedicated to it. It is not difficult to use. In fact, if we used to code something for multisession we would code it like it is in sirilic. So we don’t want to reinvent the wheel.

Have you ever tried PixInsight? This software is a way more complicated to use than Siril. But it is better too. DSS is easy to use yes, but we do prefer quality. I’m not saying that DSS is bad, but again the “all automatic” has its down side.

Over the past few months we’ve been writing a lot of new tutorials, with lots of screenshots. I believe Siril is now more affordable than before. You can find the whole documentation of sirilic too.

Cheers,

3

For OP - Hello, I am a new user of Siril.

For multiple sessions, I use the recommended Sirilic program. I have not needed any scripting - it is all click - click -click to select options (and some drag and drop for files).

For single session if you want to build a script with your own parameters it will do that also, again only click-click to set the options you want and then it just outputs the script.

Reference frame selection i dont know. I cannot see how to do it automatically unless you take some arbitrary quality metric.

For developers - it took some time to find Sirilic and use it, even though it is referred to in tutorials.

A suggestion is to add a menu item called multiple session / scripting which when clicked opens Sirilic directly. That will make it more “visible” and also easier to use.

And also have a separate link for multiple sessions / scripting on the tutorial page. It can just link to the Sirilic page.

4

Hi Lock042,

Many thanks for your comment.

I just try to bring to Siril developters team a point of view of a ‘normal’ user that has been using this free an extraordinary program for almost two years.

A normal user that invested time to read every single point in the old and new website, plus all the manuals and saw alredy all the Siril videos.

Is almost imposible avoid to do a comparision when there are only two ‘Free’ fundamental programs that can do a stacking process with high quality result: Siril and Deep Sky Stacker. Others like Sequaror is more for other kind of stack and basicly for Milky Way/panorama images not for DSO -in my modest opinion-.

Not sure why to bring ‘Blender’ or ‘Pix Insight’ into this. Is other category and I’m not planning to get into PI in the near future, but as you called it, PI have the possibility to do several night sessions with a final result stack in 4 steps: from each night sessions produce a calibrated light with its dark, flats, bias associated, then registered each session night, then aligned all sessions choosing a guide frame for all them, then Integrated all the calibrated-registered lights of all sessions for produce a final result.

Is not even about ‘automatization’ as you wrongly call in regard DSS, while Siril’s script is indeed an ‘automatization’ of the Siril process stacking…for a single group of frames.

Manually: the user need to choose the same settings and parameters in Siril as in DSS but with a noted difference: while in DSS it can be done in just one go or two steps (if you want to choose before the final stack the frame guide) in Siril you need 26 steps for to do the same.

Is about workflow.

More in deep, DSS can also do the several night sessions with the same one or two steps, while Siril required not only the manually 26 steps for each night session but also that the user manage other program for work the stacking of several session process in the main Siril program.

And a lot of disck space. For example for 378 frames stacked took me 650 Gb, for 2 drizzle 1.2 Tb

So in the end, is a user problem decide enter in the Siril workflow perspective or not for do a properly ‘several night sessions’.

Tha’s all, but that does meant is more eficiently or reward more quality in the stacking final image.

I also comment that I like more the ‘granulosity’ of the final Siril ‘result’ image than the one that came from DSS, but that doesnt meant that DSS final stack has less quality compared with Siril ones.

In fact, is the reason I ended blending both stacking images after I process them in a imaging program.

Anyways it was just a consideration, keep the good work and Clear Skies.

Best regards
Chicca

5

Hi Random Thought,

Thanks for your comments. Mybe you are a new Siril user but you have skills in programming.

As I comment I’m vey satisfy with Siril result until now in my way to stack the images trying avoiding all the tedious passages manually by using the alredy Siril scripts.

Even If I know I’m doing a mix that can degrade the output quality of the image, I getting that risk in conscious, (in the end I have a parameter that is telling me if the Siril result is good or not).

Mybe in the future I retake the challenge and go more in deep in Sirilic and see how I can solve this.
Keep going the good work and Clear Skies!
Chicca

6

Yes, and this is the same with Siril of course.

Yes. And this is a choice we want to keep as it. We want to keep all temporary files in order to work again on the intermediate files if needed. If disk space is too critical for you, then you can either work in 16bits or/and compress the FITS files.

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Hello Chicca,

I think there is some confusion.

I am referring to the app called Sirilic. It is a separate program from Siril.

You can find it at Siril - Sirilic

Installation etc is all explained on that web page. If you go through it you will see the screenshot also.

It has NO programming required. You just select the options you want in the interface. It creates a script automatically. You can run it or if you want save the script with those options for further use.

I have used it many times for the workflow you have mentioned. And with ZERO programming.

Regards

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