310 replies to this topic

[Marcelofig]

RC Astro has just released version 2.0 of BlurXTerminator and it looks fantastic:

 

https://www.rc-astro...-0-ai4-release/

[fmeschia]

One year after the first release, another quantum leap!

 

Here's the corner of an integrated image affected by off-axis astigmatism and coma, processed with AI2:

 

Here's the same corner, processed with AI4:

[andysea]

Thanks for the heads up! I wonder why I did not get any email notifications about this.

[psandelle]

I saw it on FB, and I even watched the countdown to download! (Never got an email, either.) Wow! I really like it! I promptly went through a lot of VERY early images I took when first starting out and cleaned them all the heck up! It aaaaaaaaaaalmooooost feels like cheating, but when I tried it on my latest stuff, not a huge difference, so I feel okay about it.

Paul

[fmeschia]

And aberration correction is only one of the new features. Another one, very important as well, is the conservation of star flux! So you can correct stars first, and then do SPCC.

[psandelle]

And aberration correction is only one of the new features. Another one, very important as well, is the conservation of star flux! So you can correct stars first, and then do SPCC.

I haven't tested that part of it out yet, as my subs are from sooooooooooooooooooooooooo long ago, I can't remember what scope and what pixel size the camera was, so I can't solve!

[Dean J.]

The improved optical aberration correction does work quite a bit better with my data.

[Jeff Morgan]

Thanks for the heads up! I wonder why I did not get any email notifications about this.

 

Check your PixInsight Updates.

 

I didn't get a notification either. It was just there.

Edited by Jeff Morgan, 14 December 2023 - 05:30 PM.

[idclimber]

There is also a YouTube video by Adam Block and Russ. Here is the link. From this look it is an impressive update. 

https://www.youtube....h?v=nLyZGzT8T5c

Edited by idclimber, 14 December 2023 - 05:35 PM.

[Higgsfield]

It's a big improvement for sure! Especially, when it comes to elongated stars.  I had issues last year with tilt and mirror heat expansion that resulted in elongated stars in the bottom right corner of my images.

 

Here is an example starting with the original:

 

 

The Version of BXT with AI2 resulted in this image:

 

 

And, with AI4 this image:

 

 

Very impressed!

Edited by Higgsfield, 15 December 2023 - 03:24 AM.

[cmanley134]

For reflector users, I find that it's handling my diffraction spikes a lot better than previously. Also does a better job of reducing some aberrations that I have from the mirror clips and drawtube intrusion into the light path. Oh, and nonstellar shows a nice improvement too. Great update!

[gcardona]

It looks like we don't need tilt adjustments anymore!

[Dean J.]

It looks like we don't need tilt adjustments anymore!

… and not everyone will need to buy a super expensive scope.  

[Higgsfield]

The big change is auto PSF actually now does something. Previously it did nothing! Manual PSF often gave better results.  Correct first may be mute? More testing needing really. Did anyone notice the the default star reduction is now 50 and stella sharping has been knocked back by 30%?

 

Who needs a field flattener right?

Edited by Higgsfield, 14 December 2023 - 06:44 PM.

[Tkall]

Load it on to Elon Musk's little brain chips and we won't need eye glasses anymore.

[tomb18]

After weeks and weeks of dialing in my Celestron Edge 9.25 with reducer I was never able to get good stars even at APC size with a blue filter.  All other filters were great at full frame size on an ASi6200.  I adjusted back focus from 146 all the way to 152mm.

That has now changed!  My stars in the corner with an enlargement equivalent to a 6' by 3' in the blue channel are perfect.  And I mean perfect!

 

Amazing....

[tomb18]

Here is a before image:

 

Attached Thumbnails

• 

[tomb18]

Here is after.  This level of zoom in is equivalent to a print 6 feet x 3 feet.

 

 

Attached Thumbnails

• 

[Churmey]

This is an amazing process and this update takes it to almost perfection. On one hand, I love it and it just makes life so much easier. On the other hand, I'm somewhat saddened that learned skill is going to be lost. There is something about starting out in this hobby and, over time, realizing all the imperfections that need improvements that ultimately sharpen our skills. I have mixed feelings but, like others have said, it will change our approach and allow the use of scope configurations that we might not have otherwise used. One that comes to mind is, for me, I guess I can use that Samyang F2 wide open now ha ha

[tomb18]

And maybe my Nikon Noct 58mm f/1.2

[dan_hm]

This is an amazing process and this update takes it to almost perfection. On one hand, I love it and it just makes life so much easier. On the other hand, I'm somewhat saddened that learned skill is going to be lost. There is something about starting out in this hobby and, over time, realizing all the imperfections that need improvements that ultimately sharpen our skills. I have mixed feelings but, like others have said, it will change our approach and allow the use of scope configurations that we might not have otherwise used. One that comes to mind is, for me, I guess I can use that Samyang F2 wide open now ha ha

I disagree that dealing with bad stars on something like a Samyang at f/2 (try imaging at f/1.4!) is something you overcome with skill.  Fast lenses usually are nearly unusable for astrophotography and the only way to "fix" them is by infinitely returning your copy until you get one that happens to be well corrected across a field.  There's no skill in that.  Even extensive adjustment of backfocus (which wastes clear nights) often does little, if anything.  I see this new version of BXT as only a good thing.  It'll let people make use of their fast lenses without having to spend a lifetime adjusting backfocus or having to buy 10 copies of a lens in the hopes of getting a good one.

 

Plus, even the new version is far from magical.  While the effect on coma is vastly improved, there is still visible tilt in my pictures taken at f/1.4.  It's mild enough to be usable, but I will still try to fix it through tilt adjustment. 

[dan_hm]

Some examples of the new BXT vs the old BXT:

 

Original image

 

 

Previous version of BXT

 

New version of BXT

[Gert]

Hello All,

 

Testing with data from the 200mm Canon F2.8 operating at full aperture. (surely not a good idea!).

 

Top : Original data

Bottom left : BlurXT V1 AI2

Bottom right : BlurXT V2 AI4

 

This a renaissance for fast optics maybe even classic old lenses from Film days (that are now cheap on Ebay!). Opening a less costly route for beginners to great images. I like it.

 

 

 

 

Clear Skies,

Gert

[smiller]

Initial testing indicates it’ll be a significant leap for me as I tear down my system after each use, so I never have super perfect tilt or collimation…. or anything.

 

Also with a full frame camera in my reduced observational Dobsonian, I’m pushing well past the design limits so my corner stars are never perfect.  I’ve managed to get them pretty decent, but always a bit oblong in one corner or the other.  

 

Now they are pretty much round with BXT 2.0 corralling those pesky photons back to where they should be!

Edited by smiller, 14 December 2023 - 10:42 PM.

[tomb18]

We can say thee same thing about average scopes. Unless you are willing to pay big bucks for larger scopes like CDK or AGOptical  that are well corrected, many of us have had to use less than optimal scope like the Celestron Edge scopes.  When you throw a reducer in the mix, the images are a compromise.

I have spent the better part of a year trying to adjust back focus to get the blue channel on my c9.25 to show decent stars at APC sized.  I threw out many many images since I was just not satisfied.

So, I could have gotten rid of the scope, waited years for a better one to appear at that size and price point, or I can use a piece of software that fixes these anomalies.

With BXT 2, one can now just set back focus to the recommended value, and start taking pictures.  No more fussing with a compromise scope.

.Can't wait to try this on my Nikon Noct f/1.2.  Although elements were handmade in this lens to reduce spherical aberration and coma, it didn't do a great job wide open.  I think this will now work wonders since the aberrations were nowhere as bad as that of my Celestron.

Tom

.