RegiStar Revision History
Since it was released in May 2000, RegiStar has undergone several revisions and improvements. The current version is 1.0.10. Below is a list of the key new features added in each release. For additional detail, see the Registar Help system.
Version 1.0.10 (released February 2021) (download):
- Support for Raw images. Images taken with cameras whose sensors have a color Bayer grid are now opened by RegiStar. Native raw pixel values are read on open and are bicubically interpolated as necessary during a processing sequence, thus optimizing data fidelity. More detail.
- Preprocessing. Dark-frame subtraction and flat-field adjustment are now implemented. These preliminary steps can be performed on a collection of linear images (for example, raw images), with the resulting corrected output then processed using Register, Combine, and other operations.
- Display Control. A new Display Control dialog replaces the previous Display Scaling dialog. Gamma adjustment, in addition to range adjustment, can be applied so linear images render well on screen.
- Capture Display. This new command outputs a screen-adjusted copy of an image that is being displayed with range- or gamma-adjustment, or a raw image that is being displayed as RGB.
- Rotate/Flip. This new command allows you to correctly orient an image that may have been rotated or flipped because of camera rotation or inverted optics.
- Cropping masks. A rectangular cropping mask can now be drawn on any image, which has the effect of restricting operations (except preprocessing) to the specified region. Masks can be applied in bulk to a directory of images.
- The Calibrate “all open images” option now iteratively calibrates images even if they have no overlap with the originally selected reference image. This option now allows all component images for a mosaic to be calibrated to each other using a single command.
- Other enhancements.
- See build history for a list of patches and bug fixes.
Version 1.0.9 (released February 2016):
- Multithreading. The Register, Locate Stars, Combine, and Calibrate commands are now parallelized.
- Improved noise handling and registration accuracy. Noise, including fixed hot pixels, is now better detected and rejected, fully automatically.
- Geometric inversion. Registrations that require a geometric flip are now performed.
- Larger distortion. Images with even higher relative geometric distortion are now registered to each other.
- Improved and faster star location. In addition to multithreading, the Locate Stars command has been modified for improved speed and star detection, especially in raw linear images and noisy images.
- Display scaling. The default percentile values have been changed to 99.9 and 0.01, which gives better screen rendition especially on raw linear images with high bit depth. A new Preferences option is provided to automatically display-scale images with bit depth greater than 8.
- Larger zoom range. The range for zooming out has been increased so that very large images can be viewed in their entirety.
- See build history for a list of patches and bug fixes.
Version 1.0.8 (released April 2015):
- 64-bit processing. RegiStar now comes in 32-bit and 64-bit versions. The 64-bit version, which can only be installed under a 64-bit operating system, can handle a large amount of image data, especially if the system has adequate installed memory.
- BigTIFF support. RegiStar can now open and save TIFF images with very large dimensions. RegiStar supports 8- and 16-bit TIFF images.
- Unlimited evaluation period. The evaluation version of RegiStar can now be used indefinitely, with no 30-day time limit. The only restriction is that images cannot be saved.
- New installer. RegiStar installation now does not usually require any special measures. RegiStar 1.0.8 can be installed under Windows XP or higher.
- HTML-based Help. Accessing the RegiStar Help system no longer requires installation of the Microsoft patch for the old Help protocol.
- Check for Updates. A new Help menu command that connects to the Auriga Imaging website to check for a newer version of RegiStar.
- See build history for a list of patches and bug fixes.
Version 1.0.7 (released April 2004):
- The ability to process several images as a batch. An entire directory of images can now be registered using just one Register command. Also, several images can be processed at a time using the expanded Calibrate and Crop/Pad commands.
- The ability to specify the dimensions of registered images directly in the Register command, instead of through a separate Crop/Pad command.
- A simpler, more direct licensing system. RegiStar now automatically obtains License Keys by connecting directly to the Auriga Imaging website. Also, if a change to a computer’s configuration causes it to require a new License Key, the new key is automatically generated.
- Better support for multiple-user operating systems such as Windows XP and Windows 2000. All users can run RegiStar after it has been installed by a user who has administrator privileges, with individual users retaining customized program settings.
- More details.
Version 1.0.6 (released April 2002):
- An enhanced Combine command, with new Median/Mean, Sum, Difference, and Absolute Difference options. In addition, images can now be assigned “weights” in any Combine operation.
- A Close All item in the File menu, to quickly close all open images.
Version 1.0.5 (released November 2001):
- A change to the star-detection algorithm so that stars in star maps are better detected, thus improving RegiStar’s ability to register stellar images to star maps.
Version 1.0.4 (released October 2001):
- A “Noise reduction” control in the Registration control dialog which may give improved registration on very noisy images.
- Improvements to RegiStar's handling of FITS files.
- Addressing of some issues relating to the Windows 2000 operating system.
Version 1.0.3 (released May 2001):
- Support for FITS images.
- Refinements to the RegiStar registration algorithm. RegiStar is now better able to register images that have only a few stars.
- A new naming system for images created by RegiStar, which makes it easier to see at a glance how an image was created.
Version 1.0.2 (released October 2000):
- A new Median Combine option.
- Refinements to the image registration algorithm: RegiStar can now handle even greater levels of noise and image distortion.
- More robust reading of TIFF images.
Version 1.0.1 (released May 2000):
- A new Difference view, in addition to the existing Multiple images view.
|