Improvements to Polar Alignment
Posted: Wed Apr 21, 2021 9:39 pm
I feel a bit nervous about these changes, since Polar Alignment is so popular - I don't want to upset existing users, but while looking at the user experience as part of improving the star detection I decided that it really needed some tweaks to tidy things up.
[Note: these changes are not released yet - I expect them to be available in an update available on the 26th April]
The introduction stage of Polar Alignment (where it lists the things you need) remains largely unchanged - just tweaks to the text. I won't show that here...
Step1 - First Image is changed somewhat
Changes that you will notice here include :
Location and auto-advance options were on the far right, they are now in the second column. This is part of an overall drive to improve the 'flow' of the user interface, so that things you should do first are on the left and things you do later are further right. I view the location as something to setup right at the start, so it moves left.
Similarly, the star detection (which was to the right of the 'First Frame' info panel) is now to the left - the first frame data depends on the star detection being OK, so the star detection should come first.
If you look at the star detection you will see that the settings have changed - I've brought the new star detection algorithm that I added to multi-star FWHM into Polar Align. I general, the sensitivity adjustment is the one that you are most likely to need to adjust. The plate solve status for the most recent frame is immediately below the star detection settings - changing star detection has an immediate effect on plate solving, so it's good to put them together.
The 'First Frame' info is now to the far right, since it's the result of this stage - that pattern continues through the rest of the UI
Step 2 - Second image continues with similar adjustments
The changes here are to make the main star detection controls available (so you can make adjustments after rotating if stars are fainter once you have rotated). Again the ordering of the columns has been changed so that the controls are to the left of the second frame information, which is then followed by the polar alignment error measurement.
This step used to show the 'First Frame' data alongside the 'Second Frame' data - there was no way to nicely keep that info and add the star detection controls, so I decided to remove the First Frame data.
Finally, the adjustment stage
Again I have made the star detection sensitivity available in case it is needed. Also the left-to-right flow is maintained with the result being on the far right.
Hopefully these changes improve the consistency of the experience - for instance you now always work left to right and find the results on the far right. You will also always find the plate solving status beneath the star detection controls.
I'm also considering some other tweaks to try to make the whole thing easier to use - for instance :
* Setting a 1s exposure and approx 30x gain when Polar Alignment is selected (or on a button press?)
* Suggesting correctionts to make to gain/exposure/sensitivity if too many or too few stars are detected
* Suggesting checking field-of-view and whether close enough to the pole if stars are detected but cannot be plate solved
If anyone has any feedback on these changes (or any other common 'gotchas' that they encounter in polar alignment that could be improved) then I'd be interested to hear.
cheers,
Robin
[Note: these changes are not released yet - I expect them to be available in an update available on the 26th April]
The introduction stage of Polar Alignment (where it lists the things you need) remains largely unchanged - just tweaks to the text. I won't show that here...
Step1 - First Image is changed somewhat
Changes that you will notice here include :
Location and auto-advance options were on the far right, they are now in the second column. This is part of an overall drive to improve the 'flow' of the user interface, so that things you should do first are on the left and things you do later are further right. I view the location as something to setup right at the start, so it moves left.
Similarly, the star detection (which was to the right of the 'First Frame' info panel) is now to the left - the first frame data depends on the star detection being OK, so the star detection should come first.
If you look at the star detection you will see that the settings have changed - I've brought the new star detection algorithm that I added to multi-star FWHM into Polar Align. I general, the sensitivity adjustment is the one that you are most likely to need to adjust. The plate solve status for the most recent frame is immediately below the star detection settings - changing star detection has an immediate effect on plate solving, so it's good to put them together.
The 'First Frame' info is now to the far right, since it's the result of this stage - that pattern continues through the rest of the UI
Step 2 - Second image continues with similar adjustments
The changes here are to make the main star detection controls available (so you can make adjustments after rotating if stars are fainter once you have rotated). Again the ordering of the columns has been changed so that the controls are to the left of the second frame information, which is then followed by the polar alignment error measurement.
This step used to show the 'First Frame' data alongside the 'Second Frame' data - there was no way to nicely keep that info and add the star detection controls, so I decided to remove the First Frame data.
Finally, the adjustment stage
Again I have made the star detection sensitivity available in case it is needed. Also the left-to-right flow is maintained with the result being on the far right.
Hopefully these changes improve the consistency of the experience - for instance you now always work left to right and find the results on the far right. You will also always find the plate solving status beneath the star detection controls.
I'm also considering some other tweaks to try to make the whole thing easier to use - for instance :
* Setting a 1s exposure and approx 30x gain when Polar Alignment is selected (or on a button press?)
* Suggesting correctionts to make to gain/exposure/sensitivity if too many or too few stars are detected
* Suggesting checking field-of-view and whether close enough to the pole if stars are detected but cannot be plate solved
If anyone has any feedback on these changes (or any other common 'gotchas' that they encounter in polar alignment that could be improved) then I'd be interested to hear.
cheers,
Robin