[APBeta] AP and graphics processing

[Paul Rodman]

On Oct 18, 2008, at 02:30 PM, RPEHLM wrote:

> I'm thinking of building a set of graphics libraries and/or scripts  
> for
> AP using the ImageMagick library (available on those weird Mac OSX
> thingies as well as glorious Windows).  There are so many things that
> could be done that I'm finding it a little difficult to get started!
> Hence the following question:
>
> IF you could do graphics operations from within AP what sort of thing
> would you like to be able to do?
>
> The following are a few of the ideas I have had:
>
> 1: Image conversion (including to/from FITS)
> 2: Image titling
> 3: Adding a copyright watermark (similar process to adding a title)
> 4: Making a thumbnail copy of an image
> 5: Simple transformations (rotate, flip, lighten/darken etc)
>
> The major constraint (at the moment) is the process is not  
> particularly
> 'interactive'.  The user would run a script, set a few parameters,  
> check
> the result and retry until the desired result is achived.
>
> Any thoughts?

My thoughts are that APv2 is primarily a tool for _visual_ observers  
to plan and log. However, I have added and will be adding features to  
include astro-imaging planning and "logging". However, that would be  
more organisational rather than image processing (for which there are  
other apps by the bin-full). In the latest release (as yet  
unreleased...) I have added the ability to read FITS files (probably  
not all conceivable formats, but I'm working on it) and the ability to  
flip and rotate said images.

I'm not sure I understand what you have in mind, unless it's a  
separate app controlled via an AP script in some way. Or perhaps the  
command-line ImageMagick interface. As I mentioned in a private e- 
mail, I do have access to a library of image routines.

Also, there is an ImageMagick library for REALbasic available:

<http://www.monkeybreadsoftware.de/realbasic/plugin-imagemagick.shtml>

for Euro 20.

Paul R.