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APT - Astro Photography Tool v1.83
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(released on 2012/01/03)
(next version January 2012)
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APT - Astro Photography Tool is an application that allows controlling Canon EOS cameras and is completely designed
with astro imaging in mind. It is developed from astro photographers for astro photographers. The focus of this tool is to
automate the control of your camera, to help in almost all stages of your imaging session, to preserve the dark adaptation
of your eyes and to bring all this packed in flexible and easy to use form. Also important part is the possibility to plan
and prepare your imaging session before you go out in the field. Currently APT works only on MS Windows.
We are very proud that with our user interface, we started a new wave among the developers that work on astronomy
dedicated software and now there are other products with similar levels of dark adaptation preservation.
Other important point is that we keep close contacts with astro photographers from all over the world and the discussions
with them help us a lot to improve APT. Every change is inspired from ours or others real experience under the sky,
every new feature is added because there was a need.
APT is live project that constantly evolves. For two years were added more than 170 major and many minor features! You can see our progress in the History page.
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The short list is:
- Support for three generations of Canon EOS Models. Check the models matrix
page for details.
- Dark adaptation friendly user interface
- Multi-monitors support
- Imaging automation
- Images browser
- LiveView automation - tunes LiveView parameters for maximum sensitivity
- Easy-to-use plans editor
- Light, Dark, Flat and Bias exposures plan types
- Possibility to track the plan execution progress. Remaining exposures, time and estimated end time.
- Possibility to external scripts and programs.
- Supports multi-camera operation
- Storing destination selection (Camera/PC/Camera+PC)
- Live View recording in sequence of JPGs
- Field Of View calculator
- Alignment aid - Rotatable/Movable cross
- Object framing aids
- Name prefix for PC stored images
- Shoestring Astronomy DSUSB/DSUSB2 support
- Support for any Serial control cable. See a list of serial cable vendors
- Lens control (Digic III and latter)
- Lens aperture control
- Support for TEMPer and TEMPerHUM sensors (can be found in eBay too). Never implemented in astro program before!
- Displaying the current temperature (requires TEMPer or TEMPerHUM)
and current dew point (requires TEMPerHUM)
- Corrected image (right orientation) in Preview and LiveView by live flipping of
the image horizontally and/or vertically, for easier object framing
- LV++ - LiveView image intensification in real time to show fainter objects
- LV Stack - Stacks the LiveView images in real time to help fainter objects framing
- Sharpening and Negative image effects in Preview and LiveView
- Gamma, Brightness and Rotation image effects in Preview and LiveView
- Image magnifier that supports 3x, 5x, 10x and 15x magnifications
- Exif Temperature readings - Show them after exposure in plan is taken
- Tooltips help - Shows description per every feature (there are translations in English, Dutch, Polish, German, Portuguese, French, Italian, Bulgarian, Spanish and more are coming)
- Histograms - R, G, B and L histograms of the taken image
- FWHM (Full Width Half Maximum) focusing method
- PHD Auto-Dithering, exposure Auto-Canceling and real-time monitoring of the distance to the guide star
- MetaGuide Auto-Dithering
- Storage folder selection (in FULL version only)
- Sound notifications (in FULL version only)
- Multiple color skins (in FULL version only)
- Objects browser with 545 objects for size selection and coordinates selection (in FULL version only)
- Automatic image name prefix and suffix - ISO, Exposure, Date, Time, EXIF or TemperHUM
temperature
(in FULL version only)
- Notifications for refocusing when the temperature changes or closing dew point to avoid un-needed heating (in FULL version only)
- Framing Masks to help during multi-nights sessions. Never implemented
in astro program before! (in FULL version only)
- ASCOM telescopes control (in FULL version only)
- ASCOM focusers control (in FULL version only)
- Automatic Lens focusing. Never implemented in astro program before!
(in FULL version only)
- DARV - Drift Alignment by Robert Vice method - experimental.
Never implemented in astro program before! (in FULL version only)
- Manual DARV (no Telescope-PC connection required) - experimental.
Never implemented in astro program before! (in FULL version only)
- Various other small details that make astro imaging easier and pleasant
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To see more, go to Features page.
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Demo version available in the Download page.
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Features that are planned for the next version:
- Addressing more user requests
- PointCraft
- Extending the APT controlling API
- TemperHum v2 support
- Plan editor enhancement
- More things...
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Planned to include in the next few versions:
- DARV using Images
- Weather stations integration
- Automatic focusing using motorized focusers
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