RGBSplit - call for Beta Testers

iceman (Mike) · #1 09-06-2006, 11:38 AM

Hi all.

Adam Bialek (HitchHiker) has written a VB application front-end which takes as input one or more folders which contain BMP files, and splits each BMP into it's red/green/blue channels, outputting the result into their own Red/Green/Blue folders.

It's basically a nice front-end to take the place of netpbm tools (that I use) and aviraw (that other people use). The command-line challenged need not fear this application.

It's designed to be run in the following workflow:
1) Save your avi as a set of BMP files (using virtualdub or similar)
2) Run ppmcentre on your BMPs (crop, centre, rank)
3) Run RGBSplit to split your BMPs into their separate colour channels
4) Pass each set of BMPs through registax
5) Recombine back into a colour image (using AstraImage, Photoshop, etc)

In the future, it will also be integrated with ppmcentre, so points (2) and (3) in the workflow above can be automated by a single GUI application.

It can work on a single directory, or you can do it in batch by loading multiple directories and then processing them.

It has been tested on Windows XP and Windows 2000 on a few different computers, but before final release, it needs to be tested on some other configurations of hardware/operating system (windows only). There may need to be VB libraries downloaded in various configurations, etc.

If you'd like to be a beta tester and help Adam iron out any last minute bugs (or offer suggestions/feedback for improvements), please raise your hand by way of posting a reply here or a PM.

I've ran and used the application and it works great!

iceman (Mike) · #2 09-06-2006, 11:53 AM

Attached is a PDF help file to show you what it looks like and some instructions for its use.

Hitchhiker · #3 09-06-2006, 01:14 PM

Quote:

There may need to be VB libraries downloaded in various configurations

RGBSplit is written in Visual Basic. To run a Visual Basic program on your windows PC you need to have installed the Visual Basic runtime libraries. Windows versions after Windows 2000 (ie Windows 2000 and XP) have the runtime libraries already installed so RGBSplit should run with no action from the user.

Users who have an earlier version of windows may not have the runtime installed - having said this, there is a good chance you will as many programs have been written in VB. If you need the latest Visual Basic 6 runtime it can be downloaded here:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/d...displaylang=en

joe_smith · #4 09-06-2006, 03:04 PM

I will put up my hand

love VB

33South (Chris) · #5 09-06-2006, 03:57 PM

Hi Adam,

I'll try it in various Windows versions, even 2003R2

I love VBApps Beta testing, yeah I know I should get out more.

Chris.

davidpretorius · #6 09-06-2006, 07:15 PM

my hand is up!!

Astroman (Andrew Wall) · #7 09-06-2006, 07:31 PM

I'll test it when it and ppmcentre are intergrated into registax

Hitchhiker · #8 10-06-2006, 06:03 PM

Quote:

I will put up my hand

love VB

Quote:

I love VBApps Beta testing, yeah I know I should get out more

I can feel the love in this thread, thanks guys!

I love VB, too! I mostly use VB for Applications at work to automate stuff in Excel and Access - mostly data gathering and analysis. However, I am not a professional programmer, so please be gentle! I have mostly used VB to create various apps for myself - nobody else gets to see them, so creating something for others to use is a new experience for me and I'm sure there are plenty of things I have forgotten or don't know.

Quote:

my hand is up!!

Thanks DP! What tool are you currently using to split into RGB? Can you do a batch process in this app? Mike seemed pretty keen about batch processing!

Quote:

I'll test it when it and ppmcentre are intergrated into registax

I think that's going to be way beyond me!

What I intend to do from here (besides making sure that RGBSplit is a useable tool) is a 'proof of concept' GUI front end to ppmcentre, then a standalone GUI front end to ppmcentre, then integrate RGBSplit and ppmcentre to eliminate some steps from the workflow Mike outlined. The ppmcentre front end will call ppmcentre with the correct command line arguments - all the real work is done by ppmcentre (which by the way is a fantastic app - command line or no command line!)

davidpretorius · #9 10-06-2006, 06:32 PM

hey hitchy, i use vb.net to write web applications mainly. I have been using aviraw to split avis and then bink amd smacker to split split the avis into bmps, they have batch capbilities.

let me know if you want any source code help.

33South (Chris) · #10 10-06-2006, 07:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by davidpretorius

let me know if you want any source code help.

same here,
I've been a professional programmer most of my working life and in VB since VB1 in the early 90s.

RB (Andrew) · #11 10-06-2006, 07:37 PM

I'd love to try it too please.

Hitchhiker · #12 10-06-2006, 09:33 PM

Wow! There's some serious VB firepower on Ice In Space!

I'm pretty happy with what I have done so far - I've tried to make it simple and usable. But what might seem simple and logical to me might be confusing to someone else. I'll be looking forward to comments on useability, especially.

I'm also looking forward to some 'fresh eyes' using the app to pick up things I might have missed.

One thing I'm not happy with is the Add Folders... interface - it only allows one folder at a time to be selected and it is not very obvious which folder is actually selected, especially if you're in a hurry. I will be replacing this with a more 'Explorer' like interface as I get time. Since you can drag and drop folders from Windows Explorer I'm not too worried about that.

On the ppmcentre front I've just done a 'quick and dirty' VB app to run ppmcentre with some 'vanilla' parameters - this works OK so it should be fairly easy to create a VB front end to ppmcentre for those who aren't comfortable with command line apps.

davidpretorius · #13 10-06-2006, 10:06 PM

my main aim in 20 or 30 years is to follow bird and get my application to:
-drive my scope
-focus
-drive the filter wheel
-guide
-process the avi ie ppmcentre,
-etc

Hitchhiker · #14 11-06-2006, 12:18 PM

Here's an example of where I think beta testers can help make RGBSplit more robust:

Thinking about RGBSplit this morning I suddenly realised that I have allowed the user to enter ANYTHING as a destination folder name on the Options tab. Potentially a user can use illegal characters for folder names (eg '\', '.') which will crash the app when it tries to create the folder.

I'm thinking about restricting user input to 0-9 and A-Z - but will that create another problem if a user is trying to enter an 'illegal' character and nothing is happening? Should I throw up a dialog saying 'x' is an illegal character?

davidpretorius · #15 11-06-2006, 12:30 PM

once a folder has been created to hold the original capture from k3ccd etc, say \jupiter_060611_optimised\, then why let them touch input anything at all?

windows can stop wrong characters being used when they create a folder to start with for their original avi.

after that, let your system do the rest ie \red\x.bmp001, \green\x.bmp2 etc

i personally do not want to have much interaction at all with the system, just point the program at a directory and say "go do your thing!" and then go and watch the soccer!

[1ponders] (Paul) · #16 11-06-2006, 12:38 PM

I'll certainly keep my eye open for when it's intergrate with ppm with GUI. Unless someone can direct me to a how to for ppm center?

Hitchhiker · #17 11-06-2006, 12:45 PM

Good point DP!

Some further explanation - by default, RGBSplit will create three folders called 'Red', 'Blue', and 'Green' underneath the directories that contain the bitmap files. The split files are then stored in each of these directories. However, I have allowed the user to specify a different default destination folder name if they so desire.

I would think most users would not want to change the default destination folders but have allowed it in case someone has a need for different folder names.

The normal behaviour of RGBSplit will be just as you have suggested, ie select folders, hit process, go and watch the soccer. However, because I have allowed the user to change the default destination folders, I think I had better make sure that the entered destination folder will be a valid folder name.

davidpretorius · #18 11-06-2006, 02:53 PM

true adam, the age old programming problem, do you program to to be idiot proof, so only idiots will use it, or nice and flexible, but idiots can't use it??

33South (Chris) · #19 11-06-2006, 03:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hitchhiker

Potentially a user can use illegal characters for folder names (eg '\', '.') which will crash the app when it tries to create the folder.

some points, pedantic maybe but neccessary as a BetaTester

A '.' is valid in a Windows folder name
Invalid characters shouldnt crash the app if correct error handling is implemented when creating the folders.
Idiot proof and inflexible are not the same thing.
A good programme should allow experts to do their thing and help idiots use the app as if they were an expert.

Hitchhiker · #20 11-06-2006, 04:11 PM

Quote:

pedantic maybe but neccessary

Chris, be as pedantic as you like! I appreciate your input.