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Image Library

The Image Library is the v1.2 workspace for reviewing images after capture or import.

Open it from the Images dashboard and select the Library tab.

What It Is For

Use the Image Library when you need to answer practical questions about your captured or imported image subs:

  • Which frames are linked to this target or imaging goal?
  • Which files are missing locally?
  • Which accepted frames are good enough to keep?
  • Which images can be recalculated, regraded, calibrated, moved, or deleted?
  • Which captures have a full-quality image available in Cloud Service?

The library combines several image sources:

  • Local library images imported from a configured working directory
  • Target captures received from N.I.N.A. and linked to scheduled targets
  • Cloud-backed captures whose full-quality image is available through Cloud Service
  • Cloud-only captures where the local file is missing but AstroManager still has a full-quality cloud image
  • Masters for local calibration-library review

Workspace Layout

The Library workspace has three main layers:

  1. Choose the content mode.
  2. Find the images you want to review.
  3. Open a focused image and use the detail tools.

Content Modes

At the top of the Library workspace, choose between Lights and Masters.

Lights shows normal capture frames and is the main review mode.

Masters shows calibration-master related library entries when you are organizing local calibration data.

Review Views

For light frames, the library offers two view modes:

  • Groups groups images by target, imaging goal, filter, status, grade, or other review context.
  • Compact shows a denser table-like review view with configurable columns.

Use Groups when you are cleaning up a project or target. Use Compact when you want to sort and compare many individual frames quickly.

Find Images

The filter panel narrows the library before you select or inspect anything.

Use text search for file name, target, camera, or grade text.

Use structured filters for:

  • client, observatory, equipment, and filter
  • linked-only, accepted-only, selected-only, or non-calibration frames
  • source availability, such as local-only, full-quality cloud, preview-only, or missing local files
  • quality metrics such as HFR, star count, eccentricity, and median ADU

Presets jump into common review setups, including recent imports and quality review.

Saved quick filters are useful when you often review the same client, storage location, or target family.

Select And Act On Rows

Select one or more rows and open Actions for bulk work.

Available actions depend on the selected rows:

  • Select Filtered selects all rows currently matching the active filters.
  • Re-sync Missing Paths tries to reconnect library entries whose local file path is missing.
  • Re-sync Missing Paths To Selected Storage searches inside the selected storage root.
  • Move Selected To Storage Structure moves existing files into the configured storage path structure.
  • Prepare Selected For Reimport removes the selected AstroManager library entries while keeping files on disk.
  • Create Missing Target Captures creates target-capture records for linked library images that do not have them yet.
  • Calibrate Selected applies matching local masters where possible.
  • Recalculate Metrics recalculates image metrics for eligible captures.
  • Regrade Linked Captures applies the active grading configuration again.
  • Delete Selected From Disk removes selected local files from disk.

Warning

Prepare Selected For Reimport only removes AstroManager library entries. Delete Selected From Disk deletes local files. Use the second action only after checking the selected count and storage location.

Inspect One Image

Open an image row to inspect the preview, capture metadata, target assignment, grade, and available metrics.

Image detail view

Depending on the image source, details can include:

  • capture time, exposure, filter, gain, offset, binning, and temperature
  • target and imaging-goal assignment
  • HFR, star count, eccentricity, median ADU, and grading result
  • local path and whether Cloud Service has a full-quality image or preview-only data
  • camera, telescope, focal length, pixel scale, and image size
  • weather and guiding data when the capture record contains it

Image Detail Tools

The focused image detail area is the main place to inspect an image.

The available tool tabs are:

  • Image: opens the interactive image viewer.
  • Curvature: shows field curvature and field-shape diagnostics from detected stars.
  • Metrics: shows review metrics and can recalculate them when the image source is available.
  • Platesolve: shows WCS / coordinate status and can re-platesolve through ASTAP when possible.
  • Manage: used for image-management actions when they are available for the selected row.

Not every tab can do work for every image. Some tools need a local file or a downloadable full-quality cloud source. If AstroManager only has a thumbnail or stored preview, download or re-sync the source first.

Image Tab

The Image tab contains the viewer, preview controls, live inspect, detected-star overlay, and compare tools.

Image Library image viewer controls

The same viewer is used across the Image Library, Image Import review, and Integration Previews.

Use the top controls for navigation and display:

  • Fit: fits the full frame into the available viewer area.
  • 1:1: shows the frame at pixel-level scale when the source supports it.
  • - / +: zoom out and in.
  • Drag the image when zoomed in to pan around the frame.
  • Hold Shift and use the mouse wheel to zoom around the cursor.
  • Fullscreen: opens the focused image in a larger viewer.

Image Versions And Compare

When multiple versions are available, the viewer can show extra buttons such as:

  • Preferred / Calibrated: show the best available working version.
  • Original: show the uncalibrated/source image sub.
  • Compare: enable a side-by-side swipe comparison.

When compare mode is active, use Swipe compare to move the split line. In preview settings, Rotate compare 180° helps when the comparison source is rotated relative to the current view.

Preview Settings

Open the settings button in the image viewer to control how the image is rendered.

Important settings are:

  • Auto stretch: turns the preview stretch on or off.
  • Preview quality: switches between High and Full quality where full data is available.
  • Stretch profile: choose Standard or Aggressive.
  • Fine tune stretch: opens sliders for Black point, White point, and Midtones.

Use Standard for normal review. Use Aggressive when you need to reveal very faint structure quickly. Use fine tuning when the automatic stretch hides gradients, clips highlights, or makes the background too bright.

Live Inspect And Inspect Grid

Inspect switches the viewer into a 3 x 3 close-up grid covering the frame corners, edges, and center. This is the fastest way to compare star shape across the whole field.

In normal image mode, the live inspect loupe is available when raw pixel data can be loaded:

  • right-click and move over the image to show a close-up panel
  • the panel shows the inspected pixel position and raw value
  • use Alt or Ctrl with the mouse wheel to change inspect magnification
  • use Shift with the mouse wheel to resize the inspect panel

Use live inspect for quick checks such as focus, star shape, clipping, small tracking errors, or whether a metric outlier is visible in the actual frame.

Stars Overlay

When detected-star data is available, the Stars button overlays the stars used for metric calculation.

Use this when you want to understand where HFR, eccentricity, or field-shape values came from. Hover a star marker to see its label.

Curvature Tab

The Curvature tab summarizes field shape across the frame. Use it when you are checking corner quality, tilt-like patterns, or whether one side of the frame is consistently worse.

Image Library curvature tool

The curvature tool includes:

  • center, spread, bias, and curvature summary values
  • a field heatmap split across the frame
  • a 3D surface plot for HFR or eccentricity
  • a Metric switch between HFR and Ecc
  • surface settings for Mesh, Guide, Values, and Both
  • Refresh diagnostics when the image source can be analyzed again

In the 3D plot, left-drag rotates or tilts the surface. Hold Shift and use the mouse wheel to adjust the plot zoom.

Use this tool to spot uneven field quality, tilt-like patterns, corner problems, or a side of the image that is consistently worse than the rest.

Metrics Tab

The Metrics tab shows the values AstroManager uses for review and grading, such as HFR, star count, eccentricity, median ADU, background values, grade, and related computed fields.

Use Recalculate when:

  • the image was imported before metrics existed
  • a source file became available after being missing
  • you changed or repaired metadata
  • you want the current metrics written back into the AstroManager record and supported FITS headers

After recalculation, you may also want to run Regrade Linked Captures.

Platesolve Tab

The Platesolve tab shows whether the frame has usable solved coordinates.

It displays:

  • solve status message
  • RA
  • Dec
  • PA / rotation

Use Re-platesolve when the image has no WCS data, the target assignment looks suspicious, or imported data needs verified coordinates. ASTAP must be available on the machine doing the solve.

Manage Tab

Individual rows also have image actions. The exact list depends on the row state and available source data.

Common actions include:

  • copy file name or full path
  • download a full-quality cloud image to local storage
  • edit supported FITS headers
  • refresh diagnostics
  • recalculate metrics
  • grade or regrade the image
  • plate solve
  • calibrate with matching masters
  • re-sync missing local paths
  • edit assignment or storage where supported
  • delete a local original
  • register a calibration master
  • preload or blink frames for fast comparison

Troubleshooting

If images are missing from the library, check that the folder was imported or that the client has synced captures.

If a row shows a missing local path, use Re-sync Missing Paths or open the library from the relevant storage root.

If cloud actions are unavailable, check the Cloud Service quota and whether the target has full-quality cloud uploads enabled.

If grades look stale, select the affected rows and run Regrade Linked Captures.

If the viewer only shows a thumbnail or preview-only data, the full image source is not available yet. Re-sync the local path or download the full-quality cloud image to local storage.

If curvature, metrics, or platesolve tools are disabled, AstroManager needs access to the local file or a full-quality cloud image first.