Seti Astro has just released a new stand alone AI based sharpening/deconvolution tool called Cosmic Clarity

[Ags]

Where do I download the models. The instructions say "Download the latest Models", but where?????

[Rallemikken]

2 hours ago, Ags said:

but where

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1cL0h-7WNhmfF408RQDx-aPGJNGp1gBWj

[MalcolmP]

5 hours ago, Ags said:

 where?????

or,
from the main page https://www.setiastro.com/cosmic-clarity
 you should see a link to it in the left column, 4th item down

 

Edited October 5 by MalcolmP

[Ags]

In my defence that there is a technical writing no-no: a list of four items but the fourth item is a different kind of thing to the first three. I scanned the list for the Windows download and assumed the other items in the list were all for different OS types!

[Rallemikken]

On 03/10/2024 at 12:38, SteveNickolls said:

Version available now to run on Linux machines.

But not yesterdays machines....  Will not run on the former Ubuntu LTS. At least not on my Mint 21.3 _Virginia based on Jammy. Your binaries demand `GLIBC_2.38' while Jammy ended up on 2.35. We AP'ers are conservative, and reluctant to run the "latest and greatest". Would be nice if you considered a more conservative approach on this issue.

Edited October 6 by Rallemikken

[SteveNickolls]

Hi Rallemikken, unfortunately I am not the developer of CC just an interested but very new Linux Mint user with little understanding of the OS's inner working but wanting also to use the software for polishing my images. I am in contact with SetiAstro to try getting my pc to run CC (I presently have Linux Mint 21.3).

My personal experience with downloading various astro-software has varied greatly. The programmes that can be downloaded via the Software Manager are fine as it sorts out any needed dependencies for you but downloading from a source direct runs into all kinds of different problems, my uneducated guess is it's down to how the developer has configured the code and how high they have set the bar to entry. Linux has a lot of clever folks helping others but explaining matters simply to the masses doesn't usually come over as an easy gift. Some developers for example Ivo Jager (StarTools) have created a detailed 'how to install' guidance for the completely new Linux user, but that's far from the normal case.

My problem too may be simply down to trying to run CC using Linux Mint 21.3 but after downloading the CC software, unzipping and checking the models are the latest version when I double click on either the sharpen or de-noise icons nothing happens. I have added a 32-bit .tiff and .png stretched image into the input folder. The images used are those that worked fine in the Windows version of CC.

I hope I will be able to meaningfully pass in this thread any instruction from Seti Astro over the issue that may in turn help you and others in the same position. I will mention your comment on SGL over the need for certain binaries as this may indeed by the key to understanding things.

Cheers,
Steve

Edited October 7 by SteveNickolls

[Rallemikken]

2 hours ago, SteveNickolls said:

pass in this thread any instruction from Seti Astro over the issue that may in turn help you and others in the same position

They have done their development on a very recent install. Unless you develop for a fixed repository or a PPA they should try to make their software useful for people with older versions. To do this, they have to compile and test their binaries in an environment where they expect to find their users. A good starting point would be the FORMER Ubuntu LTS (22.04 in this case) and/or the current Debian "oldstable" (currently Debian Bullseye), whichever of the two who has the oldest development framework.  In this case it was libc which caused the havoc. To see whats going on under the hood, open a terminal and place yourself in the directory with the binary. Start it in the terminal preseeded by a dash and a slash:

boss@kjeller-mint:~/tmp/CosmicClaritySharpenDenoise_LINUX$ ./SetiAstroCosmicClarity
[PYI-2210:ERROR] Failed to load Python shared library '/home/boss/tmp/CosmicClaritySharpenDenoise_LINUX/_internal/libpython3.12.so.1.0': dlopen: /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libm.so.6: version `GLIBC_2.38' not found (required by /home/boss/tmp/CosmicClaritySharpenDenoise_LINUX/_internal/libpython3.12.so.1.0)

In this case, it's my version of glibc thats to old. We both (Mint Virginia 21.3) have libc ver. 2.35. Debian Bullseye have 2.31. Standalone binaries compiled for linux are not further backwards compatible than the machine they were compiled on, unless you take precautions and include what's needed. On the other hand, once they are compiled they are forward compatible for many, many years. My tip would be to build the binaries in Debian Bullseye. That would cater for 95% of potential users. If we want to run this on Linux Mint today, we have to upgrade to Mint 22, Wilma. It is almost three years until end-of-life of Mint 21.3, and I will keep it at least one more year. So no CosmicClarity for me.

[SteveNickolls]

Hi Rallemikken, thanks for your reply and further details.

Since my message on SGL earlier today I have been in contact with SetiAstro and received a reply. Upshot I tried getting CC to run in the Terminal and got this response-

So it's looking as it is the lack of a part of the Python shared library, specifically 'GLIBC_2.38'. I have let Seti Astro know this. I intend now to update my system from v21.3 to 22 and then again see if I can get CC to run.

I agree that v21.3 has ample time left to run before it is no longer supported and normally wouldn't want to update so soon after installing v21.3 (I think i installed LM just a few weeks prior to v22 being initially available).

I will forward on your comments regarding testing binaries in the environment that most users are likely to want to run CC for whatever can be done. It is a shame if LM22 allows CC to run and you cannot use the software. Will let you know how I fare after updating LM to v22.

Cheers,
Steve

 

[carastro]

Great find thanks for sharing.  I will give that a try.  I don;t use Pixinsight so some tools are not available to me.

 

[Xilman]

1 hour ago, Rallemikken said:

They have done their development on a very recent install. Unless you develop for a fixed repository or a PPA they should try to make their software useful for people with older versions. To do this, they have to compile and test their binaries in an environment where they expect to find their users. A good starting point would be the FORMER Ubuntu LTS (22.04 in this case) and/or the current Debian "oldstable" (currently Debian Bullseye), whichever of the two who has the oldest development framework.

Works both ways.  Old software sometimes doesn't work on new OS. DLL-Hell anyone?  Getting Maxim Ustinov's MetroPSF working on a recent Python install was a real PITA. We managed it between us.

I have been bitten in both directions and it is a real pain to have to wait for an upgraded app to work on the later OS. Although I stick to LTS releases for stability, I do upgrade every two years to keep pace with software developers.  (Needless to say, security fixes are on a rolling-upgrade basis.)

This is why snaps, flatpacks, Python venv and the like were invented.

Remember: free software is worth at least as much as you paid for it and you can always send it back for a refund if it doesn't work for you.

 

 

[Rallemikken]

9 minutes ago, Xilman said:

Remember: free software is worth at least as much as you paid for it and you can always send it back for a refund if it doesn't work for you.

Wice words. Not a developer myself, so I don't know your options. But a wider audience could mean more funding.....  

Your app is a hefty download. I don't know how tight the two main binaries are tied to the libraries and the other things that are attached. Seems like a lot is going on  

[Xilman]

23 minutes ago, Rallemikken said:

Wice words. Not a developer myself, so I don't know your options. But a wider audience could mean more funding.....  

Your app is a hefty download. I don't know how tight the two main binaries are tied to the libraries and the other things that are attached. Seems like a lot is going on  

Not my app, sorry.

I downloaded it and took a look. Although there is a substantial amount of Python source code in there, I didn't find any C.

Everything I write is released with full source under a BSD-style license unless constrained by GPL-licensed components.

 

[Seti Astro]

Hey everyone!  Didn't even know this thread started over here.  Sorry for not following along! 

Couple of items in my defense.  Astrophotography is just a hobby of mine like I imagine it is for almost everyone here.  I also am not in software development at all.  For the Linux users out there, I literally asked ChatGPT  how to install Linux on my windows machine so I could make the binaries.  I have no idea what version most people used and felt it was a fairly safe bet for the download on Ubuntu's site.  I was just happy I got a version of cosmic clarity running on Linux and that the PI script worked on it as well.

 "a technical writing no-no: a list of four items but the fourth item is a different kind of thing to the first three"  Thanks for the great feedback on this.  Site is now changed: https://www.setiastro.com/cosmic-clarity

Last thing, there is no compensation or funding for any of this on my end either.  As stated in the thread PI has some serious angst against people trying to develop anything.  You should read the push back I got for trying to create BlindSolver2000.  The lead developer Juan said and I quote "Instead of asking for blind solvers, users must realize that valid metadata is as important as the data and must make all the necessary efforts (which are close to zero with the appropriate software and hardware configurations) to ensure its correct generation. This is astronomy, not wedding photography (with all due respect to wedding photographers)." and "They don't know what we are trying to achieve. PixInsight is not an easy-to-use, simple application oriented to casual users without knowledge of essential astronomy concepts. PixInsight pursues sophistication, accuracy, versatility, and rigorous implementations"  

 

......   I will withhold my opinions on these comments.

And yes my name is Frank

I need to save this quote too "Remember: free software is worth at least as much as you paid for it and you can always send it back for a refund if it doesn't work for you. "

 

 

Edited October 8 by Seti Astro

[TiffsAndAstro]

12 minutes ago, Seti Astro said:

Hey everyone!  Didn't even know this thread started over here.  Sorry for not following along! 

Couple of items in my defense.  Astrophotography is just a hobby of mine like I imagine it is for almost everyone here.  I also am not in software development at all.  For the Linux users out there, I literally asked ChatGPT  how to install Linux on my windows machine so I could make the binaries.  I have no idea what version most people used and felt it was a fairly safe bet for the download on Ubuntu's site.  I was just happy I got a version of cosmic clarity running on Linux and that the PI script worked on it as well.

 "a technical writing no-no: a list of four items but the fourth item is a different kind of thing to the first three"  Thanks for the great feedback on this.  Site is now changed: https://www.setiastro.com/cosmic-clarity

Last thing, there is no compensation or funding for any of this on my end either.  As stated in the thread PI has some serious angst against people trying to develop anything.  You should read the push back I got for trying to create BlindSolver2000.  The lead developer Juan said and I quote "Instead of asking for blind solvers, users must realize that valid metadata is as important as the data and must make all the necessary efforts (which are close to zero with the appropriate software and hardware configurations) to ensure its correct generation. This is astronomy, not wedding photography (with all due respect to wedding photographers)." and "They don't know what we are trying to achieve. PixInsight is not an easy-to-use, simple application oriented to casual users without knowledge of essential astronomy concepts. PixInsight pursues sophistication, accuracy, versatility, and rigorous implementations"  

 

......   I will withhold my opinions on these comments.

And yes my name is Frank

I need to save this quote too "Remember: free software is worth at least as much as you paid for it and you can always send it back for a refund if it doesn't work for you. "

 

 

Thanks for all your work making this stuff possible 

[Adreneline]

11 minutes ago, Seti Astro said:

The lead developer Juan

Best not to cross JC - I did and got banned from the PI forum for asking a simple question comparing PI with APP - which is apparently as bad, if not worse, as comparing PI with PS.

I am in awe of anyone who contributes anything to PI.

 

[SteveNickolls]

I'm pleased Frank (SetiAstro) has posted on here to let you know his disposition/experience with Linux.

My own progress getting Cosmic Clarity (CC) to run on Linux Mint has progressed with Frank's help. I have gone the route of upgrading from v21.3 to v22 this afternoon and have got CC to process data but currently there are output problems that I have just let Frank know of for his attention. Hopefully these teething matters will be overcome.

Cheers,
Steve

[Rallemikken]

There is a "legacy" download for Linux on the download page. I have tested this version on both a recent vanilla Linux Mint Wilma (22) and an older vanilla Debian Bullseye (11). I've run the denoise on a RGB tiff, full mode and strenght 0.6.

The application run on both, using the same amount of time. Afterwords the two resulting images shared the same md5sum. What we call a "reproduceable build". A little impressed.

Conclusion: If you have a slightly old install it might be safest to download the "legacy" version. When it runs on Debian "oldstable", it runs virtually everywhere. If it don't, start it with a dot and a slash in the terminal in the folder and post the error messages here.