Subject: FITS to GIF/TIFF/etc.

From: ttruong at cfa.harvard.edu (Trieu Truong)
Date: Fri, 26 Mar 1999 22:24:27 GMT

Hello.

I'm a newbie to FITS and was hoping someone might be kind enough to
tell me if there is PC software that will allow me to manipulate FITS
files and convert them to GIF/JPEG/TIFF/etc. files so that I can put
the pics up on the Web.  I've tried FTOOLS, but that didn't allow me
to save the files as anything but postscript files, and Photoshop (my
main image editor) couldn't read the .ps files.  Please please help.

TIA

ps. I am aware of MIRA from Axiom Research.  Is this my only option?

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From: Patrick Chevalley <pch at geneva.crosswinds.net>
Date: Sun, 28 Mar 1999 15:50:10 +0100

If you use Photoshop there is a plugin for working with FITS file.
You can find it at : http://www.fan.net.au/~eddiet/fitsplug.html

I have a utility ( AstroIma ) in my QuickCam page that can view FITS 
images and then save it in BMP format, but it is only in French.
http://www.astrosurf.org/astropc/qcam

Patrick Chevalley

http://www.astrosurf.org/astropc

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From: "Martino Nicolini" <tecnico at artiglio.it>
Date: Mon, 29 Mar 1999 16:39:55 +0200

Hello,

Astroart is a new 32bit software for astronomical image processing and
analysis (for Windows95-98 and NT (TM)). It supports FITS file format (you
can easly edit the header) as well as 20 commercial CCD formats like SBIG,
HiSIS, Starlight, Pixcell, Seti 245, Cookbook, Lynxx, Electrim or a generic
free format for particular cameras; some other nice features are a true real
time zoom and 3D window.
It has advanced filters like a new adaptive algorithm, gaussian high pass,
convolution and deconvolution (Lucy-Richardson and Maximum Likelihood)
rotational gradient (Larson-Sekanina) and many others...
Using a simple drag&drop you can manipolate groups of images with the
advanced tools in the PreProcessing window (in just a few seconds you can
calibrate for dark, flat and bias and align and sum a set of images); create
your own macros for many pourposes etc.
Another very powerful feature is the easy astrometric and photometric
calibration with an integrated Star Atlas based on the G.S.C. catalogue: it
fully support the WCS (World Coordinate System) with standard FITS keywords
so you can correctly read sky coordinates in your images also with other
UNIX based and advanced software like IRAF, MIDAS, XEPHEM etc. now on Linux
platform.

After our efforts in developing and producing this big package, we decided
to share with the CCD astronomical amateur community a freeware-demo version
(in english and italian), available at:

http://www.sira.it/msb/astroart.htm

Only the advanced features are not supported, but you can load, display,
read the WCS etc. in every kind of images and, above all, it does not expire
with the time: enjoy it forever!

The freeware-demo version will allow you to save FITS images only in the BMP
format

Best regards,

MSB
Fabio Cavicchio and Martino Nicolini
Ravenna, Italy.

Trieu Truong ha scritto nel messaggio
<36fc0822.1653745 at cfanews.harvard.edu>...

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From: dunmunro at direct.ca (Duncan Munro)
Date: Mon, 29 Mar 1999 17:47:27 GMT

Get Fitsview. It is a freeware fits viewer which allows you to save
into the bmp format.

you can get it at:

http://www.cv.nrao.edu/fits/os-support/

Duncan

On Fri, 26 Mar 1999 22:24:27 GMT, ttruong at cfa.harvard.edu (Trieu

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From: Doug Mink <dmink at cfa.harvard.edu>
Date: Mon, 29 Mar 1999 15:02:32 -0500

Trieu Truong wrote:
> the pics up on the Web.

I display FITS images in my viewer of choice (usually SAOimage because I
maintain it, but sometimes SkyCat, SAOtng, or ds9), adjust the contrast
(darker, smoother backgrounds compress better and make smaller GIF
images),
use xwd to dump the image to a disk file and either xv or the PBMPLUS
xwd2pnm and ppmtogif programs to make GIF files for WWW use.  I have
found the the PBMPLUS pnmscale program reduces image dimensions more
cleanly than XV does.  My latest results are at

http://tdc-www.harvard.edu/software/wcstools/imwcs/imua2.html

-Doug Mink
 Telescope Data Center
 Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
 Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA