Is it possible to see plate-solved annotations in full res image? AstroBin Platform open discussions community forum · Piotr K. · ... · 6 · 125 · 1

Hi guys,

In the previous version of the image viewer there was an option for turning on the annotations in the full resolution image. It was very useful, for example if there were some small galaxies in the background, to find out their catalog numbers. But now it seems that the annotated version is available only in the lower resolution image, but no annotations whatsoever in full res image. It doesn't make sense - I need the annotations to identify small structures in the image… Is it just me, not knowing how to turn them back on, or this "newer and better" version of image viewer is, in fact, newer but worse…? ;(

Best,
Piotr K.

OK, thanks for such a fast answer. To be honest, at the moment I don't remember exactly when the annotations were available in the previous version of the viewer. I only remember that it was possible to identify small structures on a bigger image. Now, if you look at my image of M33 - there is no way of finding which structure exactly is, for example, IC143:



Of course I can zoom in, and try to find it myself by looking around the area marked with the annotation in small res view. Or I can simply switch to another program, like Stellarium or Telescopius. But this doesn't make life easier - I'd love to stay within AstroBin, and not being forced to leave it, to identify the structure on my image. Maybe it would be possible to incorporate the annotations into the full-res image? Something similar what Astrometry Net is doing (and ASTAP, as far as I remember) - one can download the full-res image with very small annotations already added to it. Then, one can zoom into the downloaded image using any picture viewer installed on the hard drive, and easily identify small structures.

Another thing - indeed, in the previous version of the viewer I also turned off the automatic annotations in the small-res view, because if I send links to my pictures to my non-astronomy-related friends, they can become confused by all these lines, circles and numbers. But I had the annotations turned on for the bigger version of the image (as you say, it was probably the "fit to screen" version), and this combination was the most useful. Fast small preview without annotations, and closer look with annotations, for those who are really interested.

BTW - sorry for using the word "worse". It may be an exaggeration, but for me (and I use AB mostly on my laptop) the previous version was simpler and more ergonomic, so to say. Like the histogram or the sky map - they were visible together with the image, so one could get all the needed information just by a single glance. Now I have to click on the histogram icon, or on the skymap icon, to see the context of the picture. For me it makes the interface more complicated, instead of making it simpler to use.

Piotr K.:
Another thing - indeed, in the previous version of the viewer I also turned off the automatic annotations in the small-res view, because if I send links to my pictures to my non-astronomy-related friends, they can become confused by all these lines, circles and numbers.

Hmm how? This option has never existed on AstroBin. If you set "mouse-hover = Nothing" in the image's settings, then you don't get a mouse hover on the high resolution either.

Piotr K.:
Like the histogram or the sky map - they were visible together with the image, so one could get all the needed information just by a single glance. Now I have to click on the histogram icon, or on the skymap icon, to see the context of the picture.

If I moved them to the sidebar and made them always visible, you'd have to scroll down an unknown amount each time. And where would you place them above the comment, making it more difficult to scroll down to the comments? Some images have very long descriptions, so you'd have to scroll a lot to get there. At least now they're always in the same place, and they're hardly something you need to use for every image you click.

Please remember that we need to optimize for the most common use-cases, and if you "optimize for everything" you end up with a fruit salad!

OK, I've checked it now - it seems that there is the possibility to download full res image with advanced annotations! After choosing "Download"  from the "three vertical dots menu" at the upper right corner of the screen, there is the option "Advanced annotations" - which seems to be what I needed. Thanks, Salvatore, for your answers, and all the best!