Introduction #

We are pleased to announce the release of Siril 1.4.0 Beta 4, following Beta 3 released back in July . This new version likely represents the final beta before the stable release, as it integrates all the major features planned for Siril 1.4.0.

This Beta 4 brings crucial fixes, particularly in the Drizzle algorithm and Bayer matrix handling, along with numerous user interface improvements and Python ecosystem enhancements.

To discover all the major new features introduced in Siril 1.4.0, please refer to the Beta 1 release notes, which detail important advances in astrometry, alignment, color management, photometry, Python scripting, and much more.

Major fixes in beta 4 #

Drizzle and weight handling #

• Major Drizzle algorithm fix: export weight files during registration and use them for stacking (!882)
• **Discovery and correction of an error in the HST Drizzle code: during our work on the Drizzle algorithm, we identified an error in the original code used by the Hubble Space Telescope and James Webb Space Telescope. Thanks to the power of open source, Siril contributes to improving space image processing!
• Fixed crash/memory allocation for stack min or max with 16-bit images (#1746)

Bayer matrix handling #

• Robust improvement of Bayer/X-Trans pattern handling across the entire codebase (!903)
• Fixed metadata extraction issues from FITSEQ sequences (#1718, #1720, !915)

Stability and robustness #

• Fixed incomplete implementation of shared memory bugfix from beta3 (#1719)
• Fixed crash with openCV >= 4.12 (#1722, #1723)
• Fixed deadlock in the reloadscripts command
• Fixed crash in seqpsf and seqtilt commands when executed from command line (#1736)
• Fixed crash in seqcosme command
• Fixed issue where cold and hot pixels estimation were never updated (#1724)
• Fixed issue with the way python retrieves the current filename (could omit extension in some situations)

Astrometric alignment #

• Fixed astrometric alignment for mosaics with some slight skew in the solution (#1747)
• Improved robustness of reading astrometric solutions for CDELT/PC matrices not following expected formalism (#1770)

Other critical fixes #

• Fixed issue where an incorrect colorspace transform could be applied when saving 32-bit TIFF (#1730)
• Fixed magnitude calculation in Dynamic PSF, affecting mostly faint stars for 32-bit images (#1739)
• Fixed wrong cache file name (parent directory duplicated) preventing file caching (#1734)
• Fixed type hinting in get_seq_frame_header to work with python 3.11 and earlier (scripts #13)
• Fixed issue with findstar command when running from a python script (#1782)
• Fixed issue in SPCC where it would complain about missing OSC BB filter when in NB mode

Significant improvements in beta 4 #

User interface and ergonomics #

• Image preview optimization: allow color previews, improve preview stretching with autostretch, add new large preview size at 512px
• Improved script management: moved “Get Scripts” menu into the Scripts menu for better organization
• Search box in the Script treeview to simplify navigation and quickly find specific scripts
• Right-click scripts directly from the script menu to open them in the editor
• Replaced confusing clip/rescale popup with a heuristic that generally does the right thing (!931)
• Center the background extraction grid vertically instead of starting at image edge (#1741)

Python scripts and API #

• Official approval of PyQt6 for creating Python script GUIs (now confident it is problem-free on all target OSes)
• Added SirilInterface.get_image_from_file()
• Added new sirilpy methods for getting and setting GUI properties (sliders, STF, pan offsets, zoom level)
• Improved sirilpy get_seq_frame() and get_image_from_file() so they now populate FFit.header and .icc_profile
• Added SirilInterface.analyse_image_from_file(), .undo(), .redo() and .clear_undo_history()
• Added plate solution-related keywords to FKeywords sirilpy class (#1779)
• Compiled .pyc scripts are now only shown in the scripts menu if their magic number matches the available interpreter

Sequence and file handling #

• Fixed issue where sequences would not load correctly if file extensions did not match the preferred FITS extension (#1793)
• Improved handling of automatic scripts git repository update flag

Towards the stable release #

This Beta 4 marks an important milestone in the development of Siril 1.4.0. With the major fixes brought to Drizzle and Bayer matrix handling, along with all the stability and ergonomics improvements, we are approaching the final stable release.

What we want from you #

As with previous beta versions, we encourage all users to report any bugs encountered via the Siril GitLab site . For bugs encountered with scripts, it’s here .

Your feedback is essential to help us finalize the stable version 1.4.0 under the best conditions.

Known bugs #

Before opening a new ticket, you can check here if they are already known and/or fixed. Their correction will occur with the release of the next version:

• List of known bugs