I would like the ability to set a default gain setting for all autofocus and platesolve exposures.
I generally capture LRGB frames at low gain, and narrowband frames at high gain. But I would prefer to take all autofocus and platesolve exposures at high gain, to allow shorter exposure times and minimize read noise.
Would like ability to run a script before and/or after each image, and to be able to pass the % filename arguments to it.
Another possibility might be to have an API call to get sequence start/end, target start/end, event start/end, and image start/end status.
Perform periodic autofocus, say every 2 minutes, and start capture light frames based on FWHM, i.e. proceed when FWHM is below 4. Normally, one would just wait to start imaging based on weather forecast, but weather is variable and not an exact science. Being able to monitor the seeing and start when ideal conditions are reached would maximize imaging time, also only capturing images when seeing is good will minimize capturing garbage frames. If this is already a feature then disregard.
IMHO, SGP has somewhat better logic compared to N.I.N.A. for a simple sequence. For example, SGP will automatically open/close/illuminate light flat panel depending on type of frame being captured, N.I.N.A. simple sequencer doesn’t. However, SGP has a lot of sequencer settings buried within the application. I find the advanced scripting approach of N.I.N.A. more intuitive for understanding what the various sequencer settings are and what will happen when. For example, identifying the specific settings for autofocus, goto/platesolve, startup and shutdown actions, along with the light/dark/flat frame captures in the list of imaging sequence instructions. Although, the advanced scripting is exhaustingly in-depth and not as easy to get up and running. A balance between the simple sequence and advanced scripting would be nice.
Also consider implementing the following:
Additional tools, like sensor profiling to determine optimum imaging settings and assist in tilt adjustment, focuser profiling to determine backlash compensation and optimum exposure/binning/ROI settings to capture focus frames, optics profiling to identify aberrations and optimum imaging ROI.
Ability to select autolight, autodark, and autoflat in the main sequencing list. Autobias could just be the lowest exposure setting possible. So instead of setting explicit parameters for the frame types, let SGP figure them out automatically. These would presumably be on the same target per sequence. I’d like to be able to tell SGP I want x number of frames and it will identify appropriate settings and generate them:
100 L Frames, 50 R, G, B, Frames, 25 Ha Frames
50 Dark Frames to match the L, R, G, B, Ha Frames
50 Flat Frames for L, R, G, B, Ha, along with appropriate darks
200 Bias Frames
Ability to import project from SkyTools. Many of the optimum imaging parameter determinations are more robust and already implemented in SkyTools, i.e. what object to image, when to image, camera settings, etc.
A master form that lists every action that will be performed in a sequence. Many of the settings that are in various locations within the app can be brought into this form and auto populate on the appropriate line. If a parameter needs to be changed, that can be done in the master form. The usual list of frames to capture would also be in the master form. Also the ability to enable/disable any line item should be possible.
just bumping this up so it stays visible for a bit…
Request option or another mechanism to keep SGP from running end of sequence actions when no sequence is running and an “Unsafe Conditions” occurs.
In my case, I do NOT want the mount to park unless a sequence ends. I may have a flat panel on the scope or doing maintenance on the mount when it’s not in parked position. I have a separate system that detects rain or high winds and shuts the roof, so don’t need or want SGP to do that when not running a sequence.
I was hoping to see the before mentioned custom horizons since I (and likely others) live with trees and other obstacles. It was mentioned back here:
Or is it in the beta? (I have not tried the beta yet)
It’s in the beta.
We’ve gone back and forth on this a bit. Earlier version of the Unsafe implementation worked as you describe and a lot of folks wanted it to always trigger. Maybe we need to add the option to the Unsafe area to allow the user to set their preference (globally).
Jared
Now that I’m committed to mono imaging, I realize Sequence Fragments would be very helpful to my workflow (so as to not rely on filter offsets).
Something like NINA’s Smart exposures would be pretty awesome.
Hi there,
I read that the new Horizon feature is not complete. Please keep working on that. As others have said, the PA feature would also be the number one in my requests, too.
Include in SGP certain file/folder naming templates for enabling the selecting of entire directories into PI or other post processing programs that would give them the information they need to sort them out., Also offer templates for organization of data by date or target in ajn easy to use fashion. Perhaps include a zip file creator to automatically store data in reduced sizes.
Clear Skies,
Paul
I’d like SGP to continue numbering images in a target rather than start over at 1 and add -1 to the end of an image name. This is when I have to, for example, abort a sequence after 2 images, I’d like it to number the next image ....003.fit instead of ...001-1.fit.
I use SkyTools too. It would be fine to have any import of targets from skyTools to SGP. If needed, I can cooperate on this to send you exports and to test it.
Autoflats read number of taken flats from disk. I would like to have a button somewhere (for all targets, or sigle target), to load the number of taken images to the sequence. I use quite large set of objects in the sequence file and some times (probably my fault, but every few weeks happens) when I set active target or need to reset something the sequence progress is reset (zeroed) and I need to reconstruct it manually (let say 20 targets times 3-4 filtes 
). But there are sure more important things to do like:
Just a quick note here (violating my own request not to be too distracting in this thread), but I have something here that I think will mostly satisfy this… it’s really actually complete, but has some issues that I need to address. Essentially a “sync to disk” function that will automatically inspect the image data and set sequence progress. It’s currently pretty smart and is capable of detecting event changes that would invalidate an image as counting toward progress (e.g. changing an event’s exposure time). There was another request for this too. I guess I’ll make time to button this up next.
Thanks for the note Ken.
Of all the feature requests I’ve submitted, this is near the bottom of my list. It’s not too often that I have to abort a sequence after one or more images have already been saved; last night that happened which is why I entered this request. Doesn’t happen often but it’s a pain when it does.
As a fellow software developer, I know we sometimes like to do features that aren’t the most important but nonetheless we enjoy or just want to get off our plate. I look forward to your solution.
I agree with EricC but will be happy user of “sync to disk” function/button 
. For me (and for everyone who wants to take perfect images) the most important things are:
Smart and robust focusing routines. Most of focusers never get back precisely to previous position. More focus points = more precise curve, but longer path to return to the computed position = not precise focusing. I see two ways how to solve this problem. First as I wrote previously, make more checks around the computed focus to eliminate the long return and error of focusers. Second is more complicated. I can imagine to create a calibration routine to compute errors of focusers and set up all focus settings in SGP (like backlash, focus shifts between filters and so on).
Sequence automation without user intervention - SGP still needs in some situation user intervention. It would be nice to have a global settings “unattended operation” in which case SGP will have timeout on each prompt and “do safe decisions” or have default response defined on each prompt. I know this is probably very complex change, but too many times (mainly after autoflats were introduced ) I found morning SGP waiting for some “stupid” question/prompt when cloud came for 15 minutes. Maybe there is other solution of this problem.
Automate acquisition of calibration frames (and enable it to process in Pixinsight) - autoflats are a big step in this way. Calculation of exposure times of sky flats is still not perfect which cause that not all sky flats are taken in given time period (some of them are out of defined range). I would like to have the possibility insert custom field with defined text to FITS header which would be defined global and will by inserted into all defined types of light, flats, bias and/or darks (field “flat_sequence” with some text like “N200-correctorX-cameraY-seq1”). This custom filed can be used in Pixinsight to match lights and flats together in “batch pre-processing”. Always when I need to take new set of flats (on changing camera angle, …), I will change this field text. Can write more, if some one is interested.
One feature that would be nice within the Planner tools would be a checkbox or even buttons to populate start/end times with moonrise/moonset. The tool does give the data right there on the lower right, but I need to click ok and then edit the fields manually.
Even better: a way to fill dusks/dawns calculated times as start/end.
I believe there’s already a request for a more general start/stop sequence ability. For example, keep the current time or latitude options, but add sunrise/sunset (plus or minus) times (@flamidey’s post), moonrise/moonset (plus or minus) times (@pmumbower’s post), and others.
For mosaics I would love the ability to take all of the same channels in each panel sequentially before moving to the next color. This would help reduce sky BG variances in the panel groups.
Example: For a 4-panel RBG, take all the reds events in panels 1 then red events in panel 2, reds in panel 3, reds in panel4 then repeat for blues in panels 1-4 then greens…
Thanks!
Mike
Please consider this feature in SGP 4.4
Thanks