Note

This page is generated from a Jupyter notebook. Download the .ipynb from the sources, or open the paired jupytext .py under docs/tutorials/.

Getting started (scripting)

Stretch, colorize, and combine FITS layers with the v3 session API. For the full NGC 602 narrative (OpenFITS download, WCS rotation, inverse backgrounds) see ngc602_same_grid. Conceptual guides: color compositing, intensity scaling, session model, WCS & alignment.

import multicolorfits as mcf
from multicolorfits.figures import make_combined_figure

Minimal McfSession recipe

Replace the paths with three registered FITS files on your machine. Layers must share a pixel grid (use Align layers… in the GUI or align_stack when they do not).

# s = mcf.McfSession(n_panels=3)
# s.load_files(
#     ['layer_a.fits', 'layer_b.fits', 'layer_c.fits'],
#     colors=['#BE599E', '#DEA215', '#77C0F9'],
#     labels=['A', 'B', 'C'],
# )
# s.compose.combine_mode = 'lab'      # recommended alternative to classic RGB sum
# s.compose.combine_blend = 'screen'
# s.compose.gamma = 2.2
# s.compose.title = 'My target'
# s.compose.show_legend = True
# s.compose.show_combo_swatch = True  # overlap preview matches combine_mode
#
# rgb = s.render_combined()                 # full float64 for export
# # rgb = s.render_combined(preview=True)   # fast float32 path while iterating
# fig, ax = make_combined_figure(s, combined=rgb)
# fig.savefig('combined.png', dpi=150, bbox_inches='tight')

One-shot helper (arrays already aligned)

# rgb = mcf.combine_layers(
#     [data_a, data_b, data_c],
#     colors=['#BE599E', '#DEA215', '#77C0F9'],
#     colorspace='lab', blend='screen', gamma=2.2)

GUI and export

mcf.gui(session=s)                 # browser GUI (needs [web] or [all])
# mcf.gui_qt(session=s)            # desktop GUI (needs [qt] or [all])
s.save_state('session.json')
print(s.export_script())           # recreate the plot without the GUI

Need more than four layers? Both GUIs ship with + Add panel (up to 16), or call s.add_panel() in scripts.

print('multicolorfits', mcf.__version__)