Getting Started

Use PSF Guard on your desktop, or run it on a server or NAS and open it in a browser. Both give you the same tools to review images, plan captures and build calibrated stacks.

Choose desktop or server

Choose where PSF Guard will run and read your image files.

PSF Guard catalogs files in place. You can import images from any capture software; N.I.N.A. and Target Scheduler are optional.

Set up the desktop app

1. Install the app for your operating system.
2. Open PSF Guard and import your image folders.
3. Choose a project in the Library and review its frames.

Import your images

Already use Target Scheduler? Choose Import from Target Scheduler to create an owned working catalog and keep the source connected. Review the automatic sync and grade writeback settings after import. Your current Target Scheduler setup will keep working in 0.12. A later update will create a PSF Guard catalog for you and keep captures, plans and grades in sync with Target Scheduler. Separate catalogs let us add features to PSF Guard and support new Target Scheduler versions. We plan to remove direct database access in 0.13 or later. See Import from Target Scheduler.

Open Settings → Databases → New Database from Images, add your image folders, and choose Create & Import. PSF Guard groups frames into projects, targets and exposure plans from their headers. Turn on Automatic import to check for new frames on a schedule. For frames with unknown targets, choose Review and approve their import. See Import Images.

Set up a server or NAS

1. Install with Docker on your server or NAS, or run the standalone server.
2. Give PSF Guard access to your image folders and a folder that survives container restarts for its catalogs and settings. Follow the storage setup for Docker.
3. Open the server URL in a browser and import your images. Use paths on the server, where PSF Guard reads the files.
4. Set up server accounts for access from other computers. See Configuration & API for server settings.

You can import files already on the server, or connect N.I.N.A. to transfer captures as you take them.

Optional: connect N.I.N.A.

For N.I.N.A. with Target Scheduler, use the PSF Guard Sync plugin. Target Scheduler runs your imaging sessions. The Sync plugin sends capture records to PSF Guard and retrieves saved plans and reviewed grades. You can also upload saved lights and calibration frames.

1. Install PSF Guard Sync from the PSF Guard plugin repository in N.I.N.A.
2. In PSF Guard, choose the destination catalog under Settings → Databases. If you need a new catalog, create one from an empty image folder; the plugin can populate it.
3. Edit the catalog and generate a pairing code. Enter the server URL and code in the N.I.N.A. plugin, then click Pair and Test connection.
4. Choose which data to sync. If you also want to transfer image files, enable uploads and choose a receive folder in PSF Guard.

Follow Pair N.I.N.A. with a catalog for the full setup. The Sync plugin transfers data; Target Scheduler remains responsible for capture. You do not need the Director beta for this setup.

Review a project

1. In the Library, pick a project. Its row shows the database, state, accepted against desired, grading counts and capture dates.
2. In Images, filter by status, filter or quality flag. Move with the arrow keys, select with Space, accept with A and reject with X.
3. Open Sequence to see a whole session scored, with the cause behind each low score.
4. Open Calibration to review the bias, dark and flat frames matched to your lights. If the Library shows a Poor or Check badge, click it to see the calibration findings.
5. Open Stacks to stack the accepted frames per channel and combine them in color.
6. Export the accepted lights for PixInsight, or run WBPP on the server.

Next: Library & Grader, Quality Screening, Calibration, Stacks and Export.

Plan across rigs

PSF Guard creates rigs and plans from your registered databases and Target Scheduler projects. Open a plan's Planning workspace to frame it on the sky, set goals per filter, and write it into each rig's Target Scheduler database. See Planning.

Legacy and manual database workflows

For a new setup, import image folders into a PSF Guard catalog or use the N.I.N.A. Sync plugin with a server.

Existing Target Scheduler databases

For new Target Scheduler databases, choose Settings → Databases → Import from Target Scheduler to import the database and set up sync.

Your current Target Scheduler setup will keep working in 0.12, including saving grades and plans. A later update will create a PSF Guard catalog for you and keep captures, plans and grades in sync with Target Scheduler. We plan to remove direct database access in 0.13 or later. For the steps and backup requirements, see Direct database access.

Transfer between separate databases

If you keep separate telescope and grading databases, use Data Transfer to preview and copy captures, plans and grades. For transfers between PSF Guard servers, use Remote PSF Guard. These are manual alternatives to the N.I.N.A. Sync plugin.

Early beta: Director and collaboration

The upcoming N.I.N.A. Director plugin is a separate integration for plan execution and live rig status. Its early beta can retrieve an activated program, report status and check in saved captures. Direct acquisition is still upcoming, and pairing alone does not start a sequence or grant equipment control. Use Target Scheduler with PSF Guard Sync for imaging today.

Collaboration is also in early beta. It connects rigs to shared imaging projects on services such as Starfront, imports assigned work and submits accepted contributions.

Image formats

PSF Guard reads FITS (.fits, .fit, .fts) and monolithic XISF. FITS images in an extension, tile-compressed (fpack), signed 16-bit and 64-bit integer images all open. Raw one-shot-color frames with a BAYERPAT header show in color (C switches); grading measures their luminance.