SolarGun

v1.41 *** ***     2025/02/04

© 2025, Sylvain Weiller
Always type CTRL-F5 to charge latest version !


**Introduction**

As the name suggests, this custom-made Delphi Embarcadero application processes monochrome solar images with lightning-fast speed!

Its primary purpose is to enhance H-alpha images, particularly those with a high dynamic range, but it can also be applied to other wavelengths (with support for three customizable user palettes). The entire workflow, including calculations and colorization, is self-contained—no external image processing software is required.

The process is straightforward: your only task is to precisely position three points on the solar limb. From there, the application handles the rest, allowing you to explore various settings and customize the final appearance to your liking. Once your preferred configuration is set, creating a new image takes just seconds!

The results are versatile, producing black-and-white or colorized images that beautifully showcase the solar disk and prominences in high resolution JPG, PNG and BMP.

After more than 150 hours of development and testing, I’m thrilled to share version 1.4 with my friends and the broader community.

Feel free to reach out via email for any questions, issues, or suggestions.

 

No installation is required!
Simply place the files in a non-system directory (e.g., `Users\SolarGun\...` or `Appexe\SolarGun\`).
Note that a `.ini` text file, which records your preferences, will be saved in the application directory.


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Batch Colorize function was missing in v1.4 ... Corrected in v1.41!
New important tools in v1.4!
 

If it was easy with v1.3 to add Earth or Jupiter images on pictures with a visible Sun's limb, there was no way to do it on a large sunspot in the middle of the solar disk like in this just published picture above!
With v1.4 you can do it easily!
Lets see how ...


At some time in your solar session, preferentially at the begining, make a 1 min capture with the limb, putting the maximum of it on the sensor, like below. Register it and load it into SolarGun. Calculate the circle as usual.
Look at the top right (red arrow). You see two new items : a FIT button and and Edit. Inside this Edit is written the value of Km/Pixel in the image (here 142). This value is instantly saved to disk (IniFile) for re-use in the next sessions until a new circle will be calculated.
Here I use the new 'L -> R' button to copy the Left image into the Right one.

If you click on FIT a new window opens and will show the full Right image (Fit to window)! Much faster than viewing it outside of SunGun! You may close this popup window at any time.
Now load the sunspot image. See the radius of the previous (same) Sun with limb is still there. If you scaled the sunspot picture like I did (50%) then edit the radius accordingly. In the 100% size limb image I found, last time, 141 then I put here twice the value!
Click 'L -> R' button. Colorise the target. Add the planet(s). Click FIT to see the result. Undo if not satisfied and re-do.

Note:
- In the above sunspot picture I resized to 50%, I also changed the canvas in GIMP. I wanted a black zone above in order to avoid Jupiter covering to much of the sunspot!
- I also added a 'Clear Right Image to black' button as I found it useful in some cases (like creating planets to scale on a black background).

 
Many new functions in V1.3!
- Automatic suffix (-yymmddhhmm) when image are saved
- Open Save Folder with Explorer
- Km per pixel in the SUN image
- Adding planets at scale with a simple Shift-Click (choice of Earth, Jupiter or both). The planet image is centered where you click.
- Gamma - [0.9 per click], Gamma + [1.1 per click] on left or right images
- Persistent Stretch function if original image is dark so you can place points easily.
- Real camera dynamic shown
- A few bugs corrected (when using the interface).
The last version of the interface is shown (only) in the picture below (later it is also V1.3 but bit before)
You can also put Earth and / or Jupiter at scale where you want ... (BTW see the huge difference in size, the Earth being about the size of the GRS and almost unnoticeable in this picture! Find it left of Jupiter near a prominence)
If your original image is rather dark, see the effect of Stretch ... Much easier to place the 3 points and nicer to insert into the prominences image!
     
V1.2 introduces Batch Colorization ! Super easy and fast !
Prepare a directory with all the gray tone images to colorize ...
Choose your favorite Palette then click 'Batch Colorize'and select the directory.
The counter at right will show the work in progress.
Colorized images will be save in the same place, with the suffix: -Clr.

Processing, in pictures, from 2 original Sun images which can be downloaded right in this page in a separate zip file, TestImages.zip ...

SolarGun is so simple to use that only a few words are necessary ... 'Dynamic' is from the Camera specs (16, 14, 12, 10, 8) but you may experiment with other values / Background, Gaussian Denoise, Gamma concern the prominence right image only; hit Gamma many times if wanted / Intensity is the prominences amplification at loading time / Desynchro is when in dynamic 8 two distinct images are loaded to move them independently / Blend concerns the disk - prominences limit / Suffix is mainly to avoid smashing previous images saved in subfolder 'Processed' / X and Y permit to move the disk if images are different. / Each download has a distinct Serial number.
Screen Captures from V1.0 ... LOADING original image (at left), image at right is instantly calculated from set options (Dynamic from camera, here called 12 (means RGB 3*12 = 36 bit total), Background and Intensity) ...
VERY IMPORTANT : PLACING the 3 points with high precision ! Try something like this with points at ~ 120° from each other ! I show you the scroll positions in pink !
COLORIZING left and right separately (many choices) and after placing precisely the 3 green dots to calculate the selection circle
INSERTING the Sun disk into prominences via 'Insert Sun Disk' with optional Blend ...
RESULT, automatically saved at once in 'Processed' subfolder with other accessory images ...
AFTER 'Undo all' we can explore more possibilities ... The disk circle, albeit not visible, is still there ! You don't have to re select dots ! [If you want to redo the circle, first right clic on source to allow placing new dots]
INSERTING disk directly after negative coloring ...
NOW the second image (Dynamic of this image is 14 - 42 bit), let's enhance the prominences and colorize ...
Just showing the end of the process (similar to above) ... Dynamic is now on 14, background at 25 and prominence's intensity reduced to 'Bright'.
RESULT image ...
ANOTHER COLORIZATION TRIAL with InvertedBackground palette and negative disk coloring ...
RESULT is already there :)
** DOWNLOADING **

FREE for personal use only.
By using this homemade freeware you fully agree that this is exclusively at your own risks!
No threats have been found by Microsoft Defender...
Nevertheless as 'unknown', Windows will suggest to reject it the first time! This is normal ... Just keep the download!

If you agree to above conditions, click DOWNLOAD
Click to download accompanying images HERE

Of course, I would appreciate if SolarGun is mentionned in your publications!

Application gratuite pour une utilisation personnelle.
Par le fait d'utiliser ce programme gratuit vous êtes pleinement conscient que c'est uniquement à vos risques et périls !
Aucun danger n'a été trouvé dans ce programme par Microsoft Defender ...
Si vous êtes d'accord avec les conditions ci-dessus, cliquez TELECHARGER
Pour télécharger les images solaires d'accompagnement, cliquez ICI

Ce serait très sympa de mentionner SolarGun dans vos publications !
Suggestions received:
- Accept 16 bit Tiff files ? Done in V1.1
- Batch colorization done in V1.2 [Serial 74+]
*** Reported bugs in v1.4: Missing BatchColorize, Corrected in v14.1                                                                                           ***       If you serial number is <= 141, please update !