*** RNCColorStretchGUI - a graphical user interface for rnc-color-stretch
***
*** rnc-color-stretch Copyright (c) 2016, Roger N. Clark, clarkvision.com
*** http://www.clarkvision.com/articles/astrophotography.software/rnc-color-stretch/
***
*** GUI v0.2  2016/11/30 by Vincent Duparc


1. Requirements
---------------
	
RNCColorStretchGUI needs the following:

- 64-bit Windows 7,8,10 OS
- Davinci for Windows, version 2.18  http://davinci.asu.edu/index.php?title=Download_For_Windows
- rnc-color-stretch script version 0.936 (provided in the ZIP).
  Later versions can be used if the parameters have not changed.
- Microsoft .NET Framework 4.5 (present by default in most Windows versions, or downloadable from Microsoft if not)
	

2. How to install
-----------------
	
Extract the full contents of the ZIP into a folder of your choice, where you have "write" permissions.

For example, "C:\RNCColorStretchGUI" or "C:\usr\RNCColorStretchGUI" are OK.
Locations like "C:\Program Files (x86)\RNCColorStretchGUI" or "C:\Windows\RNCColorStretchGUI" are NOT OK.

Do not run the program directly from the ZIP file!

	
3. How to use
-------------

	3.1 Launch the GUI by double-clicking the "RNCColorStretch" application.
	

	3.2 Setup

	You may need to set the path to the Davinci install location. 
The GUI expects Davinci to be installed in the default directory "C:\Program Files\Davinci-2.18\". 
If you installed Davinci into another directory, click on the "Setup" tab, then on the Davinci "Browse" button.
Locate davinci.exe and press "Open".
	
By default, the rnc-color-stretch script is located in the "RNCColorStretchGUI\Scripts" subdirectory.
If you want to use another version of the script, you can use the corresponding "Browse" button	to select it.

		
	3.3 Stretch
	
	On the "Stretch" tab, type an input file name or use the "Browse" button to find the input file.
It should be a 16-bit TIFF or PNG image.
		
You can choose an output filename base. The default name is "a-stretched-image".
The program will generate "a-stretched-image.jpg" and "a-stretched-image.png" files.
By default, these files will be saved in the same location as the input image.
		
Note: if you type JUST a name like "a-stretched-image", without the absolute path (an absolute path looks like "C:\My Documents\My Pictures\a-stretched-image", with disk and directory information), the generated stretched images will be found in your Windows user home folder ("C:\Users\your_name").
		
		
You can then select the stretching parameters.
Each input box or list has a tip message - it appears when you move the mouse cursor over the input area.
		
Once you have modified the parameters, you can save them as a preset for later use, by pressing the "Save" button.
The preset can be recalled by selecting it from the drop-down list.
If you need to go back to the default parameters, you can select the "Default" preset from the list.
		
You start the stretching by clicking on the "Stretch" button.
If there are setup problems or parameter errors, you will get an error message explaining the problem.
		
If output images using the base file name already exist, you can not start stretching. To send these existing output files to the Recycle Bin, press "Clean output".
		
The stretching process opens a console, and the script starts running. Once the process is complete, press any key to close the console and return to the GUI.
		
		

4. GNU General Public License https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html
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THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDER AND CONTRIBUTORS "AS IS" AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COPYRIGHT HOLDER OR CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.