r/AstroforgeEditor

Image 1 — Activation error
Image 2 — Activation error
Image 3 — Activation error

Activation error

I bought the software and received the key "AF-xxxxxxxxxx" however on pasting the same in the software i get the error "Aktivierungslimit erreicht" which i believe is Activation limit reached.

However the key which I entered shows status - Granted

Validations 0

Validated at - Never validated

In the customer portal of polar sh.

Can someone please guide?

u/gemcollector44

u/iforgottedit — 4 days ago
▲ 12 r/AstroforgeEditor+1 crossposts

Astroforge Big News !

Good evening everyone!

Original text: only AI used for formatting

Over the past few days, I've put in a lot of hard work to be able to present this version V1.1.30 to you. Here's an overview of the most important changes:

  1. Loading & Stretch Options

When loading, all common stretch data is now offered – giving you maximum control over the image.

Important: The loaded data is used for star detection. I personally always think dark images look cool – but they're not much use if the star detection ends up working suboptimally.

Quick switch of stretch method: If the image is already loaded and you still want to quickly switch to a different stretch method – no problem. Just click the "Original" button in the top right, and you'll be taken straight back to the respective menu.

  1. Star Detection & Star Separation

To optimize star detection, I've expanded the Gaia database. The logic behind star separation has also been significantly improved once again.

Tip: If the core burns out after star separation, it helps to adjust the brightness to find the optimal point.

I've built in nearly dozens of algorithms to reliably separate the core – so it should really help.

  1. Auto Mode for Beginners & Pros

The program is meant to be easy for beginners and highly professional at the same time. That's why I've added an auto mode: it provides suggestions, so to speak – the fine-tuning is up to you.

  1. Pipelines & Bug Reporting

All pipelines have been thoroughly tested. But there are bound to be some bugs left – if any come up, no worries:

In the top right, next to the fullscreen mode, you'll see a bug icon. Just click on it and post on Reddit – I'm usually quick to respond.

  1. New Features in the Top Bar

Please take a look at the bar in the upper middle – new features have been added there as well.

  1. Performance Indicator During Layer Editing

Due to the file size of some images, the program requires a lot of computing power. When the individual layers are being edited, short delays are unavoidable – despite the render pipeline having been optimized multiple times.

New: These delays are now visibly shown in the sliders, so you always know what's happening in the background.

  1. Manual & Tutorial Videos

I'll be updating the manual step by step, and I'm also planning short tutorial videos:

  • Kept small (only 6–15 MB)
  • Available in multiple languages

A Personal Word to Wrap Things Up

It's awesome how much you've supported me – thank you for all your feedback!

And honestly: what you're seeing today is the program I wanted to have myself.

As a thank-you for your support, I've extended the trials by one more week – unfortunately, this will be the last time.

Have fun with the new version!

And Yes ... Mac / linux aare on the Roadmap

Guten Abend zusammen!

Original Text : nur Ki zur Formatierung benutzt

Ich habe in den letzten Tagen wirklich viel und hart gearbeitet, um euch diese Version V1.1.30 präsentieren zu dürfen. Hier die wichtigsten Änderungen im Überblick:

1. Laden & Stretch-Optionen

Beim Laden werden jetzt alle gängigen Stretch-Daten angeboten – das gibt euch maximale Kontrolle über das Bild.

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Schneller Wechsel der Stretch-Methode: Falls das Bild bereits geladen ist und ihr trotzdem schnell eine andere Stretch-Methode wollt – kein Problem. Einfach oben rechts auf den Button „Original" klicken, und ihr seid sofort wieder im jeweiligen Menü.

2. Sternerkennung & Sterntrennung

Um die Sternerkennung zu optimieren, habe ich die Gaia-DB erweitert. Auch die Sterntrennung wurde hinsichtlich der Logik nochmals deutlich optimiert.

>

Ich habe hier fast Dutzende Algorithmen eingebaut, um den Kern zuverlässig zu trennen – es sollte also helfen.

3. Automodus für Einsteiger & Profis

Das Programm soll einfach für Anfänger und gleichzeitig sehr professionell sein. Deswegen habe ich einen Automodus eingebaut: Dieser liefert sozusagen Vorschläge – die Feinarbeit liegt bei euch.

4. Pipelines & Bug-Reporting

Sämtliche Pipelines sind sauber durchgeprüft. Fehler gibt es aber bestimmt trotzdem noch – falls welche auftreten, kein Problem:

Oben rechts neben dem Vollbildmodus ist ein Käfer-Symbol zu sehen. Einfach draufklicken und bei Reddit posten – meistens bin ich schnell.

5. Neue Funktionen in der oberen Leiste

Schaut bitte auf die Leiste in der Mitte oben – auch dort sind neue Funktionen eingefügt.

6. Performance-Anzeige bei der Layer-Bearbeitung

Das Programm benötigt aufgrund der Bildgröße einiger Dateien sehr viel Rechenleistung. Wenn die einzelnen Layer bearbeitet werden, kommt es – trotz der mehrfach optimierten Render-Pipeline – unausweichlich zu kurzen Verzögerungen.

>

7. Anleitung & Tutorial-Videos

Ich werde die Anleitung nach und nach aktualisieren und plane zusätzlich kurze Tutorial-Videos:

  • Klein gehalten (nur 6–15 MB)
  • Multilingual verfügbar

Ein persönliches Wort zum Schluss

Cool, dass ihr mich so unterstützt habt – danke für eure Feedbacks!

Und ehrlich gesagt: Was ihr heute seht, ist das Programm, das ich selbst haben wollte.

Zum Dank für eure Unterstützung habe ich die Trials wieder - aber leider auch letztmalig - um eine Woche verlängert

Viel Spaß mit der neuen Version!

u/gemcollector44 — 11 days ago
▲ 9 r/AstroforgeEditor+1 crossposts

Hey !

Here is the new update 1.1.26 — it features now different stretch formats that will give you absolute control over how your linear FITS data gets compressed for editing. When you load a stack, a dialog opens with a live 800-pixel preview and three sliders (Black / Mid / White, 0.01 step for fine-tuning) plus a method picker:

The four stretch methods

  1. Arcsinh (Standard)

The PixInsight/Siril-style color-preserving GHS stretch. Logarithmic-like compression with a noise-aware MAD black point and per-channel chromaticity preservation — bright stars keep their color instead of going white. The Mid slider modulates the stretch curvature target. Best default for almost all deep-sky stacks.

  1. MTF / Auto-STF

Midtone Transfer Function (the same curve PixInsight's auto-STF and Siril's auto-stretch use). Sigmoid-shaped — strong shadow lift at low Mid, gentle highlight roll-off. Use when Arcsinh feels too soft and you want PixInsight-style punch.

  1. Linear

Pure histogram pull — no tone curve at all. (pixel - black) / (white - black), then clip. Use this when your stack already has good contrast (vendor-pre-stretched data, processed exports) or when you want maximum control over a manual curve later. Mid slider is greyed out (no midpoint to set).

  1. Histogram-Pull (Histo)

Identical to Linear semantically, but the slider feel is calibrated to operate directly on histogram percentiles. Sometimes more intuitive when you want to tell the app "clip the bottom 2% and the top 0.1%" — drag Black to 2, White to 99.9.

Live preview + AUTO

A 540×76 histogram with stretch-threshold guides (black + white as dashed lines) updates in real-time as you drag. The ✨ AUTO button resets to MAD-black + p99.8-white + auto-mid — the legacy default heuristic — for one-click sane starting point.

Re-pick the stretch any time

After loading, click the green ORIGINAL button under Configuration to re-open the same dialog and try a different method without re-loading the file. (3-second press-and-hold on the same button still does the legacy "reset to base 0" if that's what your muscle memory expects.)

Check it out at Astroforge.de

Free Trial for 7 days :)

u/gemcollector44 — 13 days ago