/butterfly_registrator

Desktop app for aligning images using draggable control points (manual image registration). Batch mode to process multiple images such as XRF and RIS element maps from painting analyses. Converts and merges alphascale images. Installs as a Windows executable and runs directly on Python. Very open source.

Primary LanguagePythonOtherNOASSERTION

Animated screencapture of the Butterfly Registrator showing control points on a reference image and moving image, with the registered result previewed in a sliding overlay.
Registering an XRF element map to a color image¹

Animated screencapture of the Butterfly Registrator showing the alphascale converter, and then the Butterfly Viewer showing a sliding overlay with multiple alphascale images over a reference photo.
Alphascale conversion of a grayscale XRF element map¹, then shown in sliding overlay with Butterfly Viewer

Butterfly Registrator is a preprocessing app for aligning images using pairs of control points you click and drag. It helps you align (or register) images to a given reference such that their heights and widths match and the features within those images line up, making it easy to later overlay and compare them without the hassle of manually zooming, stretching, and cropping them beforehand.

The Registrator also creates alphascale images. You can convert individual grayscale images using a color picker and also merge multiple alphascale images into a single image.

The Registrator runs as an installable Windows executable or directly on its Python source code. For Macs, sign up to beta test the macOS version.

Most types of PNG, JPEG, and TIFF can be loaded into the Registrator. It can likewise save registered image files to PNG, JPEG, and TIFF.

With Butterfly Viewer you can rapidly compare your registered images with sliding overlays and synchronized side-by-side pan and zoom. The Viewer is handy for visually inspecting painting research data such as high-res and raking-light photos, X-rays, and element maps from XRF and RIS — especially with element maps converted to alphascale.

¹Small Pear Tree in Blossom by Vincent van Gogh. Credits: Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (Vincent van Gogh Foundation)

Key features

  • Side-by-side image previews to rapidly check the accuracy of registration and make adjustments before saving a copy.

  • Batch mode to apply the same registration to multiple images of the same capture/perspective, which is useful for registering element maps from scanning X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and reflectance imaging spectroscopy (RIS) to a ground truth like a color photograph.

  • Save registration control points to CSV to easily document and trace the images you register, and import later if you want to reproduce or adjust a registration.

How-to's

Our Butterfly Registrator page documents how to install and use the Registrator, as well how contribute to it as a developer.

Install as Windows executable

Sign up to beta test the macOS app

Run on Python

Tutorial of main features

Help with common questions

Developers

Or see the source markdown file in the docs branch under docs/DEVELOPERS.md.