Getting Started with Mira Pro 7

This document describes how to install Mira Pro 7 software and begin using it.

This document is an on-line version of the Getting Started booklet supplied with the Mira CDROM edition. It includes material from the Mira Pro 7 User’s Guide in your software installation. Below you will find instructions for installing Mira and a Tutorial describing how to display your first image and work with it. Additional tutorials are provided in the Mira Help and the Mira User's Guide. At the end of this document is a glossary of user interface terms that may be helpful for using Mira and this document.

Useful Links

Mirametrics Home Page (opens in a new browser)

Installation	Installing from a CDROM Installing from a Zip Archive or Download Mira License Number
Tutorial	Opening an Image Adjusting the Image Using the Image Cursor Adjusting the Image Palette
Glossary of Terms	Mouse Terminology Window Terminology
Other Information	Product Support & Information Trademarks Copyright

Installation

This section describes how to install Mira onto your machine.

Installing from a CDROM

Close all running programs.
Insert the Mira CDROM into the drive. The Setup program should start automatically. If not, use the Windows Start > Run command from the task bar.
The Setup program progresses through a series of dialogs that control the setup. You may simply choose the default option on each dialog.
When finished, reboot your machine if Setup requests it.

Note: If you are using the Mira Pro Trial Version software, skip to the Tutorial.

Installing from a Zip Archive or Download

Close all running Programs
Run the downloaded Mira archive. It requires a password. This password was provided to you when you purchased your Mira user's license. Enter the installation password into the setup dialog and click [OK] to continue.
The Setup program progresses through a series of dialogs that control the setup. You may simply choose the default option on each dialog.
When finished, reboot your machine if Setup requests it.

Mira License Number

When you run Mira the first time, it shows the dialog below to request you to enter a license number. The license number looks like this: xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx in which each “x” is a digit. The license number is based on a similar 16 digit ID number that Mira generates when you install it.

To get the license number, use the Mira License Manager program you received with the Mira installation. If you purchased a user license for the download installation instead, the license manager software was Emailed to you. The license generation procedure is detailed below.

Generating the Mira License Number:

Click the button with the large red question mark. This shows you the 16 digit Identification number, beside the label "Identification #".
Enter the 16 digit Identification number into the Mira License Manager software.
Click the Calculate button to create a Mira License Number.
Copy the Mira License number (or write it down), and paste (or type) it into the Mira License Registration dialog shown above. Click OK to complete the license number entry.

Use this same procedure to install Mira on your other computers.

Tutorial

This tutorial describes how to display an image and make some basic adjustments. To learn about opening multiple images in the same window and working with them, see Working with Image Sets in the Mira Help.

Opening an Image

Start Mira in the usual way. Click File on the main menu bar and then click Open... in the File menu (we will refer to this and other menu commands like File > Open). This command opens the familiar File Open dialog shown below.

If you obtained a Mira installation that contains sample images, navigate to the [Mira]\Sample Data folder. Otherwise, navigate to a folder containing one of your images and use it in the instructions below.

In the File Open dialog, click on hyak0324.120.fts to select it as shown, then [Open]. An image is opened into an Image Window that looks like the one shown below. Note that the image appears small because it was scaled to fit the screen.

Note

If a FITS format image opens upside down, open the File Open dialog and check the Flip FITS Images option, then re-open the image. This option can also be set on the Other Preferences page.

Adjusting the Image

Along the top of the Image Window is a command center called the Image Toolbar. Two dynamic parts of the Image Toolbar are the two Auxiliary Image Views and the Image Coordinate Display panels. The auxiliary views show a thumbnail that indicates the currently visible region and a magnified view that tracks the mouse pointer. The Coordinate Display section also tracks the mouse pointer, displaying both column and row position in the image (C and R) as well as the pixel value Z, and the World Coordinates X, and Y. World Coordinates refers to Right Ascension and Declination. This image has no World Coordinate System (WCS) calibration so (X,Y) equals (C,R).

We now want to magnify the image. If the mouse has a thumbwheel, and the image window is active (on top; has focus), we can rotate the wheel to magnify the image. Otherwise, the quickest way is to use Magnify Mode. Move the mouse onto the button at the extreme top left corner of the window and let the mouse hover over the button. This is the Magnify Mode button. If you click it, Mira changes into Magnify Mode in which left mouse clicks on the image magnify it at that point. If you let the mouse hover over the button, a Tooltip pops up as shown at far left.

This is a special kind of Tooltip that shows a triangle on the right side. This is an Expanding Tooltip, which can display additional text. To see more text, click on the triangle at the right end of the tip. The Magnify Tooltip tells you not only what the Magnify button does, but also that the image is reduced by 4 times. If you click on this Tooltip you will see expanded information that tell you how to use magnify mode. Many Mira controls have Expanding Tooltips. As with the Magnify button, many of the other buttons on the Image Toolbar have Tooltips that tell you about the current state of the command.

Using the Image Cursor

In the previous figure, the image shows a large red square with a small central crosshair. This rectangle is the Image Cursor, a resizable tracking cursor used for defining positions and rectangular regions on the image. The Image Cursor is used by a number of Mira commands and interactive tools. The image cursor is connected to the image's pixel coordinate system rather than the computer screen. The edges and center are always reported to Mira internally as actual (fractional) pixel coordinates. Now, we will change to Cursor mode to be able to adjust the Image Cursor. Click to switch to Cursor Mode. (As usual with cursor command modes, you switch out by clicking to return to Roam Mode.) You can also change modes by right clicking on the image to open the Image Context Menu instead of the button commands.

There are two other ways to adjust the image cursor:

In any mode, hold down Shift and click the mouse on a target position to move the cursor. This does not enable Cursor mode.
Use Ctrl+D to switch in and out of Cursor Mode.

To move the Image Cursor while Cursor Mode is enabled, simply click on the image. The Image Cursor responds to "[left] mouse button down" by locking onto the mouse pointer, wherever it may be. Thus you can position or drag the Image Cursor by having the mouse button down. To resize the Image Cursor, move the mouse pointer over an edge or corner to see the pointer icon change to a double arrow. Then mouse down on that point and stretch the Image Cursor as desired. These moving and stretching operations work only while in Cursor Mode. You should use these actions to position the Image Cursor on a place of interest in the image. If the Image Cursor is lost somewhere outside the visible portion of the image, say when it is highly magnified, just enter Cursor Mode and mouse down somewhere on the image. That will relocate it to the point where you clicked. You can also position the Image Cursor at an exact coordinate (pixel or world) using the Go To Coordinate command in the View > Coordinates menu or the Image Context Menu. The Go To Coordinate window stays open so you can dock it near the edge of the screen to use as needed.

Adjusting the Image Palette

Let's play with the Image Palette. The right border of the Image Window shows the relationship between image "luminance" (or intensity, pixel value, count, ADU, etc.) and the color assigned to the view through the Image Palette. This region, which looks like a grayscale ramp in these figures, is called the Image Colormap. The Colormap shows the current palette. To change the palette, move the mouse pointer onto the Colormap "hot zone". The pointer changes to a special icon to indicate that palette commands are available by clicking the mouse. Another type of display adjustment is made using commands in the View > Transfer Function menu. The picture below shows a negative grayscale image.

Other palette adjustment commands:

To invert the palette and produce a negative image as shown above, use the View > Palette > Invert command in the main menu.
To adjust the palette contrast, brightness, and gamma, mouse down on the Colormap and drag the pointer around the screen.
To view palette changes, double click on the Colormap to open the Palette Properties dialog. You can work with palettes in greater detail using this dialog.
To reset the palette to its default settings, right double click on the Colormap.

A transfer function is a "rule" that describes how to "slice" the luminance range of an image into some number of levels for display. To each level is applied a color (or gray shade) entry from the palette. The transfer function is applied to luminance (i.e., non-color) images. A palette is applied to both luminance and color images. By changing either the transfer function or the palette assignments, you can change the way an image is displayed. Neither the transfer function nor palette affects the actual pixel values; they are both just display enhancements. You can prove this to yourself by adjusting the palette and noting the pixel values as you roam the mouse pointer around the image—there is no change in values despite the change in appearance. All measurements, processing, and plotting are also independent of transfer function and palette settings. For more information, see Image Palettes in the Mira documentation.

Double click on the Colormap to open the Palette Properties dialog. Underneath the palette graph is a drop box containing the names of different palettes. This drop box and its buttons to the right are called a Profile Control. The grayscale palette is the default when an image is opened, and it performs a direct mapping of gray shade or color assignments to the image values. You can also apply false colors to the transfer function levels using a “pseudocolor” palette. Pseudocolor allows certain image features to be enhanced at the expense of others and represents a powerful say of visualizing images. In the drop list, select a different palette name and notice how the image window having focus changes to apply it immediately. You can adjust the contrast and brightness as described in the previous section and watch the palette change.

This marks the end of the Tutorial.

Glossary of Terms

Understanding the terminology we use in this document will make it easier to learn Mira. The sections below define what is meant when the instructions tell you to drag the mouse or to be sure a window has focus.

Mouse Terminology

Click	The action of pressing, then releasing the mouse button. Usually you do this to execute a command like that associated with a button, checkbox, or other control.
Drag	The action of moving the mouse while holding down the primary mouse button. During a drag operation, something will be moving or adjusting such as an image being centered or a line vector being stretched.
Mouse Cursor	The normal mouse pointer when it moves into an Image Window. The Image Window displays image coordinates and value as the pointer is moved over the image. This differentiates it from the Image Cursor, which marks reference positions on the image but does not give continuous updating of the image coordinate.
Mouse Down	The action of pressing the "primary" mouse button (normally the left button). Usually the mouse is held down to drag some user interface object. Many procedures in Mira require you to press and hold the mouse button while you move the mouse.
Mouse Up	The action of releasing the primary mouse button after some operation such as "dragging".
Right Click	The action of clicking the secondary mouse button, which is normally the right button. This is used to open Context Menus and for only a few other purposes.

Window Terminology

Accelerator	A keystroke combination that performs an operation that otherwise requires multiple keystrokes or mouse clicks. The accelerator would be a special key, like Ctrl+O for opening a file.
Context Menu	A popup menu that appears inside a view window by right clicking inside the window. In Mira, most View Windows have Context Menus. These open by right clicking inside the window you are working with. The name "Context Menu" derives from the fact that you do not lose your context (i.e., your train of thought) by right clicking where you are looking, as opposed to moving out of the window to hunt for a command in a menu somewhere else.
Dialog Window (or Dialog)	A type of window that is used to interact (i.e., to have a dialog) with the software. A Dialog doesn't usually show you any data or results. Images, plots, measurements, and other types of data or results are shown in View windows. Some dialogs take control of Mira and require you to click OK, Cancel, or Close before you can proceed. Others allow you to work with other windows while they are open. However, in both cases, a Dialog Window stays on top.
Drop Dialog	A dialog window that can expand downward to expose additional controls and information. These dialogs help you save screen space when you don't need to see everything.
Focus	Refers to a window that accepts input from the mouse or keyboard. When a window has focus, information about what you type or where you click the mouse is sent to that window. Usually, the window having focus is in front of other windows.
Menu bar	A menu containing pull down menus. The standard menu bars are located at the top of the Mira application window. Click the menu item on the menu bar to drop, or "pull down" a menu from the bar. Each type of View Window (Image, Plot, Report, Text Editor, and others) load their own specific menu bar containing commands appropriate for their type of control.
Modal Dialog	A window that takes control of the user interface. When a modal dialog is open in Mira, you cannot interact with any part of Mira outside that dialog.
Modeless Dialog	A Dialog Window that allows you to use other windows while open.
Preference	A parameter or setting that controls some aspect of the software. A number, a checkbox, a selection from a list—these are all "preferences". Usually preferences are displayed in a Dialog Window and changed by using dialog controls.
Toolbar	A row or column of buttons connected to commands, or software "tools". A toolbar attaches itself to the border of a window, usually along the top or left edge. Most toolbars may be detached from their parent window by dragging them after grabbing an area outside of the buttons.
View Window	A type of window that displays data, such as an image, plot, a table of measurements, or text. Usually a view window can be resized to give you a larger or smaller view of the data.

Other Information

This document applies to Mira Pro version 7.5 and later.

Product Support & Information

To contact Mirametrics, Inc., use the points of contact listed in the table below.

E-mail	support@mirametrics.com
World Wide Web	http://www.mirametrics.com/
Telephone	+1.520.323.8600 (USA)

Trademarks

Mira is a registered trademark of Mirametrics, Inc.

Mirametrics and Mira are registered trademarks and Mira Pro is a trademark of Mirametrics, Inc.

Microsoft is a registered trademark and Windows, Word, and Excel are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.

All other brand names and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks that are the property of their respective holders.