Idiots Guide - Step By Step

Do you have any Lights/Darks/Flats/Bias sets? you can download them online. search cloudy nights forum

First Set Working Directory. Then

1)Click on LOAD. select and load your lights darks, bias, and flats

2) Click on Calibrate...3,4,5,6 click...use defaults to start.  Between each step check your sub list for problems and uncheck the failed this or that if any, before next step.

P.S. to save time in just learning the mechanics I would just load up a few of each type of sub it'll look horrible in the end but at least it will get to the end quickly and you'll know you're doing things right

Thanks Greg for responding.  I have been able to load CR2 RAW L/F/D/B and run with defaults.  My camera is an ASTRO MODDED Canon 550D/T2i model also fitted with a CLP filter.  I ran my first project on the Pleiades using a 100mm Prime lens (full frame) exposed for 70s at f5.6.  The images were ok but there was some trailing so next time I'll reduce the time.  I sorted the wheat from the chaf and loaded them into APP with the defaults.  There was a huge pink colour cast in my first run.  Then I fiddled with the black point on the left side on a few of the Lights and one of each of the F/D/B frames and increased it until the pink practically went.  Then I reprocessed it again and it made little difference and I noticed the Black point had gone back to its default setting.  Then I discovered the Calibrate Tool.  I selected the master frame only and calibrated the BP on only this and selected the saved file as part of the process sequence and then reprocessed it again.  This seems to have made a big difference to the entire end product and gave me a much more realistic image without the awful pink cast.  Then I put the final TIFF into Lightroom and Photoshop and tweaked it a bit.  The final image was a vast improvement, with many of the rugby shaped stars either gone or certainly better looking.  Was Calibrating the right sequence?  Is there a better way or have I stumbled upon it?  I attach the two files as PNG

.  One is the first attempt (Basic) the other is the Calibrated process.  

Hi Rob, welcome to the forum !

And thank you Greg for assisting 😉

@Rob, I don't have a test dataset ready for you, but I can make some available if you want.

I have a nice batch of M45 mono LRGB calibrated frames shot over several nights or I can provide nice DSLR frames of M51... Just let me know, and I'll try to upload them as soon as possible.

 I will then assist in the workflow for these frames 😉

Mabula

Posted by: rsbuckell

Thanks Greg for responding.  I have been able to load CR2 RAW L/F/D/B and run with defaults.  My camera is an ASTRO MODDED Canon 550D/T2i model also fitted with a CLP filter.  I ran my first project on the Pleiades using a 100mm Prime lens (full frame) exposed for 70s at f5.6.  The images were ok but there was some trailing so next time I'll reduce the time.  I sorted the wheat from the chaf and loaded them into APP with the defaults.  There was a huge pink colour cast in my first run.  Then I fiddled with the black point on the left side on a few of the Lights and one of each of the F/D/B frames and increased it until the pink practically went.  Then I reprocessed it again and it made little difference and I noticed the Black point had gone back to its default setting.  Then I discovered the Calibrate Tool.  I selected the master frame only and calibrated the BP on only this and selected the saved file as part of the process sequence and then reprocessed it again.  This seems to have made a big difference to the entire end product and gave me a much more realistic image without the awful pink cast.  Then I put the final TIFF into Lightroom and Photoshop and tweaked it a bit.  The final image was a vast improvement, with many of the rugby shaped stars either gone or certainly better looking.  Was Calibrating the right sequence?  Is there a better way or have I stumbled upon it?  I attach the two files as PNG

.  One is the first attempt (Basic) the other is the Calibrated process.  

Hi Rob,

Depending on your camera's sensor characteristics and atmospheric conditions while capturing your data, moon phase and/or other light pollution gardens, a color cast in your integration is quite common. The cast can be green/blue/magenta or even pinkish as you see.

The proper way to calibrate the integration is to

• use the remove light pollution tool
• then calibrate the background
• then apply star color calibration.

This particular order is pretty important.

The star color calibration tool in version 1.055 is a bit simple and sometimes gives too much magenta in your stars. Next APP version will see a huge upgrade of this tool.

Let me know if you have other questions,

Kind regards,

Mabula

+1 Mabula's reply. 

+1 Mabula's reply.  Those are all under step 9) Tools.

Thanks for the response.  Two Questions then:

1)If I'm using a CLP (Clip in Light Pollution Filter) on the camera already should it be necessary to run the Remove LP process in APP or should I not use the CLP at all?  

2) When Calibrating the background do I only calibrate One of each of the L/D/F/B sets or all of them?

Thanks,

Rob

Hi Rob,

1. A light pollution filter will only accomplish that wavelengths of disturbing city light won't be transmitted onto your camera's sensor. And will therefore increase contrast in objects that shine on different wavelengths than the city lights. But such filter will never fully prevent you from light pollution and or other gradients that will be part of each night sky. Even at the darkest of skies, you will have pollution/gradients from the moon for instance, sky glow is another. So the "remove light pollution" is almost always beneficial in my experience. Also with 3nm Ha exposures for instance. So do use your CLP filter to increase contrast in your exposures and do use the "remove light pollution"tool to correct the data for any gradients, which you will certainly have in your data.
2. Calibrating the background is to be done on an integration, made out of calibrated light frames, after having corrected the integration for Light pollution/gradients first. It's not to be done on calibration frames.

Kind regards,

Mabula