Need help with my step by step instructions please

[carastro]

Load your files into Dropbox including flats  etc and let us see if we can stack it for you.

Carole 

[ianpwilliams]

Ok, I'll do that tonight. Thanks again.

It's not too bad if I get star trail issues in Live View during the session (then I can reduce the sub length), but it's annoying when I commit to doing Flats and Darks thinking everything is fine, and discover it was a waste of time when I'm back inside. Astronomy really can test you to the limit!

[ianpwilliams]

Here's the Dropbox link:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/imsd0jb45ovacad/AAD_e2QFYb_AvJ4lHxueysvoa?dl=0

This is before I started moving more and more Lights to the Rejects folder due to DSS not stacking. So at this stage the only rejects are the four shots where the clouds were rolling across, one 30-second sub, and two shots with quite blatant star trails.

[carastro]

Well I downloaded them and got DSS to stack them using a low star threshold, but ended up with a thin column of the image.  I have heard of this before with some of the newer models but can;t remember what the work around is.  I also had the same problem in Astro Art.

Carole 

[Thalestris24]

Well I downloaded them and got DSS to stack them using a low star threshold, but ended up with a thin column of the image.  I have heard of this before with some of the newer models but can;t remember what the work around is.  I also had the same problem in Astro Art.

Carole 

You need the latest version of DSS, Carole! It's v3.3.4. I think most software depends on a utility called dcraw to supply up to date raw file decoding.

Louise

[Tinker1947]

DSS 3.3.4 download page...

http://deepskystacker.free.fr/english/index.html

[ianpwilliams]

Yes I had the same problem (because of my 1100D). Louise is right, installing v3.3.4 fixes it.

[carastro]

I thought that might be the case.  

Well since I have a 450D and my existing DSS works OK with what I have I think I'll leave things as they are, I never like upgrading stuff if often introduces problems you never had before.

So I'll give this one a miss.

But it DID stack.

Carole 

[Tinker1947]

The only upgrade in 3.3.4 is the RAW file converter, works just fine with any Canon......

[ianpwilliams]

I thought that might be the case.

Well since I have a 450D and my existing DSS works OK with what I have I think I'll leave things as they are, I never like upgrading stuff if often introduces problems you never had before.

So I'll give this one a miss.

But it DID stack.

Carole

No worries. Did you use all of the Lights in my Lights folder? And what star detection threshold did you use?

Also, I was using Kappa Sigma mode. Maybe that caused a problem? What mode did you use?

[carastro]

And what star detection threshold did you use?

I took it down to the minimum which was something like 3.

What mode did you use? 

I think it was median

Yes used them all.

Carole 

[D4N]

I normally zoom right in on some stars to check that they are round and in focus, then I know I'm not wasting time collecting useless data.

That also highlights bahnitov mask mistakes

TSED70Q, iOptron Smart EQ pro, ASI-120MM, Finepix S5 pro.

[ianpwilliams]

I took it down to the minimum which was something like 3.

I think it was median

Yes used them all.

Carole

3% or 3 stars (which I imagine would be about 95%)?

[ianpwilliams]

I normally zoom right in on some stars to check that they are round and in focus, then I know I'm not wasting time collecting useless data.

That also highlights bahnitov mask mistakes

TSED70Q, iOptron Smart EQ pro, ASI-120MM, Finepix S5 pro.

I'm sure I normally do that in both Live View and picture review anyway. In Live View I usually need the x10 in order to focus with the Bhatinov, and in picture review I zoom right in to check stars.

Of course, only checking one 90-second sub could still mean that 1 out of 20 or 19 out of 20 could have star trails presumably.

Either way, Carole managed to get them to stack, and I have confidence in them, so I haven't given up yet!

[wuthton]

Your subs stack fine, I gave it a very quick process too. I'm out of practice with DSLR subs though.

[ianpwilliams]

Thanks for doing that. the processed image is very similar to the ones from my first Pleiades session. But then looking back, my first session was 21 x 30-second subs, and my second session was 13 x 90-second subs. So I suppose I should have expected similar results.

That would also suggest that maybe I should stick to doing a high number of shorter subs rather than a smaller number of longer ones, especially if it means less or no rejects.

[wuthton]

I'd say there is much more detail to be had if you spend some time on it and another half dozen subs wouldn't hurt, I spent a total of ten minutes processing it. It looks well worth the effort to me.

[ianpwilliams]

Thanks, I'll play around with it (if I can manage to stack it) in my dad's Lightroom, and see what happens.

You say a few more subs wouldn't hurt, I'm assuming you mean for next time? Because I'm guessing you can't use subs from multiple sessions! Surely DSS really would have it's work cut out in that scenario,,,

[ianpwilliams]

Incidentally here is my latest version of my workflow for anyone who might find it helpful.

HEQ5 Step By Step Imaging Setup Guide.doc

[wuthton]

Thanks, I'll play around with it (if I can manage to stack it) in my dad's Lightroom, and see what happens.

You say a few more subs wouldn't hurt, I'm assuming you mean for next time? Because I'm guessing you can't use subs from multiple sessions! Surely DSS really would have it's work cut out in that scenario,,,

You certainly can use subs from several sessions. I never complete an image in one night.

[D4N]

There are tabs at the bottom of the images list in DSS, you add different sessions to different tabs. Unless they use the same calibration frames and have the same settings then you may as well stick them all in the first tab.

TSED70Q, iOptron Smart EQ pro, ASI-120MM, Finepix S5 pro.

[ianpwilliams]

You certainly can use subs from several sessions. I never complete an image in one night.

But how would that work when it comes to Flats/Darks/Bias? I suppose Bias wouldn't matter because they can be taken any time. But don't Darks have to be the same sub length as the Lights (mine were 30 and 90 seconds)? And don't Flats have to be the same camera position, focus, and temperature?

[D4N]

Different sub lengths I would stack separately then combine in image editing software using layers.

Calibration frames is no problem if you use the tabs in DSS to correctly separate them.

If you use PI it can scale the darks.

TSED70Q, iOptron Smart EQ pro, ASI-120MM, Finepix S5 pro.

[ianpwilliams]

Interesting, I'll have to look into this.

[ianpwilliams]

I'm keeping an eye on Clear Outside, and there may be a small window this weekend.

The Orion Nebula will be too close to the horizon, but the Triangulum Galaxy will be high. Do you think that's a reasonable target for my setup? Blackwater makes it look quite big with my equipment. That an Horsehead too. But I suppose it depends magnitude rather than just size, especially with light pollution.