Best stacking software...?

[Fordos Moon]

Are you using OSC? If so, it sounds like you have the incorrect Bayer matrix selected in Options

No its mono, and happening in L, R, G and B. I restacked just the frames with similar orientation and all ok, i just happened when i combine two different orientations (90 degrees different) and used same flats and bias.

[Zakalwe]

I've never had that problem so I can't advise.

[astrodude]

DSS or for a small sum Stark Labs Nebulosity. Nebulosity has a lot more post processing and is less cumbersome than Maxim DL and Pixinsight.

[Gerry Casa Christiana]

On 07/03/2015 at 10:13, ollypenrice said:

In AA5 bias don't feature amongst the boxes to fill but that doesn't bother me. Why would I use them? (Well, I do use them, in fact. I put a master bias in the 'darks for flats' box because a bias is fine in that role. I also put a master bias in the 'darks for images' box when also using a bad pixel map which has a box of its own. I find this both easier and more successful than using normal darks.)

Olly

Hello Olly

 

Just a quick question. How do you do lights flats and bias in Astro art? I tried it a couple of weeks ago with some M8 shots and flats but all the settings I tried seemed to be bringing a lot of green into the picture and wasn't anything as good as DSS. Could I ask what your procedure would be for 30 lights 40 flats and 180 bias but no darks I might try it again if I missed something. 

Thanks in advance

Gerry

 

[ollypenrice]

54 minutes ago, Gerry Casa Christiana said:

Hello Olly

 

Just a quick question. How do you do lights flats and bias in Astro art? I tried it a couple of weeks ago with some M8 shots and flats but all the settings I tried seemed to be bringing a lot of green into the picture and wasn't anything as good as DSS. Could I ask what your procedure would be for 30 lights 40 flats and 180 bias but no darks I might try it again if I missed something. 

Thanks in advance

Gerry

 

Hi Gerry,

First I'd make master flats and master bias as separate operations. Begin with bias and just treat them as lights, putting them in the lights box and average combining them without alignment. Then I'd put all my flats in the lights box and the master bias in the darks for lights box and average combine them without alignment.

This may seem odd but all you're doing is using the stacking routines to make master flats and bias. I do this first because I want to look at the master flat before using it. I need to believe in it! If it has dark corners and a bright middle then I will believe it. If it doesn't I'll be very suspicious... (By the way, a master bias makes a perfectly good dark for flats so that's why I use one.)

Next I put all my lights in the lights box, the master flat in the flats box and the master bias in the darks for lights box. My bad pixel map goes in the bad pixel box and is activated for lights. I'll generally use Sigma combine and alignment by star pattern, translation and rotation, set to the maximum 40 stars. On the back page I set the hot pixel filter to 80% and type in my bad columns. (I can use this kind of hot pixel setting because of the deep well depth of my Kodak chips. You'll need to find what works for you. Look out for damage to your stellar cores.)

I don't worry about the colour balance because after edge cropping my next stop is DBE in Pixinsight for gradient removal and colour balance. You could try the gradient tool in AA though. I never use it because I love DBE.

Have fun!

Olly

[Gerry Casa Christiana]

33 minutes ago, ollypenrice said:

Hi Gerry,

First I'd make master flats and master bias as separate operations. Begin with bias and just treat them as lights, putting them in the lights box and average combining them without alignment. Then I'd put all my flats in the lights box and the master bias in the darks for lights box and average combine them without alignment.

This may seem odd but all you're doing is using the stacking routines to make master flats and bias. I do this first because I want to look at the master flat before using it. I need to believe in it! If it has dark corners and a bright middle then I will believe it. If it doesn't I'll be very suspicious... (By the way, a master bias makes a perfectly good dark for flats so that's why I use one.)

Next I put all my lights in the lights box, the master flat in the flats box and the master bias in the darks for lights box. My bad pixel map goes in the bad pixel box and is activated for lights. I'll generally use Sigma combine and alignment by star pattern, translation and rotation, set to the maximum 40 stars. On the back page I set the hot pixel filter to 80% and type in my bad columns. (I can use this kind of hot pixel setting because of the deep well depth of my Kodak chips. You'll need to find what works for you. Look out for damage to your stellar cores.)

I don't worry about the colour balance because after edge cropping my next stop is DBE in Pixinsight for gradient removal and colour balance. You could try the gradient tool in AA though. I never use it because I love DBE.

Have fun!

Olly

Thanks for that I'm running it now.  Do I need to set rgb as I'm using dslr?

Any other default settings I need to change. It looks like a great piece of software I hope I can get it to work as well for me. So much faster!

 

Gerry