Cutting a 4 minute .SER into two 2 minute sections (PIPP?)

[SanderP]

Hi,

I took some 4 minute sequences of Jupiter, thinking that was about as long as I should make them. OK, turns out 2 minutes is about the recommended length. I would like to try cutting my .SER files into 2 2 minute sections and process them separately. I've started using PIPP but I don't think it can do this. If it can, can you please tell me how? Different methods welcome too. I use AS2 for stacking. If I can limit AS2 to only analyze and use the first set of frames that would be fine too but I don't think it has that option.

If this is all impossible then that is no problem, I'll chalk it up to experience and hope to catch a few more sessions before it disappears behind my trees.

Here is a little YT clip I uploaded today of some 2 minute clips I strung together. I'm very much a novice at this but I was glad I could recognize Jupiter

https://youtu.be/nSh88HDlyQg

Thanks!

  Sander

[Luke]

I think these two ways should work:

1) In PIPP save out the whole movie as .TIF files (on the Output options tab, set Format to TIF). This should give you the entire movie as single frames. Now load PIPP up again and drag and drop the first half of the TIF files into PIPP's Images File List on the Image Files tab. This time set your format to .ser.

2) This is really neat: get the Autostakkert 2.5.1.7 beta version from here:

http://www.astrokraai.nl/software/latest.php

Click on the new Limit Frames button. In the dialog that opens, set the Max frame to the midway point (e.g. 1000 frames if you have a 2000 frame movie). Click the Enable option and close the dialog. Now load your movie. It should load frames 0 to 1000.

I do mainly solar imaging and I find this option handy for things like suppose you stack the movie and part of the sun is blurred because something is moving fast, like a rapidly developing prom or flare. Just restack it with the frames cut down to the best section. Or doing drift imaging where you can't get the whole sun in one tile, you could record an entire sweep across the disc and stack sections of it to get tiles from one single movie. Don't worry if this makes no sense, it hopefully may do for anyone who has done solar drift imaging, just mentioning it here in case they bump into it.

Hope that works for you.

Edit: I see this is your first post. A warm welcome to SGL!

[cgarry]

PIPP will process a selection of frames from the input file by using this control:

Input Options Tab -> Input Frame Range -> Limit Frame Range

To split a 6000 frame file in two files you would run PIPP twice.  The first run with:

Start Frame = 1, End Frame = 3000.

The second run with:

Start Frame = 3001, End Frame = 6000.

This will generate 2 output files as required.

I am planning to add a 'Split Mode' to PIPP to work alongside the current 'Batch Mode' and 'Join Mode' to simplify this kind of operation.

Cheers,

Chris

[Freddie]

Looking at your YT clip and seeing you have C1100 and 2x barlow, I doubt the 4 min duration will be a major problem. Stacking will take care of the rotation. A bigger image scale and you would have problems.

[SanderP]

Thanks everyone for the very helpful replies! I will give all the provided options a try so I can learn more about these tools. I will also attempt to restack the 4m clip in its entirety but choose better APs in AS2. That is still a bit of a voodoo step for me. I really want to understand what the effect of AP size and placement is and I'm not there yet. But that is part of the fun! I have a decent handle on DSO imaging (http://www.carpephoton.com) but with planetary I'm starting at the ground floor again.

Chris: many thanks for the excellent PIPP. What terrific software!

Best,

  Sander