DSS not loading up files. Any suggestions?

[Ouroboros]

I've been using Deep Sky Stacker successfully for years. But the other night I took a set of Lights, Frames and Bias of a particular target and yet DSS won't load them in. I highlight them and click OK or whatever and nothing happens. Image files of other targets taken both before and after on the same evening are fine. This is decidedly weird. The files are all Canon CR2 raw files, and will open in other applications for viewing.  Any suggestions? 

[Thalestris24]

Hi

Do the cr2 files open ok in the canon utility?

Louise

[Ouroboros]

Do you mean Image Browser Ex and Canon's Digital Photo Professional application, that sort of thing? I don't use them normally, but yes I have just checked I can open and look at the CR2 files in Digital Photo Professional for example. 

[knobby]

Not really DSS related but some apps dislike file names , ie a - or a _ in th wrong place , is it worth a try changing file names ?

Good luck 

[Ouroboros]

17 minutes ago, knobby said:

Not really DSS related but some apps dislike file names , ie a - or a _ in th wrong place , is it worth a try changing file names ?

Good luck 

I too had wondered that. However they are all in the form BYEOS saves them i.e. light_300_400iso.....CR2, bias ....CR2 etc.  that DSS has opened quite normally before.  Might be worth renaming one just to see what happens. 

[Ouroboros]

I would be grateful if someone could just try opening this light file in DSS.

 

LIGHT_300s_400iso_+15c_00646stdev_20171116-21h28m55s524ms.CR2

[The Admiral]

Seems to load OK in mine. I'm using DSS v3.3.4

Just a thought! I don't use DSS now but IIRC it doesn't like duplicate files. Is there any way these files have the same names as others in its memory? Did you try renaming one?

Ian

[Cornelius Varley]

Loaded with no problems in 3.3.4

[PeterCPC]

Loaded fine in 3.3.6

Peter

[Thalestris24]

Ditto!

[Ouroboros]

Thanks for doing that. Changing a  file's name did not work.  I've now uninstalled and reinstalled DSS and it makes no difference.  It will not open this particular set of Lights, Bias and Frames. Others it will; including some gathered before and after this set on the same evening. In't it odd?   

[Thalestris24]

2 hours ago, Ouroboros said:

Thanks for doing that. Changing a  file's name did not work.  I've now uninstalled and reinstalled DSS and it makes no difference.  It will not open this particular set of Lights, Bias and Frames. Others it will; including some gathered before and after this set on the same evening. In't it odd?   

Very strange! Obviously some of us have been able to open them in dss 3.3.4. Maybe try copying them to a different folder? What happens if you try and load them into dss one by one - does it give an error on a particular file?

Louise

[Ouroboros]

1 hour ago, Thalestris24 said:

Very strange! Obviously some of us have been able to open them in dss 3.3.4. Maybe try copying them to a different folder? What happens if you try and load them into dss one by one - does it give an error on a particular file?

Louise

I've tried some of those. It fails to load any of the lights, bias or frames, which are all in different folders, but contained in the same higher level folder. So maybe I could try moving some out of that. 

 

Just as as an aside .... Earlier I tried downloading the 3.3.4 version but couldn't make it install.  I decided it probably didn't matter because a. I've been using 3.3.2 and it's fine and b. The 3.3.4 upgrade is simply compatible with newer canon cameras. So I reinstalled the 3.3.2 version. 

[The Admiral]

23 minutes ago, Ouroboros said:

Just as as an aside .... Earlier I tried downloading the 3.3.4 version but couldn't make it install.  I decided it probably didn't matter because a. I've been using 3.3.2 and it's fine and b. The 3.3.4 upgrade is simply compatible with newer canon cameras. So I reinstalled the 3.3.2 version. 

That in itself is a bit strange.

Have you tried loading the file that you posted from the above link, rather than from your folder? Clutching at straws here!

Ian

[Ouroboros]

2 hours ago, Thalestris24 said:

Very strange! Obviously some of us have been able to open them in dss 3.3.4. Maybe try copying them to a different folder? What happens if you try and load them into dss one by one - does it give an error on a particular file?

Louise

You win the cigar. Well done!  And thanks to everyone for their input.

I took a closer look at the folder name in Finder and saw nothing unusual. But looking at the folder name that opens in the dialogue box that opens in DSS I saw an odd dot after the folder name 2017_11_16 Garnet Star. See screen shot below.  So I created a new folder, copied the files into it and, hey presto! DSS  works.  So what does the dot mean? And why doesn't DSS like it?  

[Thalestris24]

Hmm... Odd... Which version Windows are you running? It doesn't look like a period dot. It could refer to a folder that isn't accessible such as on a network or external storage. Still, at least you're sorted

Louise

[Ouroboros]

17 hours ago, Thalestris24 said:

Hmm... Odd... Which version Windows are you running? It doesn't look like a period dot. It could refer to a folder that isn't accessible such as on a network or external storage. Still, at least you're sorted

Louise

No it's not a dot dot is it. It's in the middle of the line. More like a symbol really.  

I'm running a slightly odd system. Windows 7 is running as a virtual machine on my MacBook. Windows applications can see the same folders and files as the Mac, but these are under the Mac file system. So it might be down to something quirky like that. It has never been a problem before and at least I now know how to deal with it. Thanks!  

[Ouroboros]

Just in case any of you wondered what (thanks to your help) this image looked like after being calibrated and processed - here you are. It's the region near Herchel's garnet star and part of the elephants trunk.  I didn't expect to get much from it. I was using my unmodded Canon 450D plus the seeing was pretty terrible. I was treating it as an exercise in using my recently acquired copy of Pixinsight. I was quite pleasantly surprised at the result. 

 

 

[The Admiral]

A pretty creditable result for your efforts. Quite a star field!

Pixinsight eh? I wish you every success on your journey mastering it, though you seem to have started as you mean to go on!

Ian

[Ouroboros]

2 hours ago, The Admiral said:

A pretty creditable result for your efforts. Quite a star field!

Pixinsight eh? I wish you every success on your journey mastering it, though you seem to have started as you mean to go on!

Ian

Thanks. PI is a fantastic application. I'm very impressed with it.  But frankly it's a bit like walking into the flight deck of a jumbo jet and trying to work out what all the buttons are for let alone how to use them.  

My picture was produced by a bit of cheat really. I found a promising tutorial on YouTube and simply followed the work flow. I just tweaked each stage to suit my data. 

[The Admiral]

4 minutes ago, Ouroboros said:

My picture was produced by a bit of cheat really. I found a promising tutorial on YouTube and simply followed the work flow. I just tweaked each stage to suit my data. 

Nothing wrong with that! It's called 'learning' 

I've fought shy of getting to grips with PI, not to mention its cost.

Ian

[PeterCPC]

You just mentioned it

Peter