Basic Processing Steps With Images Plus

[AshObservatory]

Added the below process for taking flats and adding to calibration process.

Take at least 10 flats, 20 or 30 are better.

Set the iso at 200 and adjust the shutter speed until the exposure meter in the viewfinder reads midpoint...neither over nor underexposed. Exposure time will vary depending on the light source.

Take your flats and RAW convert them in ImagesPlus.

Average Combine your flats and save as MasterFlat.

Display combined image and Click on COLOR on the toolbar.

Click on Luminance and Gamma

Click on APPLY. Your MasterFlat will be automatically converted to grayscale...very important.

Save image and add to your calibration setup menu.

PROCESSING WITH IMAGES PLUS

Open--File Click on--Canon DSLR Raw file development-- This brings you to the Raw File Conversion Menu

Build MasterDark--Select your dark frames from "Canon Raw File

Conversion" window "Open"

Select output file type--Lossless 16 bit FITS

Select white balance type--Canon WB

Select Converted File Output--Choose a file to save your coverted

files

Press--"Convert"...Raws are converted to FITS

Press--"Combine"...New window opens

Select Combination Method--Usually average or median

Select-- Combination Image Output Directory (Same as

Converted Files)

"Combined File Name" type MasterDark

Press--"Combine" to combine Darks

Press "Done".....back to "conversion" menu

Press--"Select New Input"... Select all your light frames

Press--"Convert"

From top menu press "Calibrate Images"--Select "Setup"...

Calibration Setup Menu

Select--"Color"

Select--"Standard Dark"

Press--"From Disk"....Click on your "MasterDark"

Press--"Done"....back to Raw conversion menu

Press--"Calibrate"... Light frames are dark frame calibrated

From here you can press "Grade" and check focus quality of your

images... select the files you want to keep

Press "Align TSR"

TSR Menu--Press"Correlate"

Press--"Translate+Rotate"

Check off "Common Point Or Star"

Click on image to make it active

Frame a star in the box cross hairs...hold down "shift" key press

enter...star is selected

Click onTSR Menu--Uncheck "Common Point or Star"...Check

"Common Angle..."

Click on image to make it active

Frame a star in the box cross hairs...hold down "shift" key press

enter...star is selected (the two boxes should be at

selected at opposite sides of the image)

Press--"Align" If all images don't align change the "Correlation

Parameter Setup values higher

Under"Combine"--Press--"Aligned"

Combine Files Menu--Select combine type...start with "Average"

then experiment from there

Select output directory

Press--"Combine"...THE FUN PART

Press--"Display Combination"

Your final image is displayed...From here just go into Digital

Developement and have fun!!!