Workflow for Canon CR2 RAW Formats for Newbies

[Christoph Puetz]

Dear PI Users,

as I'm a "Newbie"  for PI, I had some problems with converting the Canon CR2 Raw Format into FITS and do the correct
Preprocessing (Debayer, Alignment and Stacking). Unfortunately most tutorials start with already having the fits-files 

I had valuable advice from Mr. Juan Conejero, that I would like to give to you all (with his agreement):

Here we go:

1. Prepare the DSLR RAW format module to read pure RAW images:

- Open the Format Explorer window

- Double click on the DSLR_RAW item

- On the RAW Format Preferences dialog, select:
 - Uncheck both white balance options
 - Check the Create RAW Bayer image option
 - Check the No black point correction option
 - Click OK and you're done.

Now RAW images will be read exactly as they have been created by your camera. This is a one-time procedure; PixInsight will remember your settings.

2. Convert your RAW files to the FITS format:

- Select Script > Utilities > BatchFormatConversion

- On the BatchFormatConversion script, click the Add button and select your RAW files.

- Select your output directory, if necessary (recommended).

- Write .fit in the Output extension field. In this way your raw files will be converted to the FITS format.

- Click OK and wait until all your files have been converted.

3. Create your master calibration frames. Follow Vicent Peris' tutorial:

http://pixinsight.com/tutorials/master-frames/en.html

4. Calibrate your images with the ImageCalibration tool.

5. Debayer your calibrated images. Use Ken Pendlebury's excellent batch debayer script:

http://pixinsight.com/forum/index.php?topic=1731.0

which in turn uses Sander Pool's great Debayer tool (included in PI's standard set of processes).

6. Register your images with StarAlignment

7. Integrate your images with ImageIntegration

Our calibration process is still in its first stages of development, and I must recognize that it has been designed primarily to work with CCD images —for now. We still have to adapt our calibration system to work more easily with DSLR cameras.

Hope this will be helpful to most "Newbies" and Canon Users.

Kind regards
Christoph

[georg.viehoever]

Hi Christoph,

you may want to compare your procedure to this one http://pixinsight.com/forum/index.php?topic=1868. I dont know if you are basically using the same procedure, or if there are significant differences.

Thanks for sharing this valuable information. I am working with a Canon EOS40D myself, but did not yet try calibration based on PI (I am still hoping for a simplified procedure provided by Juan or someone else.).

Georg

[Christoph Puetz]

Hi Georg,

there doesn't seem to be much difference in both procedures. As I noticed, "my" procedure was introduced to me
by Juan of the PI Development team. In the PI Wiki_pages there is also a procedure listed. But that seemed to complicated to me.
As I am a commercial user I  also excepted to do preprocessing with PI, instead of switching between different
applications (i.e. DeepSkyStacker) 
During Alignment (with the Star alignment function) I sometimes have to do some trial and error with the
parameters in the "Star detection" section - especially if there are less stars available or stars are not perfectly
"round" (for optical reasons or some errors with guiding) or even if a have a nebula or galaxy in high resolution.
Default options work fine with star clusters for me.
In critical cases I had some success with these parameters:
Log Sensitivity: -2.50
Peak response: 1.00
Max Distorsion: 0.14 or less.

Greetings,
Christoph

[Hans Pleijsier]

Hello Christoph,

When I import the CR2-files in accordance with your procedure, the result is a RGB-fit-file.
As a consequence, the debayer-script, used later on in the process, fails because this script does not accept RGBs.

How did you proceed?

Hans

[georg.viehoever]

Hi,

I think you need to change the Format options: In Format Explorer, select "DSLR Raw and select "Create RAW Bayer CFA image" option. This produces a monochome non-debayered image.

Georg

[Hans Pleijsier]

Georg,

sounds familiar ...  http://pixinsight.com/forum/index.php?topic=1868.0

HP