Master Calibration Frames: Acquisition and Processing -- CCD Camera

[niteman1946]

Hi Group,
Just getting started with my Atik 383L+ mono camera.  I’m a long time DSLR user, and have processed with PixInsight for a while.  With the acquisition and processing of the DSLR raw files, I’ve followed Vincent Peris’ over-view and Astropixel’s more detailed guidelines.
http://pixinsight.com/forum/index.php?topic=2570.msg19019#msg19019
Now I have some questions regarding the Atik CCD image processing.
1.  With the exception of Debayering, can I follow the same steps for the CCD fits?  That would be to create Bias master, Dark master and Flat master.  Then Calibrate, Star Align and Integrate the Lights?
2. I found that my finished DSLR product worked better if I waited to calibrate the Dark and Flat masters at the Light calibration step.  Consequently, I would only integrate the Dark and Flat masters (after converting them from raw to fits) and not initially calibrate them.  Is this an acceptable approach also with the CCD images?
Thanks for your help,
Mark

[niteman1946]

Well, It seemed to work well.

Any recommendations on alternate approaches?


Mark

[Hans Pleijsier]

Mark, interesting, I did not know this. Maybe you could post the results of your two alternative approaches?
Hans

[niteman1946]

Hi Hans,

I may have gotten a bit too wordy in my first post.

My basic question was whether the DSLR workflow was good for doing monochrome CCD processing (of course with the debayer step left out).  I proved to myself that the workflow does work.  I was asking if there may be better workflows.

If your question was regarding my point #2, then here is the thread that got me pointed down the current path for the DSLR work.
http://pixinsight.com/forum/index.php?topic=2958.0

Mark

[Hans Pleijsier]

Yes, Mark. I was referring to your #2. Vicent Peris' routines work fine for my mono ccd camera in combination with a library of darks. I make sure that my lights and darks have the same exposures so i can forget about bias frames. Furthermore I work monochrome only. Color is so dramatically subjective, it is what you make it ... Processing can be quick and dirty too: one starmask some decimaldigits above the background, one multimediantransform on the masked image, one histogramboost and we are ready to go. If AP would be our only hobby ... But, admit it,there is more in live.
I hope nobody will be offended.
;-)

[Hans Pleijsier]

Attached, the result of this minimalistic approach:

lights 60 x 1 minute = 1 hour
6 flats = 10 minutes
setup and breakdown of the equipment: 1 hour
processing time: around 20 minutes.
Total: 2 h 30 minutes

JPEG saved at 80% (why did it shrink to 174kB only??)
Hans

[niteman1946]

Thanks Hans,

I'll take one more look at Vincent's approach of pre-calibrating.

Appreciate your comments.

Mark