DynamicAlignment and many images

[bhwolf]

Probably a straight forward answer but ... what's the best way to work with DynamicAlignment and many (say, 50) images?  If I open up two, I select one as the reference and the other target.  I can then set my points, press the checkbox and get a new image that is aligned to the reference.  I save that new image.

Now, what's the best way to work with the rest of the images?  I save it as a process icon and open up say 10 other images.  I can drag it on top of a newly opened image, but that renders it right away without me being able to check the accuracy.  If I double click the process icon, it says there are more than 2 images open. 

I think I'm missing something here that would let me move through the images a bit easier?

Thanks,
Brian

[Carlos Milovic]

Open the DynamicAlignment process, and select the reference and target image. Then, drag the process icon, and drop it on the bottom bar of DA's window. It will load all the control points. Now you can check them all (I do that quickly by setting the zoom to 1:1 or 2:1, and using the track option).

[bhwolf]

Thanks!  Sort of getting it.  And, I appreciate the really fast reply.

But, to clarify, you can only have the 2 images (source, target) open at the same time?  I can't open DA with more than 2 images open, and can't close the target once registered without closing DA.  So right now, I can:

1) Open Source/Target
2) Open DA
3) Set align points on both.
4) Drag DA process to copy
5) Execute to create registered image, save it

6) close DA
7) close registered image & target

8) open next target image.
9) open DA
10) drag DA Process to copy points

Repeat.

... Apologies, but I still think I'm missing something?   (IE, there are boxes to set source and target, but I can't change them?)

[Carlos Milovic]

You may have as many images opened as you want, but DA can only select two of them. So, when you open the DA interfase from the process explorer (or the menu), it will ask for the target and reference. Do not double-click a process icon, because it will confuse DA if you have more image opened (if just two, you may play just by closing/opening the target).

[bhwolf]

Thanks Carlos!  I think I got it now.  I appreciate the pointers!

[jerryyyyy]

This is a useful discussion for me as a new PI user.  I have CCDStacker and Maxim and not fully satisfied with eithers' stacking. 

How do you deal with flat, darks and biases in PI?  There does not seem to be a help file in the application?

Thanks

[Carlos Milovic]

Take a look at the BatchPreprocessing Script.

[georg.viehoever]

...How do you deal with flat, darks and biases in PI?  There does not seem to be a help file in the application?

Try the BatchPreprocessing script (under Script/BatchProcessing/BatchPreProcessing). Search the forum for details on it.
Georg

[jerryyyyy]

Thanks.  Am following the tutorials and get this error:

*** PCL Win32 System Exception: At address 13F1EEBB with exception code C0000005 :
Access violation: invalid memory read operation at address 00000000
<* failed *>

I hope 32-bit does not get blamed.  Memory is not full when this runs. 

[pfile]

your memory may not be full but if PI has exceeded 2GB or 3GB of memory (depending on how your windows is configured, and if PI supports 3GB, i can't remember) then it could in fact be related to 32-bit pointers.

[jerryyyyy]

I got it to work by using some of my masters from CCDStack and Maxim.  Memory never tanked out but with 32-bit systems you never know.  Always had >500MB...

Now I have to finish the video, but this produced calibrated and registered images.  But I did not fidn the integrated Light file that I saw on the video.

Better run one more time and save the log.

[jerryyyyy]

Ran one more time and found the integrated file... not a great stacking job... I read the warnings.  Is there only the manual DynamicAllignment?  I guess you can use that one the files produced here, I guess on the Calibrated ones, but seems to only do two at a time.  No help files....

[pfile]

for well-behaved images, you should not have to use DynamicAlignment. StarAlignment (which is called by BatchPreProcessing) should work fine as long as your images have a reasonable number of stars.

[jerryyyyy]

I am trying it on a Globular Cluster twice now... maybe too many stars... settings:

Combination: average
rejection Algority:  Sigma Clipping
Low; 4
High: 3

Log:

Integration of 4 images:
Pixel combination ......... average
Output normalization ...... additive + scaling
Range rejection ........... range_low=0.000000 range_high=0.980000
Pixel rejection ........... sigma clipping
Rejection normalization ... scale
Rejection clippings ....... low=yes high=yes
Rejection parameters ...... sigma_low=4.000 sigma_high=3.000

* Using 1249 concurrent pixel stack(s) = 271.99 MB
Integrating pixel rows:     0 ->  1248: done
Integrating pixel rows:  1249 ->  2497: done
Integrating pixel rows:  2498 ->  2535: done

Suggestions?  Will try some other images.

[sreilly]

I'm with pfile on this one. If you run StarAlignment and look at the process window you will see if the alignment process is sucessful or not. I maybe could see an issue if all you have is a Globular cluster and not many stars well resolved but other wise should work fine. Can you post an image typical of what you are trying to align?

Steve