Light Calibration failed

P

Plattenwerk

Member
Hi all,

My name ist Tom, I'm from germany.
I started down this rabbithole named astrophotographie quite recently although I'm observing visually for quite a while.
I'm not gonna throw money at Adobe buying Photoshop and/or Lighroom. In general I support independend projects - this is how I found Pixinsight.

Here's my question:
Tried an wide angle shot on milky way.
I cannot integrate lights. Searched forum for this topic and found an similar question. Unfortunately there was no answer.

Here's the message I've got after Weighed batch processing stops:

************************************************************
Group of 28 Bias frames
BINNING : 1
Rejection method auto-selected: Generalized Extreme Studentized Deviate
Integration completed: master file C:/Users/Besitzer/Pictures/Astrofoto/MilkyWay200921/BatchPreprocessing/master/masterBias-BINNING_1.xisf
************************************************************
Group of 50 Dark frames
BINNING : 1
Exposure : 15.00s
Rejection method auto-selected: Generalized Extreme Studentized Deviate
Integration completed: master file C:/Users/Besitzer/Pictures/Astrofoto/MilkyWay200921/BatchPreprocessing/master/masterDark-BINNING_1-EXPTIME_15.xisf
************************************************************
Group of 50 Flat frames
BINNING : 1
Filter : NoFilter
Exposure : 0.00s
Found
Calibrate
[Calibration data]
Master bias: C:/Users/Besitzer/Pictures/Astrofoto/MilkyWay200921/BatchPreprocessing/master/masterBias-BINNING_1.xisf
Master dark: none
Master flat: none
Calibration completed
Rejection method auto-selected: Generalized Extreme Studentized Deviate
Integration completed: master file C:/Users/Besitzer/Pictures/Astrofoto/MilkyWay200921/BatchPreprocessing/master/masterFlat-BINNING_1-FILTER_NoFilter.xisf
************************************************************
Group of 50 Light frames
BINNING : 1
Filter : NoFilter
Exposure : 15.00s
Found
Calibrate
[Calibration data]
Master bias: C:/Users/Besitzer/Pictures/Astrofoto/MilkyWay200921/BatchPreprocessing/master/masterBias-BINNING_1.xisf
Master dark: C:/Users/Besitzer/Pictures/Astrofoto/MilkyWay200921/BatchPreprocessing/master/masterDark-BINNING_1-EXPTIME_15.xisf
Master flat: C:/Users/Besitzer/Pictures/Astrofoto/MilkyWay200921/BatchPreprocessing/master/masterFlat-BINNING_1-FILTER_NoFilter.xisf
*** Warning: Image Calibration failed
*** Warning: All calibrated light frame files have been removed or cannot be accessed.
*************************************************************

My Setup: Win 10 Pro, intel i5-7400 3 GHz, 8 GB RAM installed (5,1 GB available), 7 GB space on drive C:

Followed instructions by 'Nebulaphotos' (where to put lights, darks, flats, biases and made an empty folder for prebatchprocessing files in advance) .
Didn't change anything on Pixinsight defaults.
Run Weighed prebatchprocessing and been stuck here.

If I got it right program can't calibrate lights. On the other hand integration of darks, flats and biases were succesful.

For raw material I choosed 50 expoures à 15 sec, shot in a row. Looking at a single shot I found it a little blurry (obviously didn't match sharpness spot on) but not horrible at all. Size of a light and a dark are quite comparable so size can't be the issue. Because Lights and darks in the same folder so location couldn't be it either.

Because I catched an incredible night at the baltic see (perhaps bortle 2 or better) I wanne make a integration at all costs.
Any suggestions how to overcome this obstacle?

Thanks for your suggestion.
Tom
 
Something odd: your flats have exposure 0. Depending on your flat light source they may be quite short, but not zero.
I suggest you try processing without the flats. The result will not be flat corrected (so will probably have vignetting and some dust artefacts), but will confirm the rest of the process.
 
After WBPP, you should have a set of folders something like this:
1603268447023.png

Look in the "debayered" folder and check that there are 50 ..._d.xisf files here.
If these are OK, look in "registered>NoFilter". If you have 50 ..._d_r.xisf files here then you should get an integrated result. If you have no files, or only one or two files here, then I think it is likely that the StarAlignment process has failed, possibly because your images are slightly out of focus.
 
I've just had a closer look at your post. Did you realy mean 7Gbytes free on your C: drive? How big are your individual raw image files? This depends on the camera; my Canon 1100D is about 20MB per frame, my ASI2600 is about 50MB per frame. So 28 bias + 50 dark + 50 flat + 50 light + 50 cal + 50 debayer + 50 reg will be at least 300 x 20Mb = 6Gb. You may simply be running out of storage.
 
fredvanner said:
...Did you realy mean 7Gbytes free on your C: drive? How big are your individual raw image files? ... my Canon 1100D is about 20MB per frame.... You may simply be running out of storage.
Click to expand...
Thanks for your quick answer! (I'm glad I obviously provided enough information for analysis)
I run a Canon 6D and my lights are roughly the same size like yours. So I'll try to make room and give it another shot.

Dunno why flats show exposure 0 sec. Didn't remember exact expo time, but managed to get histogram right.
Because I'm complete new to Pixinsight: where are the settings to run it on another partition?
 
The files don't have to be on the same drive/partition as Pixinsight. Leave PI where it is and put your files anywhere that you have the space to spare. It's really good if you have room on a fast SSD drive, but any disc space will do - including an external SSD / disc drive (but I wouldn't try a USB stick).
 
BTW... since you should be using raw (CR2/CR3) files all of your images (bias; dark; flat; light) should be exactly the same size.
 
Well, it works. Kinda ;o)

************************************************************
Group of 50 Bias frames
BINNING : 1
Rejection method auto-selected: Generalized Extreme Studentized Deviate
Integration completed: master file D:/Astrofoto/MilkyWay200921/BatchPreprocessing/master/masterBias-BINNING_1.xisf
************************************************************
Group of 50 Dark frames
BINNING : 1
Exposure : 15.00s
Rejection method auto-selected: Generalized Extreme Studentized Deviate
Integration completed: master file D:/Astrofoto/MilkyWay200921/BatchPreprocessing/master/masterDark-BINNING_1-EXPTIME_15.xisf
************************************************************
Group of 28 Flat frames
BINNING : 1
Filter : NoFilter
Exposure : 0.00s
Found
Calibrate
[Calibration data]
Master bias: D:/Astrofoto/MilkyWay200921/BatchPreprocessing/master/masterBias-BINNING_1.xisf
Master dark: none
Master flat: none
Calibration completed
Rejection method auto-selected: Generalized Extreme Studentized Deviate
Integration completed: master file D:/Astrofoto/MilkyWay200921/BatchPreprocessing/master/masterFlat-BINNING_1-FILTER_NoFilter.xisf
************************************************************
Group of 50 Light frames
BINNING : 1
Filter : NoFilter
Exposure : 15.00s
Found
Calibrate
[Calibration data]
Master bias: D:/Astrofoto/MilkyWay200921/BatchPreprocessing/master/masterBias-BINNING_1.xisf
Master dark: D:/Astrofoto/MilkyWay200921/BatchPreprocessing/master/masterDark-BINNING_1-EXPTIME_15.xisf
Master flat: D:/Astrofoto/MilkyWay200921/BatchPreprocessing/master/masterFlat-BINNING_1-FILTER_NoFilter.xisf
Calibration completed
************************************************************
Reference frame for registration: D:/Astrofoto/MilkyWay200921/BatchPreprocessing/calibrated/light/Belichtung 1 (1)_c.xisf
************************************************************
Group of 50 Light frames
BINNING : 1
Filter : NoFilter
Exposure : 15.00s
!!! Error: Star alignment failed to register 49 images out of 50. A minimum of 3 images must be succesfully registered.
************************************************************

At least it tries to register lights...
Moving in tiny increments :eek:)))
 
Just tried stacking with sequator: output image shows star trails. I assume 15sec x 50 = 12:30min was too much to stack for Pixinsight. Calculated exposure time with MFN rule (sahavre.fr) but do not own a star tracker. Looks like I have to take new shots.
However: thanks for your help! :thumbs:
 
How wide was your field of view, and how long were the trails? Provided that you can register the individual frames the trails will only be as long as a single exposure (the total stacked time doesn't matter - registration should shift and align the separate frames). If you have no tracking (i.e. you are just on a tripod), then pick the widest possible field of view.
 
When I have a set of images that PI fails to register I have found that it is often possible to persuade StarAlignment to work if you adjust the settings (you can then run ImageIntegration to integrate the aligned images). I've found the following settings are quite tolerant:
1603285927093.png
 
Milkyway-Sequator.JPG

This is what I got out of Sequator. To me actually the trails look not that bad.
I shoot with an Walimex 1.8/14.

Star Alignment - is this a PI subroutine ? (caution, noob question)
 
That is an ideal lens for this sort of image (I knew they did a 2.8/14 - I've not heard of the 1.8/14). If you are looking for star trails like this you don't need StarAlignment - but you won't really see the Milky Way. For that you need to rotate and shift the individual frames so that the images of each star all line up in the same place - this is called "registration", and that's what StarAligmnment does. PI won't try to integrate images if it can't line them up like this; that's what the error " Star alignment failed to register 49 images out of 50" means.
 
Although Sequator is no match for PI (I've never used it myself), it looks as though it can do aligned stacking if you ask it (Composition: align stars). If you can find any accessible storage (e.g. OneDrive / Dropbox type cloud storage) to post some of your images, I could have a look at what PI can do with them.
 
Did setting like you suggested, run ImageIntegration and got what looks like a pitch black picture. Slowly understand what 'steep learning curve' in regards to PI means...
Milkyway-ImageIntegration.JPG
 
Ah! But you appear to have integrated the raw images - I'm not even sure that you actually ran the StarAlignment (SA) process (which generates new, aligned images for integration). I'm afraid you need to go back a couple of steps. Looking at post #9, I suspect you ran WBPP without the "CFA images" checkbox selected. If you re-run WBPP with "CFA images" selected, and the output directory set to something like ...\wbpp, you should end up with some files in a sub_folder ...\wbpp\calibrated\light\debayered with filenames ending in _d.xisf. You should enter these in the "target images" tab of the SA process. Pick any of these files (e.g. the first) for the "Reference image"; specify an output directory, then click the "Global apply" (blue circle) icon. This will (if the settings work) generate a set of files ending in _r.xisf in the output directory. It is these files that you then need to integrate.
 
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