Stack Images – Monochrome Grayscale

Click(New Job) to open the Select Task form:

Press the Stack Images button.

If you have not yet created a profile then you will be prompted to do so (see Create Profile).

If you have more than one profile, then a form like this will appear:

Press the button for the desired profile. (In this case it would be ST-10, a monochrome CCD).

If you have only one profile, that profile will be used automatically (use Utilities to add a new profile).

Input files may be selected by groups that are associated with particular calibration files. (See Create Calibration Masters above.). Groups may also be used to access images in different folders. This example will use a single group because all raw images are to be calibrated with the same master frames; see RGB Color (monochrome camera) for an example that uses several groups.

Press Select group of image files button:

Select all of the raw image files (usually FITS).

Check Dark Subtract and/or the Flat Field to select the Calibration Masters to apply to this group of images.

Press Continue to end image-file selection.

Modify the suggest Job Name.

Combine File: The default name is the same as the Job Name. Click on the name to change it.

Registration: If your images are already aligned (e.g. guider did not move) then uncheck that box. The top image selected has been chosen as the reference. Click that name to specify another reference (the reference does not have to be one of the processing images).

Normalize: images will adjust the background levels and intensity scales in each image to improve the effectiveness of data rejection. Normalization can compensate for different sky conditions or even different exposure times. Short sets of images taken under identical conditions do not normally need this but it is generally advisable to normalize.

Data Rejection: Spurious events such as airplanes or cosmic rays can be removed via data rejection.

Save Job: Allows you to easily re-use the Job, changing parameters or files.

Edit Job: Access all directives that control processing. Use to this override Quick Job default settings.

Run Now: This starts the processing using Quick Job default settings.

To explore Forms, press Edit Job.

Using Forms

This simplest form view consists of the Job directives:

Press the Stack Directives link to open the Stack Directives form:

Note the controls at the top of this form. There is currently only one stack in the Job but more stacks can be added. See Array Forms.

Press the Image Files button:

You can remove, add, or change these files. See Image Data Grid.

Go back to the Stack Directives form:

Press the Combine Directives link:

Now you can change the data rejection aggressiveness by typing in a new number. You might want to do this if the combined image from an earlier run contained too many artifacts.

After you have made the edits then it is useful to save the Job:

Then use the Job Processor controls to run the Job:

Forms will be minimized (Jobs may not be edited while running) and the Job will run:

The Start button changes to Pause while the job runs. See Job Processor for more information.

The [Stack] process viewer is opened automatically and shows the combined image as it is built. Other process viewers are available from the Viewers drop down control.

Upon completion the screen looks like this:

The combined file is automatically saved (unless the save directive was unchecked). But it can also be saved via the save button when that viewer form is active (an active form is indicated by a darker-colored frame; click a form to make it active).

Press the Reset button to restore the Job forms.