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4. Select Single in the box beneath Mode.
5. Set the Seconds to 0.1 for now and click Expose. You want the Max Pixel
to read somewhere around 20000. Adjust the exposure time as needed
until the Max Pixel is close to 20000.
6. Select Autosave (5-10 images) in the box beneath Mode.
7. Choose a file name to save your flat fields. You should include "flat" in the
file name to easily find it later, e.g. "OrionNebulaFlat".
The flat fields also need dark frames.
8. Set the Mode in the Camera Control window to Dark Raw 1x1.
9. Rename the Autosave file to include "darkflat" so you can easily find the
file later when calibrating.
10. Use the same exposure time as your flat field and click Expose.
light and Dark 2x2 Modes
For added convenience and versatility, the StarShoot Pro's individual pixels
(light-detecting sites) can be "binned" into units of two-by-two pixels (i.e. four
individual pixels create one binned 2x2 pixel). This creates larger and more
sensitive pixels, but with decreased resolution. This can be useful for some
types of astronomical imaging, such as capturing faint nebulae. It can also be
useful for quickly checking the image centering and orientation before using
the normal Light Raw 1x1 mode to actually capture images.To use in "2x2"
mode, select Light Mono 2x2 mode for capturing "light" images, and Dark
Mono 2x2 mode to capture dark frames for averaging and subtracting. Images
can be combined and processed in the same way as Light Raw 1x1 images.
By binning the images in 2x2, you will bypass the RGB filter built into the cam-
era; so the resulting binned images will be black and white, without the ability
to convert to color.
3. Image Processing
After all your image data is captured, you are ready to process your images
to a final resultant image. All of your light images, dark frames, and flat fields
must be processed to create your final astro-image. MaxIm DL Essentials also
contains additional image processing functions (in the Process menu) to fur-
ther enhance your astro-image.
Dark Frame Calibration
The dark frames you previously saved will be subtracted from your "light"
images.
1. Select Setup Calibrate from the Process menu.
2. Click Remove All if any filenames appear in the window.
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