PSchocker

[pschocker]

Hello

Imaged M57 last night with BYE 3.1.18 Premium and a Canon 7D.  Took 40 light and 40 dark frames. Checked the files this morning.  Dark frames were ok, but 19 of the 40 lights were ok the rest were turned 90 degrees.  i'm not sure if this will interfere with stacking...... Thanks.

 

[astroman133]

If you are using PixInsight, I believe that there is a setting that can rotate images. You may want to turn it off.

You may also need to turn off AutoRotate in the camera.

Here is a relevant thread --> 

 

[pschocker]

Thanks, I did find that auto rotate was on in the camera(its now off).  However, i'm using deep sky stacker, do you know if it have a rotating feature?

[astroman133]

Sorry, I don't use DSS.

[admin]

Rotation should not matter in the RAW image data.  Rotation is a human thing, it should be irrelevant to stacking software provided they don't read that data... and they should not IMO.

[astroman133]

Of course, the lights must be oriented the same way as the calibration frames, so if some of your lights were rotated by the camera, you should be able to rotate them back before calibration. That is rather than throwing them away.

[s3igell]

1 hour ago, astroman133 said:

Of course, the lights must be oriented the same way as the calibration frames, so if some of your lights were rotated by the camera, you should be able to rotate them back before calibration. That is rather than throwing them away.

I'm sorry, but astroman133's advise will get you into difficulties with your Image Processing.  Do NOT perform any Rotate / Edit / Convert before Stacking and Calibration.  You DON'T need to...

admin is correct:  Rotation is only a meta-data item tagged onto the outside of the RAW Data (you are capturing Raw CR2 files I hope...), which is ONLY used by Image Display routines in order to try to make sense to Humans.  The actual CR2 Image Data is ALWAYS in the same Rectangular Orientation (shorter height, longer width - "Landscape" mode) because that is the orientation that all Sensors are installed in the DSLRs.  It is only the Display Function - whether in MS Photo or Photoshop or whatever - that uses the meta-data to rotate the Image.  PixInsight, for some reason, does use the "rotation" meta-data for a few display functions but does NOT for any of it's internal Calibration or Stacking routines.  Neither does DSS - DeepSkyStacker.

The only time you will have issues using CR2 Files from the Same Camera for Stacking / Calibration software is if you used two different Image Capture Programs for Lights and Darks/Flats.  So...  Always use BYE - even if you are taking Flats in your Den or Darks in your Fridge (ask me later...)...

[astroman133]

I disagree. If the master dark frame is landscape mode, but the light frame comes from the camera as portrait mode, then the software will not be able to use the dark to adjust the light.

However, if the rotation is based on metadata then there should not be a problem.

The actual issue that the user is experiencing was unclear to me.

[s3igell]

3 hours ago, astroman133 said:

However, if the rotation is based on metadata then there should not be a problem.

Yes, the Rotation is based on meta-data AND only implemented at Presentation (Screen Drawing) not within the actual CR2 data.

This does not impact Calibration/Stacking of the CR2 data.

 

I'd like to reinforce for the OP: 

Use your Raw CR2 Data as-is for your Calibration/Stacking Software, not Edited/Rotated TIFF or JPG files.  This is because Calibration requires Linear Data (un-debayered/un-stretched/un-everything) in order to successfully apply the Flats and Darks (and Bias - if you use them).