Clossal data capture mistake - is there a recovery?
So I have realised over the past few weeks I made a clossal data capture mistake with weeks of mono data captured through APT - It had prepopulate an old colour camera's RGGB bayer matrix checked - even though colour camera was not selected.
So when starting to stack this data in Deep Sky Stacker just now I discovvered several weeks of data is viewed as colour data in DSS (CFA is set to Yes - not No) and I am kicking myself.
So I have gone back into APT and cleared the wrong field and tested captures are now correctly stored as Mono data - but to 200GB of data in .fit files I am wondering:
1. Is there is any utility that can covert them from clour fits into mono fits?
2. Do I just stack them as colour and in Pixel Insight still combine them as R G and B
3. Do I have to throw away the data and start again?
I’m no expert but I don’t think all is lost
When selecting camera type in APT , the “Color FITS Preview box” is only a color de Bayering preview function to view your sub frames in color if you’re using a OSC camera.
I asked Ivo about the above checkbox and it doesn’t change your data ( Mononor OSC ) it merely applies a debayering algorithm that allows you to view Color light frames.
A color camera and mono camera have similar sensors and collect the data the same way , it’s just that color cameras have a Bayer matrix grid ( eg:RGGB ) in front of the sensor to produce a color image with the help of interpolation which fills in the gaps.
I’m sure if you had that box checked in APT when using a Mono camera , your data (fits files ) will still be Mono ( No Bayering ) even though there file name might say OSC ?
However, when you stack your files in DSS and you’ve captured Mono data files you have to “uncheck” or not tick the box in Raw/ Fits Digital Development ( Settings ) that says “Monochrome 16bit Fits files are Raw files created by a DSLR or Color CCD camera”
Have you tried stacking your files ( say Red ) in DSS again ( with Raw/ Fits box unchecked ) and then stretch it in your post processing software to test outcome ??
I think you should be fine, the fits files are essentially the same, the debayering is applied in the processing not the capture. So long as you process without debayering and save as an appropriate colour integration you should be fine.
So Thanks to Jim on APT forums who suggested download f4w2hdudoc and execute Delete on the header key on the BAYERPAT = 'RGGB ' deleting this entry - which I did on some 1,000 files and it worked brilliantly!
Matthew,
Great news , I just saw the post where Ivo and Jim replied
Ivo and Jim are brilliant and have solved countless issues for folk over years and years
They’ve helped me out on many occasions and in a timely manner too
