7 August Jupiter through jetstream with DFK

[Lester]

Hi everyone,

Well at last I have got the DFK working. Unfortunately the conditions are not good but I am happy with the DFK results after using a Neximage. I am capturing at 30fps to get maximum of 1700 frames= just under 1 minute. Any longer and Registax will not stack the avi. The avi must be kept to less than 1gig in size. Gain is kept at about 75% any less in bad conditions and in come the onion rings. It is an easy camera to use. The image was processed in Astra Image.

[Rigel003]

Lester, that's a very good result considering the seeing - very promising for the future. I couldn't get anything worthwhile at all tonight. I believe the way around the frame limit of long AVIs in Registax is to divide them into smaller sections with VirtualDub and then load them all into Registax. I seem to recall doing this successfully on some longer Mars AVIs last year.

Here's a reference to this workaround from the authour of Registax.

http://qcuiag-archive.technoir.org/2006/msg00027.html

[EzyStyles]

beautiful shot lester. even in bad conditons.

[iceman]

I've used > 1 gig AVI's in Registax before.. what version are you using?

Did you try opening in virtualdub and then re-saving as avi?

If you can work around that problem, you'll be able to capture for 2 minutes and get even more frames to work with - more possibility of finding good frames and reducing the grain.

You could also save the avi as BMP's, run them through PCFE and then drag the BMP's into registax. My tutorial explains how to do that.

Great to see some output from the DFK - look forward to the next lot! Looks promising already. Nice job!

[Lester]

Hi Graeme, Eric and Mike,

thanks for your remarks. I have got Registax 3.0.1.23 and have not got Virtual Dub. If it is a free program I will have a look at it.

[iceman]

Hi Lester.

VirtualDub is free. http://www.virtualdub.org/

[Dennis]

Very nice image Lester; it’s so nice to see images of Jupiter again, I'd forgotten what the disc looked like!

Cheers

Dennis

[Lester]

Hi Mike and Dennis,

Thanks again, and I will get in to this new program.

Here is the same image with a bit less green and down sized to sharpen a bit.

[[1ponders]]

Nice one Lester :thumbsup: Mike is 100% right. Once you get the hang of splitting the avi into bmps, running them through PCFE to center, crop and initial quality assess and then dumping them into Reigistax, you'll never want to go back to the old avi processing in Registax. It's a little bit of extra work (not much because you can batch process all your avis/bmps in bothe Virtual Dub and PCFE) but definately worth it.

[Lester]

Hi Paul,

thanks for your info. Sound like a heap more to learn, will see how I go tonight with Virtual Dub.

[Lester]

Hi Mike,

Man I am slow at this. I have loaded Virtual Dub and managed to add 2 avis together=3313 frames. But from reading your instructions, sounds to me like I have to go through them all manually next and delete the bad frames. Is that correct?

I also loaded PPM centre from your tutorial but when I came back here saw that you didn't mention PPM centre, but PCFE= is that a different program?
Where is the instructions for absolute dumbies to explain all this, coz that is what I would need?

Thanks.

[iceman]

Hi Lester.


Not for 3000 frames I wouldn't. I drag the slider through the avi and delete any frames where the planet drifted out of the FOV. I imagine your tracking is very good, in which case you can skip that bit.

One you've appended the avi's together, save image sequence to save them as BMP's. For 3000 frames it might take about 4-8 minutes depending on the speed of your computer and what else you're running at the time.

You need ppmcentre *and* PCFE. PCFE is the "front end GUI" for ppmcentre. You can download both from the links on the tutorial - ppmcentre is on Bird's site, and PCFE is in the IceInSpace Files (http://www.iceinspace.com.au/?files) section.

Install PCFE by running the EXE, and then save ppmcentre to the same folder where PCFE gets installed.

[asimov]

Wow your in for some fun mate! PPM centre? have fun, lol. I'm totally brain dead in command line stuff.

I once had an AVI that was too big & got the 'can't decompress AVI, so bugger off'. So I split it in half using virtualdub & ran them thru separately & then stacked the 2 finals derived from them. This doesn't solve your problem though I know. You have not got the maximum 2 mins of AVI to do this with...

Good luck & may the force be with U !

[[1ponders]]

Lester if I can get PCFE and virtual dub going, anyone can. I am so command line challenged it is bordering on autism.

[Lester]

Hi Mike,

thanks for the reply, see how I go. Yes my tracking keeps the planet centred prity well.

[Lester]

Hi Asi,

yep I got 2 avis taken in quick succession, well within 3 minutes anyway. Just be good to try the exercise, don't care if there is a bit of image smear for starters.

[Lester]

Hi Paul,

Computer literate, I Am Not. I am only where I am today because of hours, and days spent with Asimov. His hair is greyer now than it ever was thanks to me. At least he didn't go bald.

[asimov]

Thats right, taught by the idiot that can't use PPM centre wasn't ya mate!? :rofl:

I am the weakest link, good bye! :hi:

[Lester]

Hi Mike,

What program do I use to open PPM centre? I cannot open it, and wouldn't have a clue what program I am looking for this task.

Thanks.

[Lester]

Hi Mike,
This is in Virtual Dub.
another question=I am trying to save image sequence as BMP I have to enter filename prefix ? Filename suffix,including extension ? Directory to hold images = I think I can do this one. But the other 2 I have tried putting in the name of the avis but with no luck.

Thanks again.

[[1ponders]]

Lester, this is how I go about it.

After I take my avies I create folders for each avi with the avies name on it. I then put each avie in its appropriate folder. I then open Virtual Dub and Windows Explorer so I can access both for drag and drop. I open the first folder and then drag the AVI onto VD. I then go File > Save image sequence. A dialogue box opens. Ignore the top 3 lines of options. On "Directory to Hold images" navigate through the browse button at the end to the directory that the avi came from. (BIG HINT: When naming your directories, keep all their names the same except for the end. Use a consecutive numbering system like "jupiter 19-25". ie Jupiter Avi shot at 19:25. If the next avi is 5 min later then "Jupiter 19-30".

Next make sure the "window bmp" bullseye button is checked and the "Don't run this job now" box is checked, if you have a few to do.

Select OK.

Go back to window explorer and select you next avi from your next folder (hopefully Jupiter 19-30" Do the same as before, File > Save Image Sequence. When the dialogue box opens up, rather than navigate to the folder you need simply remove the 25 from the path and file name and substitue 30. If all your folders are in the same sub-directory and have the same names except for the ends then it saves a lot of time by simply editting the end of the file name rather than re-navigate to the required folder. Keep the bmp checked and the "Don't run this job now" checked.

Click OK and repeat until you have batched all your avies. Now go to File>Job Control>Start and go to bed for the night. When you get up in the morning all your Avies will be converted to bmps and stored in their right folder :thumbsup:

[[1ponders]]

Lester when you install PCFE, ppmcenter will automatically be installed into the same directory (well it did for me). It will create a program group called Planetary Tools in your start menu.

When you open PCFE have Window Explorer open at the sub-directory that contains all those folder you created for the Virtual Dub processing. Grab each of those folders and drag and drop into the PCFE window. Go to the PPMCenter tab and set your image crop sizes, try about 400 x 400 for both CutX, CutY and width and height (width and height will only go as low as your CutX and CutY anyway and they will only go as high as your width and height :P )

Leave the others at default for the time being. Click back to folders (I don't keep these as default settings) and then click process and go back to bed. It is Sunday after all :D

PCFE will then open the dos window and process all your bmps from the previous VD session. Plus it will put them in their own folders within the original folders. Once it is finished clear the PCFE pane and open Registax. Now all you have to do is select all the bmps in the PCFE generated folder for an avi and drag and drop into registax and process away.

It sounds alot but once you've done it once you will be wondering what all the fuss was about :lol: Well I was :P

[Lester]

Wow Paul,

thanks for the input into the reply. I will copy it word for word and see how I go.

[[1ponders]]

Your welcome Lester. Let me know if I missed anything out. :lol:

I found the really important part is the sequencing of the folder naming. If you get that right the whole process just flows with no dramas. If that is not correct you can spend half your time just navigating backwards and forwards in Virtual dub. Unfortunately it doesn't remember the last folder you navigated to and you have to start back at my computer every time :mad2: Silly idea.

[Lester]

Hi again Paul,

Yep half way there, got 2 avis converted into BMPs.

But I cannot open PPM centre. It keeps asking me for a apropriate program to open it.

[[1ponders]]

Are you trying to open PPM center or PCFE?

[Lester]

Hi Paul,

I was trying to open ppm centre, but it keep asking for a program to open it. Then I tried with Microsoft Access= unrecognised data format. What program do I need to open PPM Centre?

I have just loaded PCFE, and each time I go into this program it wants to reinstall it again. I don,t understand what PCFE is supposed to do. It doesn't seem to show anything but a blue screen and the install box in the centre. I have installed it a number of times.

Help.

[Hitchhiker]

Hi Lester, PCFE is just a front end to Bird's program ppmcentre.exe.

To install PCFE download the file from the link iceman has provided. The file is a zip file, that is, there are a couple of files all compressed together in one file.

Extract the files to the directory of your choice. You should see a file called setup.exe. You need to double click on this file and PCFE will be installed for you. ppmcentre is automatically installed for you so you do not need to worry about that. Just run PCFE as instructed by Paul.

Let us know if this does not work.