Lpi..registax??what the??

[Starcrazzy]

Hi,
I have been useing the lpi and dsi for a few months now...i have a few reasonable images...but all you guys are always talking about registax and other stacking programmes...Is this a better method then letting the meade software do it on the fly??it seems to be, some of your images are way better, through similar sized scopes....if anyone could give me a qick rundown on the hows of useing this stacking stuff i would be wrapped.. ...i have been just useing the allighn and combine method..any help would be greatly appreciated....
ps..you guys are legends...i wish i'd found this site a year ago when i was pocking my scope around in the black stuff hopeing to find something...;)

[EzyStyles]

hey starcrazzy,

you can find how to use registax to stack your images from david's tut below:

http://precons.com/iceinspace/Articles/imaging_toucam_planets_notracking.a spx

if davo doesnt mind that is :)

nice pic of saturn btw. how many frames did you stack 'auto'? was that with the lpi or dsi?

[Starcrazzy]

G'day Ezy,
Cheers for the link..that saturn pic is with the lpi..autostacked 65 images with the quality level at 80%..The dsi seems to be a bit harder to get the exposure right for planets, but i will get it, and the chip is more sensative so should be better..Have you done any imaging since whe messaged last??prolly not hey...darn moon;)

[EzyStyles]

lol im trying right now as we speak. clear sky but abit windy. moon's too bright for anything atm. equipment is all setup ready to go. im just waiting around until the moon sets :P
so in envisage you set yours to 'normal operation' i presume if you stack them automatically? under what format?

[Starcrazzy]

Is envisge what they call the meade software??sorry, im still learrning.:doh:.I just use the jpegs setting..and allign and combine...draw a box around a bright star(for dsi) or the planet and she alligns and stacks them on the fly...pretty simple but not as good qulity i presume ...good luck with your imaging...what are you planning on doing??
i think ngc 2903 will be my next attempt...i located it easily the other night...from my deck out the front(in town) not bad for a galaxy...nice bright center...reckon it will come up nicely on the dsi

[iceman]

Hi there.

It is best to save BMP files from the LPI/DSI software and use registax to process them yourself. You have much more control about what settings are used and what it's actually doing. There's a bit of a learning curve but you should get some results in no time.

Nice Saturn though! Well done.

[Hitchhiker]

Hi Starcrazzy - nice image of Saturn.

Agree with Mike, save as bmps (or tiff if using the DSI). In Envisage (or AutoStar Suite - different name depending on version), press the 'Save Proc.." button on the right hand side. This will take you to a dialog box where you can change the settings for the file format and save process. If you are using the LPI select bmp format, DSI select tiff format. Select 'save all uncombined' - this means that all your images will be saved in the directory of your choice - I save everything in the Meade Images directory.

When you press "Start" all images will be saved to the directory you chose. In Registax select your images and follow Mike's or DPs tutorials.

For planetary images the LPI is better than the DSI (IMHO) even though it is less sensitive. The LPI will give you more frames per second than the DSI (LPI just over 2 fps, DSI about 1 fps for lunar/planetary stuff) - more frames means better results.

[Starcrazzy]

thanx for the kind words and the replies fella's..hanging out for some clear skies now...
cheers:D

[Robert_T]

Hi Starcrazy, another thing you might want to consider is getting a copy of K3CCD tools (do a google and you'll find the web-site) you can get a 30 day trial copy, it costs something like $50AU if you want to keep it. The advanateg is that you can use it to capture standard AVI's with the LPI for processing in registax which is much more manageable than reams of bmps etc. It does heaps of other stuff too.

Nice Saturn too!

cheers,

[Starcrazzy]

Cheers for that...i was wondering how you get avi's using the lpi...do you think avi's is a better way to go??