Mac's and FITs

[gbeal]

Anyone using a Mac to open FIT's files?
Up until now I have saved the files as TIFF's on the imaging PC, and opened them in CS3 on my Mac for the final tweaks.
I am having a devil of a job with the saving of files after processing in both Maxim DL, and or CCDStack. Clipped, all white, all black, everything but a nice image.
I have downloaded the V2.2 Fits Liberator, but it won't open my FITs files, saying It "cannot parse the file format" whatever that means.
What are you guys doing?
Gary

[rat156]

I'm using Fits Liberator. I have installed as a plugin for CS3.
So it should work.
Cheers
Stuart

[dannat (Daniel)]

are you trying to open the fits files in CS3? i work with fits files in nebulosity on my mac - it s more of a software issue than mac thing i think

[gbeal]

Thanks guys.
Stuart. I downloaded and installed the Fits Liberator Plugin, and now that I have that it recognises the FITs files, but won't open it. Having said that I am going to go get another one and make sure.
Dan. By default FITs won't open in CS3, unless you have the plugin.
I was sure that by installing it I would rid myself of the requirement to use TIFFs, but at this stage alas no.
Gary

[gbeal]

Stuart,
tried another file, and it opens, oh joy. But as I recalled from last time I tried the Fits Liberator, it opens in grayscale, not RGB, even though it was saved in colour.
Any ideas? I have looked up and down but can't find an answer.
Gary

[rat156]

I had never tried to open a colour fits file with CS2. Just tried and it opened as a greyscale image.

I have always had the R, G and B subs.

I was under the impression that the fits format is greyscale. If you are processing OSC then you have to split the picture into it's components first, then save as fits.

What's the problem with tiff at this stage, I find 16 bit tifs are a pretty good way to go to drop back into Photoshop?

Cheers
Stuart

[gbeal]

Stuart,
thanks for your continued input, it is a problem which likely has simple answer, just right now it has me beat.
I shoot RGB, and stack etc in Maxim DL, or CCDStack, on the same computer that I capture with (a PC in this case). Once complete I then take the file to P/S, (CS3), and this is on my Mac inside the house.
As CS3 doesn't play well with FITs I have been saving in 16 bit TIFF format, and while the screen shot when saving looks fine and not clipped, when I open them up in CS3 they are clipped.
I just tried "Save scaled data" in CCDStack and it is better, but still slightly clipped. Maybe it is the DDP function, and I am about to try without that being set, and see.
Open to suggestions though.
Gary

[rat156]

Hi Gary,

So you shoot OSC?

I really don't know how to save OSC files for export to CS3, I only have mono images out from CCDStack. I'd try dropping the level in DPP, then saving as scaled data for export to CS3, then do the final adjustment in CS3.

Cheers
Stuart

[gbeal]

Hi Stuart,
nope, used to with the QHY8, but now have an SXVF-H9, and RGB, Ha, S2, O3. Still do the lot in either Maxim or CCDStack though so the result is "colour" of some description.
I have played with the way CCDStack saves this morning, and seem to have a slightly better handle on it.
Gary

[rat156]

OK, then it's easy...

Do the colour combine in CS3.

What I do is stack the individual channel frames in CCDStack, then load all the stacks up into CCDStack, align them rigourously and then export them as 32bit fits files into CS3. I then do the levels and curves thing following the "zone system" mostly, colour combination in CS3 is easy, so I do it there. In order to get the colour right I use a blackpoint marker (area of sky with nothing) and set that to about 90% black. Overlaying of this with the Luminance can be tricky to avoid the salmon pink hue.

Cheers
Stuart

[gbeal]

Cheers Stuart, I'll give that a try, just seemed crazy not to use it from start to finish.
Gary