How to apply DARKS to Improve your EAA images with your telescope and Sharpcap

[@michaelPatriot5678]

Muito Obrigado Tiago! Also wondering if and how you take flat frames? Do you have a light box or do you image the evening Sky?

[@DobsonianPower]

No. I never take flats. Too much work for the poor reward. Be aware i only do short exposures and mostly EAA. Here is a link to a set of EAA images i took along observations (not processed): kzbin.info/www/bejne/fZSVdJl4fcuFga8

[@martynh5410]

Great information and thanks for this helpful video Tiago. I’ll try that out next time I do some live stacking! My Celestron wedge just arrived today and I’ll have that installed and ready for an All Star Polar Alignment, when the rainy weather clears up.

[@DobsonianPower]

That's a very nice mount! Enjoy it.

[@fabioyt77]

Hello Tiago, thanks for this great tutorial; a beginner question; due to the fact you have to do dark before to Live stack, how you know which gain/exposure you have to set? -, thanks!!

[@DobsonianPower]

you can live stack without the darks to find the gain you like and then do the darks for that gain.

[@randallpatrickc]

Excellent

[@raueugen9047]

Sharpcap will capture name and save darks automatically, so why one must "define file path" at the bery beginning (this is how you named first chapter) ? Because I am not sure if named correct (will be recognised or will work), I de-checked "substract captured frames" in sequencer, and will take darks when outside, just before lights : "If you want to use darks when live stacking you need to select the dark frame before you start stacking, which in turn means you need to capture your darks before capturing your light frames. SharpCap will then subtract the dark from each captured light frame and then add the result to the stack Cheers Robin"

[@DobsonianPower]

The software apply the darks when live stacking so it should be given the path to that dark file in the sequencer or before start live stacking if not using the sequencer. You are mixing the darks capture with the darks applied. The capture you do once and then define the path for the software apply them. It's automatic but you always need to tell the software were they are. You may have 100 different dark files but only one will be applied if you choose to. That's why the sequencer helps a lot because you don't have to give that path everytime you live stack, it does it for you.

[@raueugen9047]

@@DobsonianPower "sharpcap save/apply darks automatically when live stacking" so one should not given the path

[@DobsonianPower]

@@raueugen9047 It does that AFTER you give a path to the file

[@raueugen9047]

@@DobsonianPower I wonder and want to know: that darks taken before lights have no path, where they are going, (that place have no address) ?

[@DobsonianPower]

@@raueugen9047 i don't understand your question

[@woldsweather]

When live stacking do the light files get saved for stacking later?

[@DobsonianPower]

Although i don't save them, you can do it by simply select "save all". Then sharpcap will save them all during live stack so you can post process later.

[@woldsweather]

Great thanks - have always pondered this!@@DobsonianPower

[@woldsweather]

Do you need to black out the camera to do this?

[@DobsonianPower]

No. I just put the cap on the camera. I have no light leaks but as a precaution i don't make darks with strong lights around. If you want to cover you'll playing safe but a dark environment with only soft light around (like the laptop,etc.) is enough.

[@woldsweather]

@@DobsonianPower Isn't the temperature important? ie A Dark master for various temperatures?

[@DobsonianPower]

@@woldsweather yes. I have different darks for different temperatures. I try to have them at least close enough, within 1 or 2 degrees if possible.