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Green & Magenta banding

ZWO ASI2600MC AIR Beginner Banding Help Needed
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Sean McDaniel avatar
Sean McDaniel avatar
Newbie here. I've had a couple of sessions with this (almost) all-in-one unit and am noticing some banding issues. Both times, my results showed prominent green and magenta banding, which I'm not sure is normal. I read that this can be due to cables and power sources, so I've tried a combination of these, and the banding is always present. Given my inexperience with this new equipment, I hoped to get feedback here. I'd guess that this is the result of underexposure. If you look carefully you can see these in a processed image.

TIA,
Sean
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robininni avatar
robininni avatar
If that first image is a flat sub, that looks normal to me when viewed through the ASI app.  I'm pretty sure that's how mine look.  It doesn't look that way in Pixinsight.
Sean McDaniel avatar
Sean McDaniel avatar
Some of this banding seems to come through after I stretch the image. IDK.
Tony Gondola avatar
Tony Gondola avatar
If that's a flat frame, there shouldn't be banding. What setup are you using?
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Sean McDaniel avatar
Sean McDaniel avatar
That is a flat I was using to understand why I was seeing this in my resulting images. Askar 103 API + ASI2600CM Air.
robininni avatar
robininni avatar
What gain is the 2600MC Air set to?

And what did you use to get your final processed image?

I don't readily see the banding in your processed image, there is some gradient of some sort.  I do believe when viewing anything in the Air app you are looking at a very compressed, processed JPG so I wouldn't go buy that view as a true example of your flat.  Open it is Pixinsight or some other processing software.
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Sean McDaniel avatar
Sean McDaniel avatar
Gain: 100. I used PixInsight but have since found some scripts to better deal with the gradient and background neutralization for an imageI captured this Tuesday. Okay, I just checked one of the flats in PixInsight; it is evenly gray across the frame. I was thrown off by the view in the ASIAir. I appreciate the help.
robininni avatar
robininni avatar
Sean,

I thought of something else that might cause the banding, although you say it looked fine in Pixinsight, but if you are using a light pad for flats and have it set so bright that your flats are very short exposures (a fraction of a second), you may be catching banding from the electronic light.  Adjusting the brightness to it's lowest setting (assuming you can), will cause you flats to be longer and will eliminate this.  Like I said earlier, it may just be the look in the ASI software.  I do have sort of the same hues when viewing mine through ASI, but not really the banding look (well maybe one).

Rob

Here's one of mine:

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TiffsAndAstro avatar
TiffsAndAstro avatar
No chance is is northern lights?

Ruined my entire 30 minutes on pleides two nights ago smile
robininni avatar
robininni avatar
TiffsAndAstro:
No chance is is northern lights?

Ruined my entire 30 minutes on pleides two nights ago

No, nothing to do with that.  Although I did capture a few lights 2 nights ago with what I suspect was the aurora and I’m in North Texas.  Amazing when it reaches down this far south.