Hello, I am having a bad time calibrating my flats and dark flats in pixinsight with my asi 294 mc pro my images still show dust mots and spots. I use NINA and a Astro wanderer white dwarf flat panel. I have it set for adu count of 28 to 29000 and it gives me 3.10 subs.
Are these subs too short? Maybe 4 to 5 second?. And How exactly am i supposed to calibrate in Pixinsight, I don not use the bia slot, I’ve been adding my dark flats to my darks. Any help would be awesome.
issue with flats ASI 294 mc pro
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michael schuster · Aug 25, 2026 at 03:34 PM
I’ve been adding my dark flats to my darks
Not sure what you mean by this, but the process (assuming you’re following the manual route and not using WBPP) is:
Integrate the flat darks into a master flat dark;
Calibrate the flats with the master flat dark;
Integrate the calibrated flats with the master flat dark into a master flat;
Calibrate the lights with a master dark and the master flat.
All subs in the process should be matched in gain, offset, and temperature.
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Maybe that’s my issue I’m using WBPP, all “subs” match gain, offset and temp. My image capture routine is: image capture light frames, then flats followed by dark flats, then darks, no bias. All sets done same night.
WBPP makes it easier, actually. In the “calibration” page of WBPP, what dark does the tool pick to calibrate flats? Can you share a screenshot?
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ill have to duplicate the process and look into that question and get that screen shot
I’m sure you can find a solution for your existing data but you could simplify your work flow by:
Making a dark library that includes biases.
During the session, just take flats.
For processing use the very standard lights, flats, darks, biases workflow.
I’ve tried it and never found an noticeable advantage to making dark-flats, maybe there is, I’ve just not seen it.
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The 294 series cameras have some peculiarities with very short (much shorter than 1s) exposures, which make it difficult to obtain proper bias frames. Other than that, I agree that using a library removes a lot of the variables that can create problems.
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ahhhh, got it.
WBPP takes the BIAS frames (DARKS) created in NINA and puts them in DARKS when adding files from the DIRECTORY hotkey because ImageType is DARK in the fits header. You have to select them from the Add Bias hotkey in order for the FLATS to be associated with them. My brother wrote me an executable that renames the DARK calibration frames to BIAS and changes the fits header entry to ImageType BIAS. WBPP then treats them right and puts them in the proper grouping (BIAS) when using Directory hotkey to add files. I just point it to the right folder and voila, all are changed. It makes using the load files by Directory function work for the BIAS frames rather than having to point them out from the add BIAS hotkey. But to address your problem that the files are not getting dust mote and other undesirables, WBPP is disregarding your FLATS calibration files because they have no associated BIAS frames. Surely you’re getting a message stating that when you diagnose or tell it to run. The ASI294MCP was my first camera. Never had a problem creating calibration files that worked. Great camera even with the amp glow.
Thank you for the reply, I do not shoot bias frames i use NINA to create my Flats using the flat master function. My target ADU us between 28 and 29000 @ 5.19 sec. using a flat panel dimmed all the way down to almost nothing. Then it shoots Dark FLats with same setting as flats. My last image NGC 6888, I stack and calibrated in Stacking Wizard then onto AstroWizard for processing. I had no issues.cresent09072026.jpg.
I think my issue’s I was having is possibly wrong set of data. I shot several different sets fo calibration frames over that weekend and may have miss identifed them wrong.
Mike
michael schuster · Sep 10, 2026, 09:48 PM
Thank you for the reply, I do not shoot bias frames i use NINA to create my Flats using the flat master function. My target ADU us between 28 and 29000 @ 5.19 sec. using a flat panel dimmed all the way down to almost nothing. Then it shoots Dark FLats with same setting as flats. My last image NGC 6888, I stack and calibrated in Stacking Wizard then onto AstroWizard for processing. I had no issues.cresent09072026.jpg.
I think my issue’s I was having is possibly wrong set of data. I shot several different sets fo calibration frames over that weekend and may have miss identifed them wrong.
Mike
I misunderstood. I assumed you were using WBPP by your question about it. I create my DARK flats using NINA also, just as you described (different settings and duration). It doesn’t matter whether you call them DARK flats, or BIAS. They are the same thing and do the same thing. As to your original post question, “How exactly am i supposed to calibrate in Pixinsight,” I replied in the previous post. You place your DARK flats in as BIAS and WBPP associates them with the corresponding FLATS. You don’t have to rename them like I do. That is just so I can use the DIRECTORY hotkey and input all my files (LIGHTS, BIAS, FLAT) in one stroke. But, since you don’t stack them with PixInsight, then I guess my answer is moot.
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