Allsky Settings

(READ ONLY) Allsky Settings for ZWO ASI224MC


Daytime settings

Daytime Capture	No Yes	Activate to take daytime images.
Daytime Save	No Yes	Activate to save daytime images. Only applies if Daytime Capture is enabled.
Auto-Exposure	No Yes	Activate to enable daytime auto-exposure.
Max Auto-Exposure		Maximum daytime Auto-Exposure time in milliseconds (1000ms = 1 sec). Only applies if daytime Auto-Exposure is enabled.
Manual Exposure		Manual exposure time in milliseconds (1000ms = 1 sec). Can be a fraction. If using daytime Auto-Exposure, this number is used as a starting point.
Mean Target		The target mean brightness level when Auto-Exposure is on. 1.0 is pure white. Best used when Auto-Exposure and Auto-Gain are on. 0 disables this auto-exposure mode.
Mean Threshold		When using Mean Target this specifies how close to the target the brightness should be.
Brightness		Deprecated. Use Mean Target instead. Changes the amount of light in the image. Higher numbers are brighter.
Delay		Delay between daytime images in milliseconds (1000ms = 1 sec).
Auto-Gain	No Yes	Activate to enable dayime Auto-Gain.
Max Auto-Gain		Maximum gain when using Auto-Gain.
Gain		Manually sets the light sensitivity of the camera. A high number returns a brighter image but more noise too. Can normally leave at the minimum value for daytime.
Binning		Binning level. 1x1 = OFF.
Auto White Balance	No Yes	Sets Auto White Balance.
Red Balance		Red component for the white balance. When using Auto White Balance, this number is a starting point.
Blue Balance		Blue component for the white balance. When using Auto White Balance, this number is a starting point.
Frames To Skip		When starting Allsky during the day, skip up to this many frames while the software gets to the correct exposure. Only applies if daytime Auto-Exposure is on.

Nighttime settings

Auto-Exposure	No Yes	Activate to enable nighttime auto-exposure.
Max Auto-Exposure		Maximum nighttime Auto-Exposure time in milliseconds (1000ms = 1 sec). Only applies if nighttime Auto-Exposure is enabled.
Manual Exposure		Manual exposure time in milliseconds (1000ms = 1 sec). Can be a fraction. If using nighttime Auto-Exposure, this number is used as a starting point.
Mean Target		The target mean brightness level when Auto-Exposure is on. 1.0 is pure white. Best used when Auto-Exposure and Auto-Gain are on. 0 disables this auto-exposure mode.
Mean Threshold		When using Mean Target this specifies how close to the target the brightness should be.
Brightness		Deprecated. Use Mean Target instead. Changes the amount of light in the image. Higher numbers are brighter.
Delay		Delay between nighttime images in milliseconds (1000ms = 1 sec).
Auto-Gain	No Yes	Activate to enable nighttime Auto-Gain.
Max Auto-Gain		Maximum gain when using Auto-Gain.
Gain		Manually sets the light sensitivity of the camera. A high number returns a brighter image but more noise too.
Binning		Binning level. 1x1 = OFF.
Auto White Balance	No Yes	Activate to enable Auto White Balance (camera adjusts color).
Red Balance		Red component for the white balance. When using Auto White Balance, this number is a starting point.
Blue Balance		Blue component for the white balance. When using Auto White Balance, this number is a starting point.
Frames To Skip		When starting Allsky at night, skip up to this many frames while the software gets to the correct exposure. Only applies if nighttime Auto-Exposure is on.

Both daytime and nighttime settings

Configuration File
Configuration File		Configuration file to use for settings.
Offset		Adds about 1/10 the specified number to every pixel to brighten everything.
Aggression		How much of a calculated exposure change should be made during Auto-Exposure? Lower numbers smooth out changes but take longer to react to brightness changes.
Gain Transition Time		Number of minutes over which to increase or decrease the gain when switching between day and night. This helps smooth brightness differences. Only works if nighttime Auto-Gain is off. 0 disables transitions.
Image Width		Image width in pixels. 0 = max sensor width.
Image Height		Image height in pixels. 0 = max sensor height.
Image Type		'auto' uses color if possible, otherwise the best mono mode supported. RAW16 only works with PNG extension.
Quality / Compression		JPG quality: 0-100. Higher numbers produce larger, clearer files. PNG compression: 0-9. Higher numbers produce smaller files but take longer to save.
Auto USB Bandwidth	No Yes	Automatically set the USB bandwidth.
USB Bandwidth		USB bandwidth. If you get ASI_ERROR_TIMEOUT errors in the log file, try changing this number.
Filename		Extensions allowed: .jpg or .png. WARNING: saving a .png file can take 10 or more seconds so be sure the time between successive images is long enough. To measure how long it takes your Pi to save a .png file, set the Debug Level to 4 and look in the log file.
Flip		Flips the image along an axis.
Notification Images	No Yes	Activate to display notification images, e.g., 'Camera is off during the day'. While these messages appear in the WebUI and Allsky Website, they are not saved so don't appear in timelapse, startrails, or keograms.
Consistent Delays Between Images	No Yes	Activate to have the delays between images be a consistent length. The time between the start of exposures will always be (max exposure + delay).
Time Format		Determines the format of the displayed time. Run 'man 3 strftime' to see the options.
Latitude		Camera latitude - a number with a sign (-90 to +90) or a positive number with direction (N or S), for example: 60.7N.
Longitude		Camera longitude - a number with a sign (-180 to +180) or a positive number with a direction (E or W), for example: 135.05W.
Angle		Altitude of the Sun in degrees relative to the horizon at which to switch between day and night.
Take Dark Frames	No Yes	Activate to capture dark frames, which are used to decrease noise. Continues taking dark frames until Allsky is restarted.
Use Dark Frames	No Yes	Enables dark frame subtraction if you have dark frames.
Locale		Your locale, used to determine what the thousands and decimal separators are. Type `locale` at a command prompt to see your choices.
New Exposure Algorithm	No Yes	Activate to use a newer auto-exposure algorithm at night. Initial testing indictes the images taken during the day-to-night transition as well as at night have better exposures. If you use this, please add a Discussion item describing your results - good or bad. We need the feedback.
Histogram Box		Size of the histogram box (X and Y in pixels) and offset from left and top (0-100 percent). Sizes must be even numbers.
Debug Level		Debug level. 0 is errors only. 4 is for Allsky developers use.
Version 0.8 Exposure	No Yes	Activate to use the Allsky version 0.8 exposure method which decreases sensor temperature. If you see ASI_ERROR_TIMEOUTs in the log file, deactivate this.
Require WebUI Login	No Yes	Determines if you need to login to the WebUI or not. If your Pi is accessible on the Internet, do NOT turn this off!!.
Always Show Advanced	No Yes	Activate to always show the advanced options.

Image overlay settings

Overlay Method		Determines how image overlays are done. module supports a visual editor. When set to module, the overlay settings below do NOT apply.
Show Time	No Yes	Activate to display the time an image was taken on the overlay.
Show Temperature	No Yes	Activate to display the camera sensor temperature on the overlay.
Temperature Units		Unit(s) to display temperature in.
Show Exposure	No Yes	Activate to display the exposure length on the overlay. If Auto-Exposure is set, '(auto)' will appear after the exposure time.
Show Gain	No Yes	Activate to display the camera gain on the overlay. If Auto-Gain is set, '(auto)' will appear after the gain value.
Show Brightness	No Yes	Activate to display the Brightness number you set on the overlay.
Show USB	No Yes	Activate to display the USB Bandwidth number on the overlay. This is primarily for troubleshooting.
Show Mean Brightness	No Yes	Activate to display the calculated mean image brightness on the overlay.
Show Histogram Box	No Yes	Activate to show an outline of the histogram box, useful for determining what the 'Histogram Box' numbers should be.
Show Focus Metric	No Yes	Activate to display a focus metric to help you focus the camera. This is only usefull while focusing.
Text Overlay
Text Overlay		Text that appears below the optional time with the same color and size.
Extra Text File
Extra Text File		Extra Text File (enter full path to the file). Leave blank if NOT using an extra text file.
Max Age Of Extra		The maximum age of the Extra Text File in seconds. After this time the contents of the file will no longer be displayed. Set to 0 to always display.
Line Height		The line height of the text in pixels. If increasing the font size causes the text to overlap then increase this number.
Text X		Text will begin this many pixels from the left.
Text Y		Text will begin this many pixels from the top.
Font Name		Font name for the text overlay. Used for both large and small text.
Font Color		Blue, Green, and Red (BGR) values of text color. NOTE: When using RAW 16 only the first two numbers are used i.e., 255 128 0.
Small Font Color		BGR value of text color. NOTE: When using RAW 16 only the first two numbers are used i.e., 255 128 0.
Font Smoothness		Choose between smooth font lines (antialiased), 8-pixel, or 4 pixel connectivity (harder edges).
Font Size		Text Font Size. The time, if displayed, will use this size; other text displayed will be about 20% smaller.
Font Weight		How thick the text line should be.
Use Outline Font	No Yes	Adds a black outline to the text overlay to improve contrast.

Allsky Map and Website Settings

Display Settings	No Yes	Activate to add a link to the Allsky Website to display the settings on this page. Only applies if you have a local or remote Allsky Website.
Show on Map	No Yes	Activate to have your camera appear on the Allsky Map .
Website URL
Website URL		The URL of your Allsky Website, for example: https://www.thomasjacquin.com/allsky. If your camera is not accessible on the Internet, leave this field empty. Must begin with http or https.
Image URL
Image URL		The URL of the image on your Allsky Website, for example: https://wwww.thomasjacquin.com/allsky/image.jpg. Right-click on the image and select Copy Image Address. If your camera is not accessible on the Internet, leave this field empty. Must begin with http or https.
Location
Location		The location of your camera, for example: Whitehorse, YT. No need to enter country since it'll be obvious looking at the map. This setting and the remaining ones also appear on the Allsky Website, if installed.
Owner		The owner of the camera. It can be your name or an association or observatory, etc.
Camera
Camera		The type and model of your camera, for example: ZWO 224MC or RPi HQ.
Lens		The lens you're using on your camera, for example: Arecont 1.55.
Computer
Computer		The computer running your allsky camera, for example: Raspberry Pi 3, 4 GB.

Camera Type

Camera Type		The type of camera you are using. Refresh re-sets the Camera Model and is useful if you change cameras of the same Camera Type.
Camera Model		The model of camera you are using. Cannot be changed here.