Download sample capture files to test Strata's full planetary processing pipeline. These files are provided for app evaluation and testing purposes.

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Download Strata Sample Files (ZIP)

The archive contains:

  • Saturn SER video (2022-10-25-0055_2.ser) — A planetary capture in SER format for testing the full stacking pipeline (Import → Analyze → Stack → Sharpen → Color → Export)
  • Jupiter TIFF image (2023-11-02-1756_5-KL-IR685-Jup_lapl6_ap176.tif) — A pre-stacked planetary image for testing the sharpen-only workflow

Testing the Full Pipeline (Saturn SER File)

  1. Open Strata
  2. Drag the .ser file onto the app window — the video loads and displays the first frame
  3. Analyze — Press Cmd+R to run frame quality analysis. The quality graph fills in as frames are ranked (~1,500 frames per second on Apple Silicon)
  4. Stack — Advance to the Stack phase (Cmd+3). Select Multi-Point as the stacking method and click Stack. Alignment points appear on Saturn and local alignment runs at each point
  5. Sharpen — Advance to Sharpen (Cmd+5). Adjust the wavelet sharpening sliders — preview updates in real time. Try switching between the three sharpening engines using the engine picker: Wavelets, Wiener Deconvolution, and WOW Solar
  6. Color — Advance to Color (Cmd+6). Adjust histogram, saturation, and color balance. Try the Auto Detect button for atmospheric dispersion correction
  7. Export — Advance to Export (Cmd+7). Choose TIFF, PNG, JPEG, or FITS format and save

The full pipeline takes approximately 10–30 seconds on Apple Silicon depending on stacking settings.

Testing Sharpen-Only (Jupiter TIFF File)

  1. Open Strata
  2. Drag the .tif file onto the app window — the app detects it is a pre-stacked image and skips directly to the Sharpen phase
  3. Adjust the wavelet sharpening sliders and observe real-time preview updates
  4. Try all three sharpening engines: Wavelets (6-layer à trous), Wiener Deconvolution (try the telescope presets and PSF model), and WOW Solar
  5. Switch between Luminance and RGB sharpening modes — in RGB mode, try per-channel R/G/B controls
  6. Use the comparison views: Split (draggable divider), Side by Side, and Toggle (T key)
  7. Export the result

About the File Format

SER is a standard uncompressed video format used in planetary astrophotography. High-speed cameras capture hundreds or thousands of frames at high frame rates, and stacking software selects and combines the sharpest frames to overcome atmospheric turbulence — a technique called Lucky Imaging.

Strata also accepts TIFF and PNG images for sharpen-only workflows, and exports to TIFF (16-bit), PNG, JPEG, and FITS formats.

Need Help?

For support, troubleshooting, and keyboard shortcuts, visit the Strata Support page.

Email: support@macobservatory.com