Select retained light frames

Start with your integration software's retained-frame list. Select the original individual light exposures corresponding to that list. A FITS header describes an exposure; it does not prove that the exposure survived rejection or contributed to your final image.

A worked selection

Suppose you captured 60 light frames of 180 seconds, rejected 8 before integration and kept 52. Select those 52 retained individual exposures. Their account is 52 x 180 = 9,360 seconds. Selecting all 60 would report captured time, not the retained time this workflow is intended to summarize.

Do not select your 30 darks, flats, bias frames, intermediate registered copies and final stack along with the original lights. A processed stack can carry a copied exposure header. Counting it as another single exposure creates a misleading account.

What the tool excludes

A file with a known non-light value in the mapped frame-type keyword begins unchecked. A malformed or unsupported file is unchecked and cannot be retained. If the type is missing, the file needs your light-frame confirmation, either individually or through the explicit missing-type checkbox. Nonstandard type labels can be confirmed individually after review.

Filename identity is not a duplicate detector. Two files with the same name remain two independent selected files. Two copies under different names also remain two files. Compare your source directory and integration log before export. There is no content hashing or image-quality assessment.

Keep the explanation

The downloaded audit contains the selected filenames, retained flags, metadata, corrections and issue messages. Keep it beside your integration notes. An unchecked file with otherwise valid metadata is recorded as excluded by your selection; this tool does not invent a rejection reason.

Next: review dates and exact exposure groups or return to the workflow guide. AstroBin's official CSV reference defines its frame count and per-frame duration fields.