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RAW and stacked describe different stages of astrophotography, not two rival image formats. A RAW file is an individual camera capture retained for processing; a stacked image is made by aligning and combining multiple exposures—often RAW files. You can shoot RAW and then stack those captures.
What RAW and stacked mean
| Aspect | One RAW capture | Stacked image |
|---|---|---|
| What it describes | One camera exposure, with capture data retained for later processing. | A result made by combining multiple registered exposures. |
| Workflow role | An input to image processing. A RAW converter interprets the camera data and lets you adjust it. | The output of a combining step; it can be processed further. |
| Exposure count | One capture. | Multiple frames are combined. |
| What you see when opening it | Its appearance depends on how the RAW converter interprets and renders the data. | Its appearance depends on the saved format and display rendering; an un-stretched result can look dark or flat. |
Adobe’s Camera Raw documentation describes opening and processing camera RAW images. DeepSkyStacker’s user guide describes adding, registering, and stacking frames, and recommends RAW inputs for its documented workflow. That is an example workflow, not a rule for every type of astrophotography.
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What stacking does—and does not do
Stacking software first registers frames: it identifies corresponding features, such as stars, and aligns the captures before combining them. This helps account for small shifts between exposures, but does not guarantee perfect alignment. The software then combines selected frames into a new image result.
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A typical deep-sky stacking workflow
- Capture multiple light frames. These are exposures of the target. Retain RAW files when following a workflow that uses RAW inputs, such as the one in the DeepSkyStacker guide.
- Add calibration frames if your workflow calls for them. The guide lists dark, flat, offset/bias, and dark-flat frames. These categories address different capture artifacts; whether to use them depends on your camera, optics, and workflow. They are not all mandatory for every beginner or subject.
- Sort the files by frame type in stacking software. Add light frames and any calibration frames to their corresponding categories.
- Register the light frames. The software aligns corresponding stars across captures before combining them.
- Stack the selected frames. The software combines the registered exposures to produce a stack.
- Save and continue processing. Stretch and adjust the result as needed for a display or print.
This describes the DeepSkyStacker guide’s workflow, not a universal procedure. Planetary imaging, wide-field nightscapes, and deep-sky imaging can call for different capture and processing choices.
A stack is not necessarily a finished photograph
The saved stack may contain numerical image data that has not yet been rendered to look attractive on a screen. NASA’s FITS Primer explains that scientific image arrays may need a display transfer function; their dynamic range can exceed what a screen can show directly. Stretching and other adjustments turn the data into a viewable image, but they are separate from the act of stacking.
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Stacking and file format are separate concepts
“Stacked” describes how an image was produced; it does not specify its file extension. A stack can be saved in a format suited to further processing or display. FITS (Flexible Image Transport System) is an astronomy-oriented format for transporting, analyzing, and archiving scientific datasets. It can hold multidimensional numerical arrays and headers, rather than only a rendered consumer photograph. FITS is a format, not a synonym for a stacked image.
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