These are the additional collection of frames you will want to shoot each time you image in order to post process your images successfully.
Bias – make sure that your camera is in a dark area with the lens cap on and cooled to the same temperature as you will shoot your lights. Make sure the gain is set to the same as you shoot your lights. Set your camera to the shortest exposure time possible and shoot lots of frames and use them when you stack.
Dark – Darks are just like lights but with the camera in the dark and covered, thus you shoot at the same temperature and same exposure as well as gain as your lights. Shoot lots of frames.
Flats – best way to do flats is to cover your lens cap with a white t shirt and point at a uniform background light source such as the sky. On some cameras you can set the exposure to auto but on others it is best to just set the curation and shoot so the histogram is about halfway in the range. Shoot with the same orientation that you shoot your lights, as well as with same focus. Use the same temperature and gain as you shoot with your lights.
Dark Flats – shoot same exposure, etc as flats, just cover the lens to shoot them. If you shoot bias frames you may not need to shoot dark flats and vice-versa.
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