Mastcam-Z

Javier Baranano

In addition to its photogrammetric functions, Mastcam-Z allows for capturing beautiful stereographies. [this one shows the rock target “Hedgehog” from sol 41]

Mastcam-Z has shown us a new function, the possibility of reframing the image. This function is what made it possible to capture the two images that make up this photo. With perfect alignment. The camera operator is to be congratulated. It is a job that requires a lot of meticulousness. It is necessary to take several photos until the perfect framing and focus are achieved. And we know that these photos take a long time to arrive, so the corrections must be very precise.

With a brilliant capture, post-processing the two photos was easy. First, we adjusted the colorimetry: Red, Green, Blue, and whites, blacks and shadows. To do this, the two photos were developed using the color chart [calibration target] located on Perseverance. Once the color is adjusted, the stereo montage is made. The two photos are placed one on top of the other, the one with the right camera on top. We remove the green and blue information from this photo, and we are left with a pure red. To the one on the left, at the bottom, we remove the red color, leaving only the green and blue, which form the cyan.

Using anaglyph glasses (Red/Cyan) we adjust the parallax, slightly shifting the layers left and right. In this case we have set the parallax ZERO to the ground. Allowing the rock to be shown in negative parallax, creating that nice off-screen effect.

NOTE: This is a creative photo, in which the perceived colors do not match reality, due to the architecture of the anaglyph system.

March 28, 2021

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