Aligning orthomosaics of field taken with different cameras

[jf-willow]

I have RGB camera, modified NIR camera, and RedEdge sensors. I want to use images taken with these devices and generate orthomosaics that all line up with each other, without GCP. I landed on the following workflow:

• Create separate chunks for each camera/sensor
• Import all photos to their relevant chunks and perform reflectance calibration if needed
• In each chunk, align photos using "Workflow > Align Photos..."
• Align chunks using "Workflow > Align Chunks," selecting all chunks in the prompt
• Generate orthomosaics for each chunk

This works when simply performing the operation with 2 devices (i.e., using 2 chunks such as RGB & RedEdge or RGB & NIR). With all three chunks, this procedure fails. Most of the time, after aligning the chunks in step 4, one of the chunks in my workspace loses its [T] or [R] label, which to my knowledge suggests something happened to alignment information (I then need to re-align before I'm allowed to create a DEM). One time, the alignment did not go away, however the orthomosaics were not aligned well like had been the case with only 2 chunks.

Is there a better workflow for what I'm trying to accomplish, or is there something I'm doing wrong here?

[Alexey Pasumansky]

Hello jf-willow,

Do you use all sensors (RGB, NIR cameras and RedEdge) simultaneously on the same aircraft to cover the same area, or each sensor is utilized during a separate flight?

[jf-willow]

The RedEdge mounts on a fixed position on the aircraft while RGB and NIR plug into the gimbal. This means we have a minimum of two flights to capture footage with all three cameras. The first flight is usually RedEdge+RGB, the second NIR. All three captures follow the same mission flight.