Astrophotography for Beginners: 7 Essential Processes in Pixinsight

In this astrophotography image processing tutorial for beginners, I'm going to show you the 7 essential processes that you need to learn in Pixinsight. These processes are necessary for a basic Pixinsight workflow to complete an astrophotography image. The best part is that with a little practice, you should be able to process basic images in less than 20 or 30 minutes. If your goal for now is to be able to share a basic image on social media or to share with your friends, then this video will show you how.
Please understand that this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to this software. I'm only showing you the bare minimum to get a decent image. If beginners want to perfect their images, then they need to spend more time learning and practicing all the other options that Pixinsight offers.
In this Pixinsight tutorial, I will not be covering the process of stacking images. This is assuming you either stacked your subs using the WBPP script or another stacking software and have a raw, stacked image ready to be processed.
In future videos, I'm planning on making more tutorials for Pixinsight that dive deeper into the settings of the processes you learn today, and the other tools and scripts available, so be sure to subscribe and "ring the bell" to be notified when I publish another video.
#Pixinsight #Astrophotography #Astro_tips
Free 30 day trial of Pixinsight: pixinsight.com...
You can also follow me on Instagram: zoliroastro
To see full resolution versions of my astro pics, see my profile at astrobin.com/users/DanielZoliro
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If you want more info about astrophotography or amateur astronomy for beginners, OPT has a variety of articles that you might find helpful - bit.ly/3uyslky​​
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The astro gear that I use:
CAMERAS
---ZWO ASI1600mm Pro bit.ly/3snt1aQ​
---ZWO ASI183mm Pro bit.ly/3cjVUz7​
---ZWO ASI533mc Pro bit.ly/3tPVfeA​
---ZWO ASI224mc Guide/Planetary Camera bit.ly/3tWm6FU​
MOUNT
---Sky Watcher EQ6-R Pro bit.ly/3cpfDxo​
TELESCOPES
---Celestron C9.25 SCT bit.ly/3rmyHR9​
ACCESSORIES
---ZWO ASIair Pro bit.ly/3rqs5Bj​
---ZWO 30mm Guidescope bit.ly/39h2a8W​
---ZWO Canon EOS Lens Adapter bit.ly/3tV9teu​
---ZWO EFW Mini Filter Wheel bit.ly/2PynXSk​
---ZWO OAG Off Axis Guider bit.ly/37iyE1P​
---ZWO Helical Focuser bit.ly/3vUPdLP​
---ZWO LRGB Color Filters bit.ly/3roSVtJ​
---ZWO Tilt Tuner bit.ly/3vUPONz​
---Baader Narrowband Filter Set bit.ly/3lRf7eJ​
---Starizona Hyperstar Adapter bit.ly/2PxzOQB​
I am a member of the OPT affiliate program and any gear you purchase using the above links help me earn a commission at no cost to you.

[@SmeeUncleJoe]

These are awesome tutorials and really hitting the spot. Surprised it's taking years for them to gain traction on views.

[@Caedo12]

I’ve never seen your channel before and I haven’t downloaded Pixinsight yet (but plan to soon). Hell, I’m not even halfway through this video yet but I really like the straightforward-ness and watch-ability. Subscribed.

[@ZoliroAstro]

Thanks a lot! I'm putting out another Pixinsight video soon that is a full workflow video.

[@Caedo12]

@@ZoliroAstro Looking forward to it. I know it’s a powerful tool, but its “interesting” naming conventions and quirky workflow has kept me from hitting the Buy button (using Photoshop, currently). Anything you can do to demystify and dumb it down for this 40+ year old simpleton would be greatly appreciated. 🤙🏼

[@tullyfisher]

I used to apply Gimp and Siril for my astrophotos...and as I wanted to get "more serious" with my post processing I decided to give it a try..rather than using photoshop (or lightroom etc.). Because it's a widely used, dedicated astro tool. So I watched some Pixinsight YT videos and was (and still am) a little intimidated by the number of tools/modules within PI and the (for me) non self-explanatory navigation and execution.. So currently I am trying to learn as much as I can in order to get familiar with this program. (Using the trial version first. - Now it's even 45 days and not just 30 ;-) ... It's plenty of time to get at least a rough idea about it., And I really like that the trial version is the same as the full version... Your videos are VERY helpful for me. Great tutorial. Thank you!! - Subscribed :) clear skies

[@ZoliroAstro]

Awesome!!! Glad they helped. I hope to start making videos again soon.

[@tullyfisher]

@@ZoliroAstro Would be great...Looking forward. 👍🏼

[@Bills_APCh]

In DBE, tolerance=3 means what? Very tolerant or what?

[@supermrevo]

Thank you! I finally was able to follow your process to do something with my images! Do you have one with stacking with Pixinsight?

[@Rainy78]

Awesome. Pondering wether I should buy PI. Looks like a great program! Thanks for sharing!

[@JeffFishman]

Big learning curve for PI. Needs to be something simpler

[@arhenresleff4748]

Heya, are you posting your old livestreams from tik tok somewhere?

[@steveweintraub1113]

Great tutorial Daniel, thank you for keeping it basic (with a OSC)! Very easy to follow along with. Clear Skies, Steve

[@ZoliroAstro]

Thank you Steve, I really appreciate the feedback and Clear Skies to you as well!

[@-WhizzBang-]

I find Pixinsight easier to use than Photoshop. Pixinsight has processes that will work with just one click, where in Photoshop, to do the same thing, requires many steps!

[@rpg350]

Great tutorial Daniel, where exactly we can find this option "SCREEN TRANSFER FUNCTION" please

[@mr.d.8121]

👏👏👏👏👏👍

[@wesleyson21]

This was a very thorough tutorial but I do one thing differently when it comes to stretching. I drag the triangle from the Screen Transfer function to the Histogram and then from there to the picture to apply the auto-stretch. Then disable or reset the auto-stretch because you'll have a double stretched image.

[@ZoliroAstro]

Thanks! Yep, there's a few ways to do it! I use your method for a quick stretch in certain scenarios. I didn't show this in the video, but there is a simple script called Delinear that does this method in one simple click. Often the auto stretch that STF applies can over/under stretch your images. That's why I like to use Histogram Transformation, because it gives you a bit more control when stretching. You may already know this depending on your experience level in Pixinsight, but beyond these basic stretching methods, I use other processes and scripts like ArcsinhStrech, MaskedStretch, Curves Transformation, and LocalFuzzyHistogramHyperbolization to really dial in the best possible permanent stretches.

[@wesleyson21]

@@ZoliroAstro I'm just starting astrophotography and PixInsight so I'm definitely still learning new things all the time.

[@ZoliroAstro]

@@wesleyson21 Well keep at it! Do you like shorter videos that are more focused on individual processes, or longer workflow type videos?

[@wesleyson21]

@@ZoliroAstro I would love if you did a whole workflow video from stacked image to a finished image. It would be really helpful to learn more of the processes in PixInsight. There's a distinct lack of videos on PixInsight in general but especially more in depth ones.

[@ZoliroAstro]

@@wesleyson21 Will do. I will try to do one soon, within two or three weeks. I've got some data I haven't processed yet, so I'll make a video.

[@mikelockwood2104]

good job....when do you sleep ?

[@ZoliroAstro]

Lol, I've always been a night owl, but astrophotography has turned me into a vampire I'm afraid.

[@bloodstone2000]

Great Quick Tutorial!. Right to the bullets points and hands on! Thanks man.

[@ZoliroAstro]

Glad you liked it! Any ideas for other videos you would like to see, or things I can improve in my videos?

[@bloodstone2000]

@@ZoliroAstro I Did! great Quick and to the Point man! Just what i was in the mood to watch.. Only thing to add? Maybe Just more Tip and Trick Videos like this one more often honestly.. Sometimes you just want to to learn from the major bullet points.. And not watch a Complete workflow .. Also ? Something like this one would benefit from a raw File for others to Follow along too maybe. That way they can see real time results with the tutorial at the same time.

[@ZoliroAstro]

@@bloodstone2000 Man, I really thought about adding my Helix Nebula raw file, but I didn't. Next time I do a video like this I will.

[@bloodstone2000]

@@ZoliroAstro Awesome.. That would be Perfect for the next one.. Just the screen transfer Function and the Histogram transformation with the Raw file alone? Will allow someone to Progress in leaps and bounds and they can see it in real time.. I remember when i first did those 2 on some data i thought was plain useless? BAM there is was ! Whirlpool galaxy!

[@ZoliroAstro]

@@bloodstone2000 Thanks for all your input, it's really helpful!

[@Mr77pro]

Great tips!!

[@ZoliroAstro]

I appreciate it, glad you found them helpful!