How to image the Planets: Using PIPP, Autostakkert, Registax and GIMP

How do you take pictures of the planets? What type of equipment is needed for imaging? Have you ever wanted to take pictures of the planets using your telescope and an iPhone or camera? This video will show you the basic steps to set up, capture and process images of Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn.
0:00 Intro
0:35 Capturing Footage of the Planet
1:41 Processing, Stacking and Enhancing Footage of the Planet
3:11 How to use PIPP
4:20 How to use Autostakkert
7:50 How to use Registax
9:52 How to use GIMP
11:56 The Final Image
Equipment Used:
Orion XT8i, 2x Barlow, Canon SL2, T-Ring and Extendable Camera Adapter
Programs Used:
PIPP (The PIPP website is down but here is the Windows 64 bit program file used in this video)
drive.google.com/file/d/138Yn...
AutoStakkert!3
www.autostakkert.com
RegiStax 6
www.astronomie.be/registax
GIMP
www.gimp.org
Music:
"Dusk" and "Dreamland" by Aakash Gandhi
“The heavens declare the glory of God”-Psalm 19:1
Follow Late Night Astronomy on:
latenightastronomy
latenightastro
www.latenightastronomy.wordpress.com

[@jamie1341]

Thanks so much for posting this video, you've made the whole process so clear and understandable, just starting out in Astrophotography and this video is absolutely brilliant.

[@LateNightAstronomy]

I appreciate you taking the time to let me know that! I hope to post more tutorials throughout the summer on a variety of topics! Take care!

[@georgeeppig5792]

Just watched the video to help me with a recent photo of Jupiter I took. Incredibly clear and easy to understand as this was the first time I used PIPP, AS, and Registax. You made the process so much easier than I anticipated after opening the programs and looking at all the options. Thank you!

[@LateNightAstronomy]

You're welcome. Clear skies and stop back by to let me know how things keep going for you.

[@shazmalik1]

New to planetary imaging and this was an excellent intro to the essentials of capture and PP! Thank you.

[@LateNightAstronomy]

I appreciate you say that! I've enjoyed putting these together and learning about techniques for each of the planets!

[@alanbruce2356]

Probably the best starter video I have seen on Y T and I've seen a lot! Wish i had spotted this months ago. I'll be checking out the rest of your videos. Thank you so much

[@LateNightAstronomy]

That is very kind of you to say. Thanks for such a nice comment and stop back by if you have any questions.

[@lothakur]

Thanks so much for the video. I was able to get my first image of Jupiter and can't be happy more with the end result :)

[@LateNightAstronomy]

I am so glad to hear that. Jupiter is my favorite planet to image. Take care and keep up the great work!

[@imkristhatguythatwatchesuo9366]

I can't express how thankful I am! The most useful tutorial hands down! Straight to the point, super easy to follow, explains everything in detail. It was my first time trying it and I am amazed. Again, thank you so much

[@LateNightAstronomy]

You are very kind! Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts. Take care and clear skies.

[@hiezone]

You are a true hero, thank you! I just got into planetary imaging and this tutorial helped me so much. You explaned so well in a easy and calm way.

[@LateNightAstronomy]

That is very nice of you to say. I have really enjoyed putting these planetary imaging tutorial together and hope to have more video coming soon! Clear Skies.

[@itsanukriti]

Excellent video! As a beginner, this made it so easy to understand. Your way explaining is amazing!

[@LateNightAstronomy]

That is very nice of you to say. I hope to have one coming out in the next few weeks covering Jupiter and Saturn specifically.

[@barrera1943]

thank you so much! I really feel like I know what to do now. I can't wait to try stacking for myself

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Thanks so much for your comment. Please come back and let me know how things go for you! I'm looking forward to imaging Jupiter, Saturn and Mars later this year!

[@jschroedl983]

Fantastic video! Thank you so much. Trying to use all these tools on my own seems daunting, but now I know what I'm doing a little better.

[@LateNightAstronomy]

I appreciate that. Thanks for your comment and good luck with your results!

[@hypercatsinspace7625]

Super helpful video! I was able to get an incredible image of Mars by following along, thank you so much!

[@LateNightAstronomy]

So glad to hear it! Mars is an excellent target right now! Take care.

[@dankahraman354]

You are a good teacher. Nice clearly, presented. Very helpful

[@LateNightAstronomy]

That is a very kind compliment! I appreciate you taking the time to comment and plan on more videos such as these in the near future.

[@j.m.5917]

Excellent tutorial. Thank you very much for putting in the effort to make this video.

[@LateNightAstronomy]

You are very kind to take the time to let me know that! Take care and let me know if you have any questions!

[@RafaelCBeltrame]

What amazing tutorial! Thank you! Best Wishes from Brazil!

[@LateNightAstronomy]

I appreciate you taking the time to say that! Best wishes to you all in Brazil and a happy new year!

[@furiouspy1]

Thanks SO SO SO Much for this very good video! It is perfect for beginners like me and easy to understand and follow the steps, I could finally manage to see Jupiter's belts on my photos ! :)

[@LateNightAstronomy]

I'm very glad to hear that! Thanks for the positive feedback and let me know if you have any questions.

[@mikekingswood]

Really helpful clear video. Thanks!

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Of course! Let me know if I can help you with anything!

[@greenvilleage296]

thanks a lot ofr this great tutorial man no one on youtube explains it as clearly and as simple as you do , today i took some videos of saturn and jupiter following your steps and then i edited them in all those stacking programs and the results are amazing thanks a lot for sharing your knowledge friend blessings amen

[@LateNightAstronomy]

I'm so happy to hear that! Thanks so much! Clear Skies and God Bless!

[@jashanpreetsingh5901]

this video give me a lot information to use my data in a right way , thank you

[@LateNightAstronomy]

You're welcome. Stop back by to share any results you have or to ask any questions!

[@maxbateman6956]

Thanks for this video, looking forward to trying this myself.

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Hope you enjoy it and let me know if you have any questions!

[@belathor1578]

you make it very easy to understand, thanks for the video

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Glad it helped! Thanks for your kind comment.

[@renanramalho7955]

Thank you so much! Very easy to understand

[@LateNightAstronomy]

I appreciate you taking the time to comment! Take care and clear skies!

[@kdemps8964]

Such a great video! Thank you for making this 😁

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Anytime! Let me know if you ever have any questions!

[@billtracy8865]

Really clarified things for me. Thank you for giving a clear explanation of the process. I'm starting with binocular astrophotography with smartphone and just now starting with lunar imaging. Will be giving PIPP and the stacker pgms a try at the moon, weather permitting tomorrow am. Thanks again.

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Thanks for taking the time to let me know that. You are taking a smart route by starting with binoculars and lunar imaging. I took a similar approach several years ago and worked my way up to planets and beyond!

[@fikoay1719]

The best explanation!!! Thanks!

[@LateNightAstronomy]

I appreciate that! Stop back by if you ever have any questions and clear skies!

[@max11nedved]

Nice pic of venus!!! thanks for everything!! I'm useing Gimp with your explication! excelent channel. Good skys. Saludos desde Argentina!

[@LateNightAstronomy]

I appreciate your comment! Take care and let me know if you have any questions.

[@patrickneedham3363]

This was incredibly helpful to those of us just starting out with no idea where to begin. I was clueless about even which software to use for editing a video like this. I have a lot to learn about actually using these programs but it is a huge help just to know which programs and the functions you might use in each of them. Thank you for this video.

[@LateNightAstronomy]

I was in your spot, starting out with imaging, just a few years ago. It is an exciting thing to learn about and I appreciate your kind comment about my video. Take care and let me know if you have any questions along the way!

[@patrickneedham3363]

@@LateNightAstronomy I appreciate the resources. Your channel seems to be one of the better ones to pass along basic information we need. I do have a question. Are the cell phone camera mounts really worth the hassle? They look awkward to get set up properly. If I have a few more bucks to spend, would you recommend getting an entry level eyepiece camera as a better alternative? I'm kind of leaning in that direction. Something like the SV105 or maybe Orion Starshoot. I don't want to invest many hundreds of dollars just yet but I do want to capture some decent images without major headaches.

[@klobuk11]

Thanks a lot ! Very helpful video.

[@LateNightAstronomy]

I appreciate your comment. Let me know if you have any success imaging these targets.

[@carloseduardocafaro9437]

Congratulations , Fantastic explanition , very simple

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Thanks so much!

[@elizabeth18560]

omg bless thank youuuuu!! this helped so much when taking my first crack at stacking Jupiter

[@LateNightAstronomy]

That is very kind of you to say! I actually am working on a new video specifically for imaging and processing Jupiter. I hope to have it out in the next two weeks if you are interested.

[@matthewphillips3421]

This is literally exactly what I needed! THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Glad to hear it. I hope to have one out specifically for an imaging session I did recently for Jupiter and Saturn in the next few weeks.

[@matthewphillips3421]

@@LateNightAstronomy Sweet! I just processed Jupiter and Saturn from a couple days ago and they turned out great! Our setups are almost identical so I'd love to see what you get :)

[@Loading-tr7yv]

I’ve only been doing astrophotography for a couple days and each day my pictures have been getting slightly better. But I haven’t used any of this yet so I can’t wait to try this

[@LateNightAstronomy]

I hope it helps you out. Let me know if you have any specific questions and keep me updated on your results!

[@Loading-tr7yv]

Late Night Astronomy When I’m recording should I use a Barlow lens to be zoomed in but have less time with the object in view. Or should I not and get a longer time that the object is in view?

[@LateNightAstronomy]

@@Loading-tr7yv Great question. I have gone back and forth on this myself and have settled on normally using a 2x or 3x barlow lens to get more detail on clear and steady nights. I would suggest you experiment with this but for my camera and telescope the 3x barlow seems to be my sweet spot most nights.

[@chrishandley8691]

Very cool dude I just shot my 1st planetary videos this past week and I was impressed with the results using my cell phone but after seeing this process and what you can do by grabbing individual frames from video clips and stacking together I am really stoked about what the potential is

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Let me know how things turn out for you!

[@joeyboy1501]

That’s awesome, still learning all this on my 10 inch skywatcher dobsonian , this was helpful

[@LateNightAstronomy]

I'm glad it was helpful. You've got a great scope for imaging the planets!

[@trickster08311]

Can't believe I didn't find this video till now. I struggled my way through this all a few months ago. Great video!

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Thanks for letting me know that! I'm looking forward to getting back into planetary imaging once Jupiter and Saturn swing around into better view later this year! I've got specific video's on how to image most of the major planets if you are interested!

[@trickster08311]

@@LateNightAstronomy thanks! I'm looking to buy my first tracker soon and get into some deeper space objects soon too. I still have to capture venus though and my editing needs work.

[@LateNightAstronomy]

@@trickster08311 Check out my review on the Skyguider Pro. I've had it for 2 years and have found it a great mount for my DSLR. I'll have more videos on astrophotography coming out this Spring and Summer.

[@trickster08311]

@@LateNightAstronomy what made you pick the Sky Guider over the Sky Adventurer 2i? I'm between the two myself.

[@LateNightAstronomy]

@@trickster08311 Both are solid products. I picked the Sky Guider Pro due to the type of gears it uses internally and it's overall design. Honestly, you would probably be pleased equally with either one!

[@stevehanson5556]

Really nice!

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Thanks for taking the time to let me know that!

[@SupiSiki]

"In die Kuerze liegt die wuerze" as the Germans say which loosely translated means that the essence was conveyed in a short presentation. Awesome video. Thank you so much!

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Thanks so much. Clear skies to you!

[@julese7790]

Excellent pipeline tutorial, TY my good sir ; take my upvote & my sub ! :D

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Thank you for such a kind comment! I hope you enjoy the channel and let me know if have any questions about anything.

[@LiamTheRed]

Thank you soooo much! This helped a ton!

[@LateNightAstronomy]

I'm glad to hear that! I'm interested in seeing how these techniques work with two planets in the same image at the same time!

[@LiamTheRed]

@@LateNightAstronomy me too! Unfortunately it’s pretty cloudy today but I’m still hopeful that I can get a picture!

[@GavStaR79]

This has been very helpful! Your articulation has made things very clear for novices like myself. Now you must try Uranus my favourite planet! Thank you kindly!

[@LateNightAstronomy]

I appreciate your comment! I may have to do a series on Uranus and Neptune. Those are two planets I have never imaged before. Take care and clear skies,

[@GavStaR79]

@@LateNightAstronomy Look foward to see you taking on the edge of the Solar System!

[@gurleyhardin6370]

Thank you very much!

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Glad you enjoyed the content. Thanks for the comment.

[@rudytheastro.5023]

I just started in AstroPhotography in 2018 and proggresively doing it and i always take pictures on planets and galaxies through a smartphone, i can't wait to do stacking for myself ^_^

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Sounds like you've got some great astroimaging going on. Stop back by and let me know how things keep going for you.

[@rudytheastro.5023]

@@LateNightAstronomy well its mostly Milky Way Photos and then enhanced using Lightroom, mostly for my planet photos i only used Smartphone which is a bit Low Quality but enhancing it makes it more detail, just recently i got a new scope which is a 700MM Refractor and i'm really looking forward to do Planetary imaging and soon stack it up... This is gonma be a long progress for me :D

[@zonibjd]

excellent!

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Thanks very much1

[@paigebradley2490]

Nice!!

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Thanks for your continued support.

[@tegsehajkalra7139]

Thanks bro for this video

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Hope you found it helpful!

[@psiddarth3581]

Really understand channel

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Thank you!

[@prathambhardwaj7038]

I love you man 😃😃

[@LateNightAstronomy]

I know!

[@KYREKING]

Love u!

[@LateNightAstronomy]

You are too kind!

[@KYREKING]

@@LateNightAstronomy loved that video! What do you think about the images that I can take with my 150/750 of TS Optics!!??

[@LateNightAstronomy]

@@KYREKING Definitely worth a shot. I would suggest you start with the Moon and then the brightest planets like Mars, Jupiter and Saturn.

[@SuckerPunchSally]

Thanks for the tutorial. I did not understand the step between autostakkert and registax and this video helped understand how to use them together effectively. I'd really appreciate a similar video for deep space objects like nebulae. Also I have a question, when I take a video I can only keep Jupiter in frame for about 15 seconds. Can I manually track to get a longer video and will that present additional issues (like focusing). Eventually I would like to get a motor so I dont need to manually track.

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Thanks for your kind words! I have a specific video on imaging Jupiter coming out next week and plan on starting to do some deep sky tutorials this fall. I have attempted the manual tracking you are describing and the main issue I have come across is the telescope jumping around too much from vibrations during it. One thing you could try is to have it sail through the field of view 2 or 3 times from one corner to the other, resetting the telescope each time. Let me know if you have any success with trying that out!

[@tylersawyer1914]

I really appreciate the thoroughness of your tutorial- how stable is the software? I haven't used pipp yet (although thats an incredible tool I'll be downloading), but Autostakkert or Registrax (can't remember which one) had some crash issues a few years ago when I tried to use it the first time. I REALLY hope it's stabilized; I'd love to make a go at some stacked astro again.

[@LateNightAstronomy]

I appreciate you taking the time to let me know that! I'm running both of those on a Windows 10 with 64bit versions of both pieces of software with almost no issues.

[@_galterius]

Thanks so much for this very detailed tutorial ! I am trying to get some photos of Saturn and Jupiter and will be using a 5d mark IV. However, I don't know which video settings I should be using, could you help me with that ? I basically can choose between : - 4k 30fps (pros : high res and big crop of x1,74 so way better magnification /// cons : not so many frames per second) - 720p 120fps (pros : a lot of frames per second /// cons : much lower resolution, no crop and "poor" quality compared to 4k or even 1080p) - 1080p 60fps (pros : sharper than 720p and more frames than 4K /// cons : not as sharp as 4k and no crop) what would you choose ? Thanks !! (I think I will try all of these tonight and pick the best)

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Since this all comes down to Frames Per Second I think you may be surprised at how nice the image comes out at 120fps 720p. You may also find a sweet spot between resolution and FPS to be 1080P. On crystal clear nights you may be blown away by the 4K 30 FPS. Please get back to me with your test results, I'm very curious. My bet is going to be on 1080p 60! Let me know if I'm right or wrong!

[@_galterius]

@@LateNightAstronomy thanks so much for answering! Sadly I wasn't able to try this night as clouds suddenly arrived... I will try all and come back to you once I get the results! (I sent you a DM on insta which will make it easier ;)

[@frontyardastro6304]

Thanks! This video really made things super clear and I was finally able to get a good image of Jupiter & Saturn from some old videos I had. One question thou. Not sure what I’m doing wrong but my final images are really small files like 1.4 mb. Are they supposed to come out that way? Not sure where in this process is reducing the frame size and in the end I have a clear but small image.

[@LateNightAstronomy]

My planet files are small as well. It's really not many pixels we are working with on the final cropped image.

[@frontyardastro6304]

@@LateNightAstronomy ok cool, thought I was doing something wrong. I was able to resize and made a little better.

[@rachelparker6497]

Thanks nice video reminder on whats what! As you asked, have you tried your images through the unsharpe mask tool in Astro Art. Regards Steve not Rachel

[@LateNightAstronomy]

No I have not used that program. I’ll have to see if there a free/demo version of it for me to try out. I do sometimes put these planetary images through PixInsight. Thanks for the suggestion!

[@adazz66]

Please try shot *Mars* 👽😍.

[@LateNightAstronomy]

I will be doing some imaging of Jupiter, Saturn and Mars this Summer. The plan is to do a video on the process for each.

[@billsaidel6398]

I followed your very clear video. Thanks. But I do not know why my final image (moon) has straight lines superimposed on the moon's surface. I tried some variations of the steps but nothing I did made a difference. Have you ever seen them and if so, how do I stack and process without importing the straight lines into a fine moon image.

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Thanks for your compliment and you raise a good question! The processing for the Moon can be slightly different in PIPP and Autostakkert if the surface takes up the whole image and that could be the reason for the lines showing up in how the image is stacked. I tend to not stack most of my images of the Moon but have seen people pump out incredible results from stacking the lunar surface at high magnification. Sorry I can't be of more help and please stop back by to let me know if you find a solution.

[@freebird889]

Great video! But there were a ton of errors when I tried to do all of this stuff. So many things went wrong.

[@LateNightAstronomy]

I'm glad you enjoyed the video. Were the errors more from Pipp, Autostakkert or Registax?

[@alekseimills3854]

Got a question for the prosesing of the moon? For PIPP do you use lunar close up or full disk?

[@LateNightAstronomy]

I have not done much with PIPP and the Moon. Back when I tried it I believe lunar close up worked best.

[@lukesworldphotography8333]

Hi cracking video nice work. 1 question what video format did you use? E.g jpeg.

[@LateNightAstronomy]

I appreciate that! I shoot these video in the native highest format for my DSLR which is .MP4 files using H.264 codec.

[@xtrithx4389]

Wll this work without video footage and just RAW photos? My camera doesn't have zoom while taking a video without a electronic lens. I can get somewhat decent photos but not super sharp. I use a celestron 5se with star tracking and I use a Canon rebel t6 with 2x Barlow with a CLS filter

[@LateNightAstronomy]

It's always worth a shot but you will just be dumping the pictures into Registax.

[@xtrithx4389]

@@LateNightAstronomy could be worse I guess. Thanks man!

[@robertpaws]

Hi, I have a old cannon and little understanding in stacking images. I converted my mvi file to avi and pipp accepts it but when finish processing the folder only give logs and no video. Thanks!

[@LateNightAstronomy]

That's an interesting problem that I don't have an answer for! You may need to see if the message boards over at Cloudynights.com may have an answer for you. They have a great community for technical questions on planetary imaging.

[@anujitmaity0722]

Thanks a lot for this tutorial. But plz make a separate video on planetary imaging camera Sir i hv a question. Incase of a planetary imaging camera do i still need a barlow??

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Thanks for your kind words. I have not owned a specific camera for planetary imaging beyond a DSLR. My guess is that a barlow may or may not be necessary depending on the type of telescope and focal length you are using it with.

[@anujitmaity0722]

I hv a 6inch 900mm eq telescope and looking to buy a astro camera. Do i need a Barlow or it's enough for a cool image ? 😊

[@LateNightAstronomy]

@@anujitmaity0722 I would suggest you start with using just the camera and telescope as is. Not knowing the specific one you are looking at it is possible a 2x barlow down the line could help to get in a bit closer on the Moon and Planets. Let me know how it goes for you!

[@thomascollin77]

I use the same programs but if the last ajustements are simple I use Irfanview intead of GIMP. Its a lot simpler ans faster.

[@LateNightAstronomy]

That's a good suggestion. I'll have to try it out when I am working on some images I'm processing of Jupiter and Saturn.

[@handle8handle2handle2]

hey Michael, I have a question, why do I need to get multiple videos and if I need to use them all how do I stack all of them to make one image?

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Good question. I like to take multiple videos but then just end up using one that was the sharpest with the most steady atmosphere.

[@blakenorman4822]

Awesome just took 10 second video through svbony 305 goto 16" dob said I got 330 frames nondropped, should have taken a minute video huh, maybe next time, Cant wait to try this with my video thanks for demonstration How big a picture can you make before it blurs, getting it printed at Walgreens or wherever 8" by 8"?

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Glad you found the video helpful. SVBONY is a company I've recently come across and am actually filming right now a review of their zoom eyepiece for the channel. I have printed the planets on 8 x 10 print before. Depending on your imaging equipment and resolution they can look quite nice printed at that size.

[@darioaltman]

This is great, thanks! I managed to use PIPP, AS & Registax on my Mac with Wine, do you know if GIMP works on Mac OS as well? Saludos desde España!

[@LateNightAstronomy]

I'm glad you found it helpful and yes I believe there is a version of GIMP for Mac OS. Take care and clear skies.

[@darioaltman]

@@LateNightAstronomy Thanks! I will check it out :)

[@oq17]

Hello - Thank you for this tutorial. Can you please post the raw image file you started with. I would like to practice editing the video, and its been cloudy here for over a week :(

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Sadly, I no longer have the raw files used in this specific video! f I can help out in any other way please let me know.

[@oq17]

@@LateNightAstronomy Hi again - if you have any raw image files of a planet video that I could practice on, I would appreciate that. kind regards. RJ

[@refetastro]

Another strange happened with PIPP is when I load raw videos from asiair pro pipp is turning them like purple color But if I load them straight to AS3 then rgb is perfect But needed PIPP to center image because my tracking isn’t best

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Very odd. I hope your images are turning out well!

[@alivein305]

It appears PIPP doesn't support Canon CR3 raw files as they do not populate in the source file window. Any workaround advice would be appreciated.

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Yeah, you may be right. I believe my canon dslr shoots cr2. I would suggest you see if there is a program that can convert your video file to cr2. Also, shoot an email over to the PIPP developers and see if they plan on updating their software to CR3.

[@oliveralmqvist9999]

Thanks now i know how to make a cool picture. But there is one problem, when i look at venus through my telescope it just looks like what is under an microscope, what am i doing wrong?

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Venus is a tough one to image due to how bright it is. I would suggest you double check your focus and maybe even try to use a lunar filter on it. I find the best pictures of Venus come when it has more of its shadow showing over the next month or so.

[@TrybikPLL]

When i press start processing on PIPP it crashes after 20 secs and error say "All frames have been discarded from 0 input frames." I dont know how to fix this.

[@LateNightAstronomy]

I would suggest reinstalling the program and possibly emailing the creator if that problem persists.

[@AstroRef68]

Hi looks easy as you explain but I get some problem with processing With PIPP I loose the object can’t find it .

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Check to make sure it is set to planetary. It's also possible the object is a bit to dim to find in the program.

[@AstroRef68]

@@LateNightAstronomy That’s possible as planet is day time recorded Thanks so much

[@FisTheDucc]

When im Using Registax, i get those white artifacts at the edges of the planet. Do u know how to solve that? Maybe a Stacking problem?

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Could be. It may just be a side effect of your imaging setup or you may also be a bit too aggressive with the wavelets.

[@wolfcry91]

Does this workflow also work for stars/nebulae?

[@LateNightAstronomy]

No, it's not. I plan on posting a video in the near future that walks through the basic steps I use for deep sky imaging. Thanks for your question.

[@amarbosanac54]

Is there a way to do a similar thing with like 10-20 pictures, to get one perfect picture out of the 20 pictures for example?

[@LateNightAstronomy]

The best way to do it for planets is to shoot at a high frame rate.

[@amarbosanac54]

@@LateNightAstronomy thank you very much 🌹 for your answer, time and help But I just wonder if I take some pictures instead of recording a video, is there a program that I can use, who will make one great picture out of 20 pictures for example. The program you have is creating a nice image out of frames from a recorded video, but is there a similar way to do the same with just pictures? I hope my English is understandable 😅

[@AnnaAnna1990]

Did you use both IR and UV filter? Or only one of them?

[@LateNightAstronomy]

I am using an unmodified DSLR camera so it still has all of the filters built into it. I do not use any external filter however with this imaging set up.

[@ltpepperoni3566]

Great video, thanks for the effort! I have a question though, why do you use AVI format and not the TIFF format?

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Thanks for your comment! Are you referring to the video I record with my DSLR or how it is processed and exported in PIPP?

[@ltpepperoni3566]

@@LateNightAstronomy The pipp output!

[@LateNightAstronomy]

@@ltpepperoni3566 I had not considered switching it to TIFF. Have you tried that and found good results?

[@ltpepperoni3566]

@@LateNightAstronomy I ve gotten better results using avi as you showed. I asked cause the pipp use tiff as the default output type, i dont know if this happen only in the version that i was using

[@LateNightAstronomy]

@@ltpepperoni3566 Thanks for the heads up on that. I'll be sure to check on that before I do a similar video on Saturn next month.

[@simplespotter4016]

awesome, what iso and shutter speed, appreciate it!

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Thank you! The ISO for Venus in this image was at 100 due to it's brightness and the shutter speed was at 60.

[@simplespotter4016]

Late Night Astronomy thank you!

[@randomvids6546]

I used pipp but it says all frames have been discarded from 0 frames. I don’t know how to fix this

[@LateNightAstronomy]

One thing you could try is going to "Processor Options" and adjusting the "Test Detect Threshold". Give that a try and see if it helps any.

[@enricocarca7899]

Thanks for sharing this video! I have some issue using these tools. My final images (if I zoom in) are composed by a mosaic of squares... unfortunately I cannot share the images here... any idea of what I am doing wrong?

[@LateNightAstronomy]

What is your equipment set up? Telescope, imaging, etc.

[@enricocarca7899]

@@LateNightAstronomy I am using a Canon 700D with Newton 114/900 and Barlow 2x. Something happens when using PIPP (or Autostakkert with ffmpeg) I think is something related to the conversion from .mov to .avi. It is like having pixels grouped in bigger squares

[@LateNightAstronomy]

@@enricocarca7899 That was my guess as well. I would suggest checking to make sure all the software is the latest version and reading through this article I found. sites.google.com/site/astropipp/downloads

[@enricocarca7899]

@@LateNightAstronomy thanks! You can see my pictures of the issue in this post on Facebook facebook.com/groups/BackyardAstronomy/permalink/2498723673758775/

[@LateNightAstronomy]

@@enricocarca7899 By any chance are you clicking to 2x or 3x dither the images in Autostakkert?

[@BboyGiaN26]

on my AutoStakkert, the option to put RGB Align is disabled.. how can i fix that?

[@LateNightAstronomy]

For me it allows me to click that when I have an appropriate file ready to go for stacking. If that isn't to case for you I would suggest you reload the program and then contact the website/creator of it to see if they have a solution. Take care and clear skies.

[@davidzhou7325]

Hello! I've recently been having a few problems with PIPP, where all my frames keep being deleted. Do you know if there is a fix to the problem? Thanks.

[@LateNightAstronomy]

I have not come across that issue and am sorry to hear that it is causing you frustration. Other than attempting a fresh install of the program I'm afraid I can't help you out to much. Try doing a google search of the problem and let me know if you have anymore questions.

[@davidzhou7325]

@@LateNightAstronomy Thanks for the reply! I'll try reinstalling the program.

[@refetastro]

Excellent vide Few troubles I run to it pipp did not center my video object and after that auto stacker did not let me move on on the stack ( 3 ) option Any idea ?

[@refetastro]

I fixed the trouble with stacking (3) Now I can’t find the folder it stacked

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Were you able to find the folder/files?

[@refetastro]

@@LateNightAstronomy yes I did it was by PIPP folder Thanks

[@Nasser_ALy]

I have a problem that the place ap grid doesnt work. Please help

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Try adjusting the "min brightness" and see if that helps.

[@johnhill1470]

Can you use this for tri colour monochrome videos?

[@LateNightAstronomy]

I'm not sure if you can. I've never given it a try but if it works out for you please come back and let me know! What are you trying to record with?

[@johnhill1470]

I'm planning to image Jupiter. I'll let you know how I get on.

[@oq17]

Can you please elaborate on why 3 programs are needed ? Is it possible to just use one ? and if not, why ? I am just curious as to what each program does. There seems to be overlap between these programs. Thank you.

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Good question! PIPP is used to format the original video for later use. Autostakkert is the best program I've found to stack the best frames from those videos. Registax is an old but useful tool to sharpen those stacked frames for fine detail. I wish an all in one piece of software existed for free but I don't know of one right now. Let me know if you have anymore questions!

[@oq17]

@@LateNightAstronomy Thank so much for your reply. I really appreciate it. I am new to all of this and it can be overwhelming.

[@raymondfox7583]

Thanks for the tutorial. Might you be able to suggest Mac equivalents to these pieces of software?

[@numbermayhem]

Is this applicable also on our MOON??

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Processing the Moon requires a few different settings but the applications used are the same. Look for lunar surface features in Pipp and autostakkert.

[@peterlouer3145]

Quick question, why do you have the image moving across the screen rather than tracking the planet?

[@LateNightAstronomy]

I am currently using a dobsonian telescope which does not have tracking capabilities. Telescopes that track can collect a lot more frames! Do you currently image the planets and do astrophotography?

[@peterlouer3145]

@@LateNightAstronomy Hi, thanks for the reply, yes I do a lot of astrophotography and some Planetary imaging, thought this video was a very good simple explanation of the process, currently I bypass the PIPP stage as I track and see no real advantage for using it, unless you know an advantage with tracked images. Keep up the good work. You can see my Images on my facebook page Tenerife Astronomy and Astrophotography or my Flickr Page www.flickr.com/photos/petetenerife/

[@LateNightAstronomy]

@@peterlouer3145 Beautiful images. I particularly like that one of the Pleiades and Mars close by each other! Stay in touch and best of luck with your astrophotography.

[@barcakid7712]

I need help how to photo graph earth

[@LateNightAstronomy]

I have found pointing a cell phone or DSLR and the ground, trees or mountains is the best way to go. You can even use a telescope if things are really far away :)

[@harshalraut2056]

I had a question, that is it must to shoot a video first or we can take picture of planet and then do processing on it

[@LateNightAstronomy]

For the process outlined here you will need to shoot video so that the software can pick out the sharpest frames from that video. You could always attempt to just take still frame pictures using a DSLR or smartphone. If you go that route just jump to the parts of the process that detail Registax and GIMP. You won't be able to pull out as much detail but you could still get some nice pictures out of it.

[@TheClearStalker]

@@LateNightAstronomy how long does the video has to be if i want to film Jupiter/Saturn? 3-5 mins enough? Thanks.

[@LateNightAstronomy]

@@TheClearStalker Good question! It depends on what type of telescope you own and what planet you are observing. For me, Jupiter moves through the field of view in about 30 to 45 seconds so that is the length of the footage I shoot. If you have a telescope that is tracking the planet, you could shoot for longer, but remember that the planet is also rotating so you may only be able to shoot for a maximum of a minute or so depending on your magnification.

[@TheClearStalker]

​@@LateNightAstronomy I have a non tracking 8" dobson, a guy on reddit inspired me to do a picture of saturn or jupiter myself, he used non tracking 10" dobson, below he provides a video and he was shooting saturn for 3 mins, when it got out of fov, he just moved the telescope to find it, can i do that too? www.reddit.com/r/telescopes/comments/ilcab8/saturn_using_an_untracked_10_dob/

[@LateNightAstronomy]

@@TheClearStalker For Saturn you can image it longer. Jupiter rotates so quickly and has such a detailed surface that it will begin to look blurry if you record for too long. Test out different recording length using the techniques I mention in the video and let me know which you find most beneficial. I will be posting a specific video on imaging Saturn later this month.

[@astronomytown9659]

Can you make video how to attach laptop with telescope

[@LateNightAstronomy]

That is a good suggestion. As soon as I learn that still myself I will be sure to pass along the information to you all.

[@astronomytown9659]

@@LateNightAstronomy Ohk thanks waiting for that😎😊

[@AstroRef68]

Hi I have files AVI from analog video astrovid planet cam By registack don’t accept it it says has to be avi and it os avi I don’t understand.

[@LateNightAstronomy]

You may need to convert the video over first using PIPP

[@AstroRef68]

@@LateNightAstronomy I’ll try Thanks

[@AstroRef68]

PIPP can’t find my object and object was in center as I use tracking

[@AstroRef68]

It says total frames 2935 Frame discarded with no Planet detected

[@wizardz7938]

i did that but my analize button doesnt highlight after processing in pipp

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Is the analyze button not showing up for Autostakkert?

[@wizardz7938]

@@LateNightAstronomy yes

[@LateNightAstronomy]

@@wizardz7938 It's possible it may be a formatting issue. Check to see that PIPP is outputting to AVI, DIB (RAW Uncompressed).

[@wizardz7938]

@@LateNightAstronomy yea it was stupid options

[@oupwo7468]

I... Think this will help me a lot *evil laughs arising because of the future great images I am going to ba able to make*

[@LateNightAstronomy]

I too just did a maniacal laugh! Best of luck to you and let me know how it goes!

[@oupwo7468]

@@LateNightAstronomy I can now tell you that your method is awesome. It worked. I obtained good images of Jupiter and Saturn with footages I couldn't get anything good from.

[@xsauce3858]

autostacker output a tif file its not recognized by registax

[@LateNightAstronomy]

That is odd. Registax 6 should work fine with .tif files. Make sure you have the newest version of Registax and perhaps you could do some google searches to see if others have experienced that problem.

[@daxiety5328]

im having the same issue. did you figure it out?

[@jawharaltajer4029]

pro i installed all but pipp is not installing is there any other one

[@LateNightAstronomy]

I am not aware of another piece of software for that function. You may want to consider emailing the creator of pipp for some trouble shooting.

[@jawharaltajer4029]

@@LateNightAstronomy thanks a lot bro

[@astronomynotebook]

One will not get good focus on the DSLR screen…if for example one is using a Canon DSLR then use the software Backyard EOS.

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Backyard EOS is wonderful software. I have been pleased with my focus results using the digital zoom and my eye, however. For this tutorial I was trying to keep everything to as few moving parts as possible for beginners. But you are correct that better focus can be gained from Backyard EOS! What types of things do you enjoying imaging?

[@astronomynotebook]

@@LateNightAstronomy I now use my DSLR and the Star Analyzer 100 to create spectra of the stars….it would be next to impossible to get good focus on the spectrum without the aid of BYE.

[@farmerpete0768]

Thanks for playing that song. our culture needs to be taught the true worldview, God creating the universe with his word. Awesome job on the video

[@LateNightAstronomy]

I'm glad you enjoyed the video! Take care!

[@buni.mp4]

Nice tutorial! but I can't click analyse, I did everything you did but I can't click on analyse

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Thank you. The only thing I could think is to double check that you are selecting the PIPP file you just created instead of the unprocessed one. Other than that, you may want to do some google searches for that specific issue. I have not comet across it.

[@buni.mp4]

@@LateNightAstronomy I will try it thank you very much:)

[@apimsladmin2528]

Any idea where PIPP has gone?

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Apparently the website is no longer active as of a month or two ago but the program can still be found in link provided in the description of this video.

[@ljhmayangao2596]

Can you skip autostakkert?

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Probably not, that is a critical part of how this imaging technique works.

[@Awesomegamer4567]

Why is my moon so zoomed in after processing

[@LateNightAstronomy]

It is probably a setting in the early steps of this process. These programs work a bit different on the lunar surface vs a smaller planet.