PixInsight Tutorial | Background & Star Masks, Star Reduction, Color Saturation | Astrophotography

Let's dive deep into PixInsight by covering some of its most useful features to bring out faint details of Deep Sky Objects! We'll create masks, perform star reduction, enhance colors and much more. Please like this video and join our growing community by subscribing to this channel. Let me know how you use PixInsight and any questions you may have in the comment section below.
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Time Stamps:
0:00 - Intro & Image Details
2:02 - Star Mask
10:48 - Background Mask
14:13 - Combining Masks/Pixel Math
18:32 - Local Histogram Equalization
21:30 - Star Reduction
26:36 - SCNR & Lightness Mask
28:22 - Color Saturation
31:29 - Final Adjustments
33:50 - The Heart & Soul Nebulas
#PixInsight #Tutorial #Astrophotography #Astronomy

[@seanmasten8187]

Thanks for sharing. Your tutorials are so easy to follow and help a noob like me produce such nice images. Between this video and your PixInsight Orion, I've definitely gained some confidence in processing.

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Glad to hear it! Best of luck to you and stop by again with any questions!

[@robinhoward6447]

Thank you for sharing. I like the pace of your tutorials and accompanied by your explanations, this fits my learning style very well.

[@LateNightAstronomy]

I appreciate you letting me know that! clear skies and I hope my other Pixinsight tutorials benefit you as well.

[@devildog97]

You would make a great teacher. Love your videos. Thank you for sharing

[@LateNightAstronomy]

I really apprecaite that!

[@lancecheslock7858]

Hi again. Your videos are some of the best I have found for folks getting started with astrophotography. You speak clearly, and walk us through step by step, without assumptions or big gaps in information. You site has been my foothold for getting started. I have a used C8, older EQ mount, and a DSLR. I've purchased some inexpensive accessories. I'm using the freeware you recommended (Deepskystacker, Registax, Gimp). I am one of the many, many novices trying to enjoy the hobby on a TIGHT BUDGET. I am excited to see my progress with planning my nights, the quality of my lights, and using and calibration frames frames. (Great job there!) My planetary photos are exciting to me and I've started some DSO imaging that has promise. I talk with many novices on a budget, and we experience a huge information gap when jumping from planetary to DSO astrophotography. There's very little instruction on DSO photography with a DSLR, tutorials with GIMP, best DSO objects without a guide scope/laptop, etc. To edge forward with our experience, we have to jump to PixenInsight (super expensive), specialized cameras, guide scopes, and more. $$$$. At that point, there are tutorials everywhere. Soooo... :-) Since you are the best teacher on YT for us novices, please consider some tutorials that help those of us on a budget edge towards an intermediate skill level. If / when we reach that level, we will have clarity concerning what is the best next investment to grow our capability on a budget. Keep up the great work!!

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Wow! What a kind and thoughtful comment! That is why I do what I do here on KZbin! I will look at my production schedule and look at how I could work in a tutorial down the road using GIMP (It's where I started processing these things a few years ago before buying PixInsight). Again, thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and experiences! Clear Skies!

[@axford696969]

Another excellent tutorial 👍👍👍

[@LateNightAstronomy]

I appreciate that!

[@johnlewis4073]

Michael, I am so glad to have found your 2 Pixinsight tutorials - they are comprehensive and easy to follow (unlike some!) and have really helped me start to use this powerful tool effectively. Thank you so much for putting them together. Brilliant work!

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Awesome, thank you!

[@paigebradley2490]

Great video! Very informative and helpful. Thank you!!

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Thank you!!!!!

[@bullthrush]

An excellent tutorial. Your results are always clean yet natural looking.

[@LateNightAstronomy]

That's exactly what I'm going for! Thanks for your comment and clear skies!

[@41plus1]

Excellent tutorial, thanks for making it. Had to play it at 1.25 speed though.

[@LateNightAstronomy]

I'm glad you enjoyed it at whatever speed works for you :)

[@AstroGuy]

I have an Astronomy report to make!! So tonight, I went outside under the dark, night sky in my backgarden with my new Celestron Inspire 100AZ Telescope (and using 20mm eyepiece that came with the telescope) and observed plenty of objects, such as: Sirius, Orion Nebula, Pleiades, Beehive Cluster, Double Cluster, Andromeda Galaxy and more! And then I got my iPhone, put my phone in the phone adaptor that came with the telescope and took photos of Sirius (and I took videos), Orion Nebula, Pleiades & Andromeda Galaxy! Then after that, I had 10 minutes final look at the night sky before I went inside since it's cold in the UK. Honestly this night was amazing for stargazing, I will never forget that moment 🙌🌃🔭

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Thank you so much for sharing that with us! Keep up the great observing. Feel free to tag me on Instagram or twitter to share your pictures and videos!

[@seanbydawn8243]

I would agree with the last post. Your detail in the instructions with pixinsight is wonderful, I have been doing AP for awhile but I am new to pixinsight and I have watched many who rip through the processing, while calling it a tutorial, and I get lost in seconds, even while pausing their videos and trying to take notes! One fellow I watched sounded like he was trying out for a 90's micro machine commercial. I am poised to buy pixinsight but was on the fence until I caught this video and another one of yours which has pushed me to make the purchase. So, a long way around to say thank you for making these videos. I subscribed and hope that you continue making these. I stack in Affinity but I think you can in pixinsight... Anyway, thank you again!

[@LateNightAstronomy]

I really appreciate you taking the time to share that with me! PixInsight does do stacking, I just haven't gotten around to using it extensively yet. As soon as I feel like I understand the process myself I plan to do a video on it! Thanks again and keep me updated on how your astrophotography goes.

[@astrodojo1]

Thanks, I'm getting some great tips, cool

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Glad to hear it. Let me know how your astrophotography is going for you!

[@nvpatriots]

Great video!

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@MojeNocneNiebo]

Thank you very much for clear expectations !!!

[@LateNightAstronomy]

You're welcome! Clear skies!

[@MojeNocneNiebo]

@@LateNightAstronomy of course I wanted to write explanation instead of expectation 🤭. I am sorry 😀. Any way I am your subscriber now. Thanks

[@LateNightAstronomy]

@@MojeNocneNiebo Welcome to the Late Night Astronomy Community!

[@rafapliszka2986]

Great video.So easy to follow

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Glad to hear it! Take care and let me know if you ever have any questions along the way!

[@sevenskiesastro]

Great tutorial thank you 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👏👏👏👏

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Thanks so much!

[@arshadwm]

I love your tutorials and have learned a lot. I am a new user of ASI2600 MM camera and I have recently purchased a Monochrome camera with a filter wheel and 7 LRGB OIII S and Ha filters. Previously, I was using the ASI2600MC and captured some impressive pictures. However, I want to further improve my hobby by learning how to capture images with my new camera setup. I am looking for guidance or references to websites where I can learn how to capture images using my ASI2600 MM camera. I am familiar with operating DSS and Pixinsight. Any suggestions or advice on where I can find helpful resources would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance!

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Congrats on your new purchase and I'm glad you have found my channel helpful! I would check out the astrophotography forums over on cloudynights.com to see if anyone these has experience with that specific equipment and could point you towards a book or website to help out! Keep me updated on your progress!

[@larrymedina2466]

Great how do we save the work.

[@rashmibhatt7274]

Very helpful thanks

[@LateNightAstronomy]

I appreciate that!

[@bobsastrophotography7812]

Thanks for sharing your workflow of the heart & soul nebula’s. You have any with regard to processing galaxies? Look forward to seeing it someday. Clear Skies Brother…

[@LateNightAstronomy]

You're quite welcome. I hope to start up a series on astrophotography this summer that would focus on different targets each month. Processing them would be a part of the videos more than likely as well. Stay tuned....

[@timwimer7053]

Good video, but does your advice about masking align with CDC guidance?

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Haha!!!

[@charlesdufour9276]

The lightness mask looks similar to the background mask you created. Would the lightness mask also work for the local histogram equalization step?

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Perhaps it might! Give it a try and let me know how it goes.

[@Sbach342Guy]

Is there a reason for doing this versus using something like StarX to just remove the stars? New to the hobby and it seems most just remove the stars, process, then add them back in

[@LateNightAstronomy]

I'm sure that works well, it's just not a technique I've tried out yet.