PixInsight Tutorial | How to Use the Best Astrophotography Software | Starring the Orion Nebula

I'll walk you through the most powerful software in astrophotography, PixInsight! Join me as we work on the Orion Nebula showing off the impressive features of this program. Please like this video and join our growing community of amateur astronomers by subscribing to this channel. Let me know what you like about PixInsight and any other software you enjoy using for astrophotography in the comment section below.
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Other Videos of mine on Astrophotography:
"Best DSLR Settings for Astrophotography: 5 Steps to Improve Your Image"
• Best DSLR Settings for...
"How to take Light, Flat, Bias & Dark Calibration Frames for Astrophotography"
• How to take Light, Fla...
"DeepSkyStacker Tutorial: A Beginners Guide for Astrophotography"
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Special thanks to Bert in my local astronomy club for introducing me to PixInsight and helping to explain some of its features!
Music: "Large Smile Mood" by Nico Staf
“The heavens declare the glory of God”-Psalm 19:1
0:00 - Intro, Photoshop vs PixInsight
2:32 - Loading Image & STF Auto Stretch
4:52 - Dynamic Crop
7:08 - Dynamic Background Extraction
17:03 - Photometric Color Calibration
20:54 - Histogram Transformation (Stretching)
24:34 - ACDNR (Noise Reduction)
29:37 - HDR Multiscale Transform
32:56 - SCNR
33:53 - Curves Transformation
37:24 - Mask Range Selection
40:45 - Unsharp Mask
45:40 - Histogram Transformation
48:35 - Save TIFF & JPEG
50:24 - Final Results of The Orion Nebula
#Astrophotography #PixInsight #OrionNebula #Astronomy

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Important Update to Video: PixInsight has been updated since I produced this video and one portion involving color calibration needs an additional step before using Photometric Color Calibration. After completing the dynamic background extraction to help remove light pollution go to “Script”, “Image Analysis”, “Image Solver”. Once you have opened the “Image Plate Solver Script” click “Search” to find the coordinates for your object. Enter the Date and Time for when it was imaged, the “Focal Distance" of your lens/telescope, "pixel size” of your imaging sensor and then click “Ok”. Now that PixInsight knows what your object is and how much of the sky was imaged you can use Photometric Color Calibration as shown in my video minus the portion where you enter the objects location and lens parameters because that's now done using the "Image Plate Solver". If PCC still does not run correctly try changing the “limiting magnitude” from default to 13.0. This worked for me and I hope it works for you as well. I am so grateful for how well this video has done and appreciate you all supporting my channel! Clear skies, Michael Martin

[@larrykay6606]

Thank you for adding this! I imaged Orion Nebula for the first time and found your video of how to process it thru PixInsight indispensible. I am not a techie so trying to figure out how to use the program without step by step guidance would have been impossible. I ended up skipping the above step since my screen was missing your step but now I can go back and try again. Even without this step my image came out beautifully just using my 28-200mm lens and a MSM tracker.

[@LateNightAstronomy]

@@larrykay6606 I'm happy to hear you found this video useful. If you have an instagram account I'd love to see your final shot.

[@bradleyswift6999]

Nice one! I was wracking my brains over this, then I thought, "Hmmm, maybe the comments might help". 🙂

[@niklasknop2376]

I just tested Pixinsight with your tutorial on M81 and M82. I used it for the first time ever! Your tutorial is awesome! Thank you so much I am completely blown away🔭

[@tamartin7001]

My interest has always been astronomy - stargazing - rather than astrophotography but I have been imaging more and more. Photoshop (and Lightroom) has been my main processing tool, along with Star Tools. Your guidance (and praise for Pixinsight from my fellow ASV members) has now convinced me to move to Pixinsight. So thank you! Thanks also for the impromptu live Moon video today as well.

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Glad to hear the video was helpful and that you enjoyed the live stream!

[@elliottastro-imaging9298]

This is by far the best tutorial I have ever seen!!! Just got this yesterday and wanted to see the difference it makes and ohhhhh my

[@LateNightAstronomy]

I'm so glad you found it helpful. Please let me know if you ever have any questions and best of luck with your astrophotography!

[@nikolaosdendris5757]

Thank you, so much, dear friend! This is an absolutely brilliant tutorial, I was able to literaly duplicate your steps with my photo of the Orion neighborhood - to almost the same results!

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Fantastic! That is exactly what I love to hear! Clear skies and let me know if I can help out with anything.

[@darrencoleman4506]

I think you have thoroughly convinced me that PixIn Sight is something I want to learn , really nice quick edit on Orion very impressive.

[@LateNightAstronomy]

I'm glad you enjoyed the video. It has ended up being some of my best spent money ever for astrophotography!

[@SmittenxXx]

ay bro im sure you've seen this kinda comment a million times, but you seriously pulled together a damn good video, very informative. ive been recently getting into astrophotography and slowly learning more and more about the art and the process and you've been a great help, thanks for helping the many people including myself find their way through this hobby. ill be sure to stick around more, cheers

[@LateNightAstronomy]

I really appreciate that and am glad people still find this video useful so many years later. I've got another one that goes into more detailed parts of Pixinsight if you are interested! Take care!

[@2010craggy]

That’s been one of the best beginners tutorials for PI I’ve watched so far!

[@LateNightAstronomy]

I really appreciate that! It's an incredible piece of software.

[@Muttboom27]

Very well done. I've found PI to be a swamp to use but you've done a great job of guiding to the important parts.

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Glad it was helpful!

[@nwelch1001]

Your delivery of this tutorial has been flawless 👏 Calm and without any waffle!! I’ve an extremely short attention span yet I’ve been transfixed for the whole series! Well done sir! You’ve given me the confidence to stop procrastinating and finally pull the trigger on some gear and begin my astrophotography journey! Many thanks

[@LateNightAstronomy]

You made my day! Thanks for such a kind comment and I'm so glad you found the video helpful and entertaining.

[@nwelch1001]

@@LateNightAstronomySince watching your tutorial I’ve treated myself to some gear + been doing some tinkering with my old Nikon D90.. Purchases include a WO Redcat 51 and a Skywatcher GTI star tracker and I’m stoked! Dug out my old Nikon D90 and decided to have a go at removing the IR filter… Took me about 2 hours in the end and everything works😅 I’ve also commandeered my wife’s Canon M50, so I’ve a couple of options. What I’d really like to know is what filters to use on both cameras? Especially on the Nikon since getting rid of the IR filter. Any suggestions would be most appreciated and I literally can’t wait to get out there for a night and see what I can come up with! Thanks again

[@LateNightAstronomy]

@@nwelch1001 Sounds like you are making some greta progress in this hobby. The only filter I sometimes use is a UHC filter to help with light pollution and exposure time under my bortle 5 sky.

[@messier7849]

I finally took the plunge with PI. I followed your steps [you are an excellent teacher, btw] and was able to complete an image of M101. While it took me ~2 hours to follow [stopped your vlog frequently] when I got my final image....magic! You must have spent a great deal of time reading to gain knowledge of this fascinating and complex software program. I owe you for that!

[@LateNightAstronomy]

I'm so glad to hear that you found the video helpful. It took me about a year of research and trial and error to understand the key points I presented in the video! Clear skies and best of luck with your imaging!

[@rodbell4222]

I agree...!

[@benjamindbaker69]

Fantastically helpful tutorial!! Just bought PixInsight tonight, and this tutorial helped me immensely get my feet wet with my first edit. Thank you!!!

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Thanks for taking the time to let me know that. Stop back by to let me know of any nice tricks you learn with it along the way.

[@seanmasten8187]

Fantastic tutorial, thanks so much for the slow and steady walk through. Super helpful and easy to follow.

[@LateNightAstronomy]

I appreciate you taking the time to let me know that! I enjoyed putting this video together and am glad you found it helpful!

[@tampatrainguy8486]

Just, wow. Thank you for making this software accessible to many of us. I tried watching other videos on how to use this software and found them so complex and hard to follow that I gave up!

[@LateNightAstronomy]

That is very kind of you to say. I enjoyed making this video and am happy that people still find it so useful. Take care and clear skies!

[@darrenstansfield7149]

Thank you so much for this. Following these steps has given me my first successful results from pixinsight. Before that I was just getting more and more frustrated and making very limited progress. Again, many thanks !

[@LateNightAstronomy]

I'm so glad you found the video helpful. I've got another one on the channel covering more advanced features whenever you feel like you want to tackle star masks and other things! Keep up the great work. What object were you imaging and processing?

[@sprinter1104]

Outstanding tutorial, I watched it 4 or 5 times. Thank you for all of the work you put into this.

[@LateNightAstronomy]

I really appreciate that and am glad you found it useful. Stop back by and let me know how your astrophotography is going!

[@spacetechtips]

Thanks for making such a useful video! I like how slow and meticulous you were with the process. Definitely easy to absorb.

[@LateNightAstronomy]

I really appreciate that and am glad you found the video helpful!

[@alexbruce4639]

An excellent video tutorial and very well delivered. Not been long into Pixinsight and have learned so much from you. Many thanks.

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Thanks for taking the time to stop and say that! If I can help you out in the future with anything, please don't hesitate to ask.

[@briankotak403]

Super helpful tutorial Michael. I just got the trial version of PixInsight and your video was a perfect introduction. Can hardly wait to try processing some of my previous images. Dr B from Manitoba, Canada.

[@LateNightAstronomy]

I really appreciate you letting me know that! The free updated to Pixinsight make it better and better on a monthly basis! Best of luck to you and clear skies to my friends in Canada!

[@diptiman82]

So far the best tutorial in Pixinsight I've found in KZbin,thank you so so much.With love - from India.Clear Skies

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Wow, thank you! I appreciate how kind your comment is and that you took the time to tell me that! Let me know if you have any questions on anything.

[@diptiman82]

@@LateNightAstronomy I live in bortle 9 and still interested,so please come up with more detailed video in post processing to deal with such amount of light pollution

[@shaunmk]

thank you so much..i followed it step by step on my eagle neb...it brought so much out..firt time ive used this program

[@LateNightAstronomy]

I am so glad to hear that! Please share your images with me over on instagram and let me know if you ever have any questions!

[@stfn1337]

Thank you so much! I just finished watching the video and processing my image along the same way as you did. It turned out great, a perfect tutorial!

[@LateNightAstronomy]

That is so nice to hear! What were you imaging?

[@stfn1337]

@@LateNightAstronomy NGC7635 and M52 :)

[@LateNightAstronomy]

@@stfn1337 I have never imaged the bubble nebula! I bet that's going to be a great shot!

[@calimark7448]

I just d/l the trial and it's amazing. I will be purchasing this. Thanks for the vid!

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Glad you enjoyed it. It's a wonderful piece of software.

[@justindesilets3526]

Followed this tutorial and you literally have up'ed my game in astrophotography! thanks a lot!!

[@LateNightAstronomy]

I really appreciate you taking the time to let me know that! Clear skies and keep me updated on your astrophotography!

[@rodbell4222]

Pretty impressive software...I've been contemplating this for a couple of years now. Guess I should take the leap...! I have the trial version coming, still waiting for it...Thanks again!

[@LateNightAstronomy]

I went through the trial version before pulling the trigger on the purchase! It has improved my astrophotography in ways I did not imagine!

[@bullthrush]

Very impressive software! Thanks for taking the time to make an excellent tutorial.

[@LateNightAstronomy]

You are quite welcome!

[@sgyeolily]

I’ve had PixInsight for more than a year but have not used it. Too daunting 😅. This video provided me with the first steps into PI. Thank you!

[@LateNightAstronomy]

I am so glad to hear that! Best of luck to you and stop back by if you ever have any questions.

[@Pletharoe]

Great tutorial to the minefield that is pixinsight. Took me months of study to even scratch its surface. It's so important people understand that it is a very personal end image. What you might find gorgeous I may find hideous. The steps are what matters and for that, I think this is a quality video. +1 sub.

[@LateNightAstronomy]

I could not agree with you more. It is a piece of art we are working with and everyone has different tastes in regard to what the night sky should look like. Thanks for your support and stay in touch!

[@davidjennings2733]

I have to agree with everyone that this video has been one the best instructional videos on processing the data. Thank you so much for taking the time to do this, greatly appreciated. Certainly needed the help.. Clear skies my friend...

[@LateNightAstronomy]

That is very kind of you to say! Let me know if you ever have any questions or suggestions on new way to use PixInsight!

[@axford696969]

Wow, just wow… how have I only just seen this excellent tutorial, got yourself another subscriber. This has to be one of the best tutorials for Orion I’ve ever seen, I’ve picked up a step I didn’t even know was possible, thank you Sir! I personally shoot with a Astro modded Nikon D610 and a Zwo asi294 mc pro and I’m going to apply your tutorial to my own images and see if I can pull out those extra details and sharpness with pixinsight….

[@LateNightAstronomy]

This type of comment is why I enjoy making these video! You are very kind and please feel free to share your final image with me over on instagram when you finish processing it!

[@axford696969]

@@LateNightAstronomy ive processed my Orion image and sent you it via instagram, also got yourself another follower on Instagram, Thanks again for your superb tutorial!

[@matthewkendall5235]

Great video - thank you very much for sharing! I am going to try this with my data on M20 as I am just starting on PI.

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Best of luck to you and let me know if you have any questions!

[@letszoomit365]

This is what I would say is an amazing result! Great work man! 🤩👌 Thanks 🙏

[@LateNightAstronomy]

I appreciate that! It's one of my favorite shots taken thus far!

[@NorthOfSweden_Astro]

Thanks alot! Now i know how to use light, bias, dark and flats and how to stack them and editing! As a beginner i always used light pictures. I will now try this guide and hope i do it better next clear skies. I dont have any filters, only a 700d with removed filter, a skywatcher 150pds on eq3 pro, thats my beginner setup.

[@LateNightAstronomy]

That's a nice setup you have there. I have yet to modify my DSLR because it's what I film my videos with as well. Have you been out to image anything lately?

[@lepetitbaigneur9073]

this video is so good, man! Thanks a lot for all the expanations! I would personally like to see a vid about starnet and how to make stars smaller. Thx again!

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Thanks so much! I've got a new video out on Pixinsight from a few weeks ago that covers star reduction and other more advanced features. Check out my channel page for it. Take care and clear skies.

[@TheWonkyAstronomer]

You explain the steps very clearly. Great video.

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Thank you so much! Clear skies and best of luck with your astrophotography!

[@barrygardner67]

I shot the Orion Nebula, a few nights ago using a star tracker for the very first time. I followed all of your tutorials. I had a few differences in exposure times, the amount of frames I shot and camera (I have a Nikon D-600). I just finished processing my final image in PixInsight. I was completely blown away! I can honestly say I had goosebumps when I was done. Absolutely fantastic tutorials! You've earned a subscriber and I'm happy to follow you! 🔭✴😎

[@LateNightAstronomy]

This comment is why I do what I do on this channel! Thank you so much for letting me know that and please share the image with me over on instagram @latenightastronomy. I'd love to see your picture and share it with others.

[@Caedo12]

This has to be the best step-by-step tutorial online for PixInsight. You didn’t jump around, you spoke plainly and you explained the “why” which is extremely helpful. Thank you so so much for making this incredibly useful tutorial. 🙏🏼 I’ve downloaded it to my iPhone so I can refer back to it when I’m out in the middle of nowhere with no cell reception.

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Thank you for taking the time to let me know that! I enjoyed putting it together. Let me know if you have any questions throughout the day.

[@Caedo12]

Appreciate the offer. I’ve just arrived at the Photometric Color Calibration step and all seems well until the end of that process where I get an error saying, “insufficient photometric data: Got 0 sample(s); at least 5 are required.” I also see other folks in forums mentioning they’re having problems with this process as well - have you seen this issue before? Just curious.

[@LateNightAstronomy]

@@Caedo12 If you are using a DSLR with a cropped sensor you may need to adjust the focal length that you initially enter by 1.5x. Sometimes that trips it up for me.

[@Caedo12]

@@LateNightAstronomy Thanks, I really appreciate the quick response! I’m actually using a ZWO ASI533 with a Stellarvue 102mm telescope with a native focal length of 714mm along with a .74 reducer/flattener. I did the math and punched in a focal length of 528mm but I’m still receiving that error. When that didn’t work, I tried using the native focal length but still, no dice. It’s a shame too because that step made a significant improvement in your shot.

[@LateNightAstronomy]

@@Caedo12 I have had similar results using background neutralization. See if you can look up a bit on how to use that.

[@an35tares]

WoW thank you for this video ! It’s very usefull to understand the software !

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Glad it was helpful!

[@ianwilliam2918]

Amazing video thanks so much

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Glad you enjoyed it! Let me know if you ever have any questions!

[@MrFaiGor]

very useful for beginners many thanks!

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Glad to hear it!

[@thomas.a.sieber1511]

Great, thanks!

[@LateNightAstronomy]

I appreciate that!

[@baggi6726]

Very helpfull! Thank you so much for this video guide

[@LateNightAstronomy]

You're welcome! Let me know if you have any questions!

[@golandr7347]

Thanks for both this really helpful tutorial and especially the clear and accent-free pronunciation which is so helpful for non-native speakers. No doubt you contribute to give this awesome hobby a boost!

[@LateNightAstronomy]

I appreciate that! Let me know if I can ever help you out with anything!

[@prashantmahabeer6324]

This is by far one of the most easy to follow Pixinsight tutorials I've watched. Your image turned out beautiful! Really tempting me to give PI a try. Thank you for the time and effort into this!

[@LateNightAstronomy]

I appreciate that! I am slated to put out an updated PixInsight video this February diving into some more advanced features!

[@prashantmahabeer6324]

@@LateNightAstronomy that would be great! I was going to ask is it possible to perform a star size reduction on PI?

[@LateNightAstronomy]

@@prashantmahabeer6324 That is one of the main features I'll be covering. That and star masking to go along with it.

[@prashantmahabeer6324]

@@LateNightAstronomy love it! Waiting eagerly for that video. Thank you for all the help!

[@SMHTactical]

Thanks for this tutorial, really appreciated

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Let me know if you ever have any questions!

[@SMHTactical]

@@LateNightAstronomy thanks for asking. I am pretty new on astrophotography but I was right away captured by the beauty of it. I just want to ask you something, first of all I have two lenses: 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 and 70-300mm f/4.5, which one is best for capturing Milky Way and/or nebulas? Is a 2015 Nikon D3300 camera ok for the job? Do you use the Bias, Darks and Flats images on deep sky stacker? How you manage to point the camera at objects such as nebulas etc.? Thanks again

[@LateNightAstronomy]

@@SMHTactical That should be a nice camera to get you started. The 18mm would be better for the milky way and the 70 for nebulas. Yes, I stack the light, flat, bias and dark frames in deep sky stacker. Feel free heck out my other astrophotography videos on the channel.

[@whitefluffydogs3129]

You have a fantastic way of explaining the steps and I really appreciate how methodical and slow you demonstrate these complex processes. Thank you so much.

[@LateNightAstronomy]

I appreciate that! It's a great piece of software and please let me know if I can help you with anything along the way!

[@pramirezb]

Gracias. Saludos desde Chile.

[@LateNightAstronomy]

De Nada

[@LibbyAnn1]

What a WONDERFUL tutorial!!!! Thank you SO much for sharing =)

[@LateNightAstronomy]

I'm glad you enjoyed it. Are you doing astrophotography right now or just looking to get into the hobby?

[@LibbyAnn1]

@@LateNightAstronomy I've been "dabbling" in imaging now for about 15 years - Hah! 🙂 I basically post on Facebook and every once in a while print something that I've captured for me. It seems there is still SO much to learn / so many other things to try!

[@LateNightAstronomy]

@@LibbyAnn1 We never run out of things to learn or image in this hobby :)

[@SimjetAU]

Excellent video and explanations

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Thank you very much!

[@davidmelia6960]

excellent,great tutorial

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Glad you liked it!

[@tullyfisher]

Very interesting and helpful. - Thank you!.

[@LateNightAstronomy]

I'm glad to hear that! Are you just getting into astrophotography or have you been active in it for a while?

[@tullyfisher]

@@LateNightAstronomy I am in - again ..I would say. :) Just requested a first trial version of PI.

[@RoboHerbie]

Great tutorial. Many thanks.

[@LateNightAstronomy]

I appreciate that! Let me know if you ever have any questions! Have been out to image anything lately?

[@RoboHerbie]

@@LateNightAstronomy Hi Michael. I'm an absolute beginner and I've only imaged a few times. I've just stacked my images of Pleiades and trying out PI to see how I get along. Great tutorial and learned a lot. Many thanks.

[@LateNightAstronomy]

@@RoboHerbie I was out imaging that target not to long ago. Stay in touch and clear skies!

[@Ronbo765]

Great tutorial . 👍👍👍

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Thank you 👍

[@dmelv]

Thanks!

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Glad I could help a bit! Let me know if you ever have any questions!

[@avt_astro206]

Excellent Depth Tutorial, Really Good Guide!! I haven't Used Pixinsight yet!! Still Gearing Up with Deep Sky Stacker. Very Useful Tutorial, well Done :)👍

[@LateNightAstronomy]

You are very welcome. I hope you find it useful if you end up going the route of PixInsight.

[@AllRedLFC]

Thanks a lot for a great tutorial! I’m new to Pixinsight and your calm and very intuitive way was a blessing. Keep up your good work! 🙏

[@LateNightAstronomy]

You're very welcome! Thanks for taking the time to write such a thoughtful comment!

[@MrGuitar50]

Great video! Wish I had listened to this 6 months ago when I purchased PI. Nice instrumental style. Couple questions: Why did you use DDS to calibrate and integrate your frames? When you shot with the dslr, what format did you convert to in order to stack in DSS AND enable PI to work with the stacked image? I’m assuming you shot in RAW format. Are you using this workflow for all your deep sky objects? Thanks!

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Great questions. I go through the process of using deep sky stacker for this image in a previous video you can find on my channel. Yes, these images were all shot in RAW before being stacked for editing in pixinsight. I use this workflow for my more "simple" images and use a more sophisticated one that I detail in a separate Pixinsight video on the channel as well.

[@miketronix]

great tutorial!

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Thanks so much!

[@RigoFromSpain]

Nice tutorial !!!

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Thanks for taking the time to let me know that! I appreciate it.

[@hurdpcs2802]

I loved the video! I think I have learned more in the 50 minutes that I spent with the video than fiddling with PixInsight all summer. We are in a bit of a rainy spell, so my telescope has been temporarily put away. This will give me a chance to reprocess some subs taken earlier this year and see what I can pull out of them. Thanks again!

[@LateNightAstronomy]

You just made my day! Thanks for taking the time to let me know that and please stop back by to keep me updated on how things are going for you.

[@hurdpcs2802]

@@LateNightAstronomy I have a couple of questions for you. 1. Why do you use DeepSky Stacker instead of PixInsight? 2. I like to use on screen icons for PixInsight processes as it seems to be faster than using the drop down menus every time. I notice you don't do it that way, perhaps I'm missing something?

[@LateNightAstronomy]

@@hurdpcs2802 Good questions. 1. DeepSkyStacker is much more straight forward to use and most of the time I still use it. Especially for my online tutorials to make them more user friendly. 2. I wanted pixinsight to be in its default setting as though someone had just downloaded it, so I decided to do the drop down menus.

[@hurdpcs2802]

@@LateNightAstronomy All great reasons, I just wondered. I ran an image last night using your tutorial and I was much happier with the results. The subs were not great, but it was good to experiment with. Thanks again for the video.

[@balamena]

Good to learn 👌

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Glad to hear it!

[@pompeymonkey3271]

If a sample box is green, it meets the "Minimum Sample Weight" that you defined in the "Sample Generation" section. It does not need moving.

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Are you talking about the portion dealing with "Dynamic Background Reduction" If so, it should still be moved off of stars or the faint object that you are imaging.

[@douglasestrada26]

Hello Sir. I really want to thank you for this video, I was having a lot of trouble with my Celestron RASA 11, a lot of vignetting all around the object and I thought something was wrong with the scope, I followed your techniques for the background and boom! No more vignetting. I think that because of being fast scope a lot of light pollution accumulates in every exposure, not sure about that, but it worked wonderfully for me.. Thanks again. God Bless!

[@LateNightAstronomy]

So glad this helped you out! God bless you as well and please let me know of any more questions you have regarding my videos on astrophotography! Clear Skies!

[@vivid9394]

This is the best starter PI tutorial. Thanks! Everyone else is click click click and talking a mile a minute. My question is when I save as TIFF it saves but the quality is very low and nothing like the final XSIF.

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Thank you so much! Are you saving the TIFF files as 16 Bit? When I do that the file sizes are normally around 130MB. What type of file sizes are you getting?

[@vivid9394]

@@LateNightAstronomy Yes and when I view it it shows an unstretched image. I have used histogram transfer. I know the STF doesnt save. Is there any other way? thanks!

[@LateNightAstronomy]

@@vivid9394 Hmmm. That's odd. I would maybe check the Pixinsight message boards. What happens when you try to save it as a JPEG for example?

[@dave2.025]

Thanks very much for this tutorial, been thru it 4 times now for different images and its starting to really help me out.

[@LateNightAstronomy]

That is wonderful to hear. What all have you been out to image lately?

[@dave2.025]

@@LateNightAstronomy well I was working on Orion of course and had also tried for the Whirlpool Galaxy. Just a simple Canon T5 with the EF 300mm lens and no tracking. It’s great to see what’s possible with simple equipment and the right processing. Thanks again.

[@jonhackett597]

Thank you so much for a great start into PI. Had this playing right along as I began this journey. I’ve been doing astronomy since 1986. 3 years ago I made the jump from purely visual to electronically aided astronomy and have been amazed at what’s out there. Processing is that final step to tease every pixel of detail out of what I am photographing, but it’s a very daunting step. Your tutorial gave me the leg up I needed, thank you!

[@LateNightAstronomy]

That's what I hoped this video would do for people! Thanks for sharing your experience with me and stop back by if you ever have any questions!

[@KosmoDawid123]

Thanks

[@LateNightAstronomy]

No problem

[@chrisnewman2008]

Great video!! Really got me going processing my first DSO. Which happened to also be the Orion Nebula!!

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Glad and I was able to help and thanks for taking the time to let me know! What equipment are you shooting with?

[@SlimLineHouse]

Excellent beginner tutorial 👏

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Glad you liked it

[@SlimLineHouse]

Would be great to see you do some more pixInshight Tutorials as it ive always found it a bit intimidating. But after watching this its given me a bit of confidence to give it a try.

[@LateNightAstronomy]

@@SlimLineHouse Thanks for the suggestion. I've got a astrophotography series I hope to start in early 2022 and will look to include more things on PixInsight.

[@SlimLineHouse]

@@LateNightAstronomy Excellent. I'll look forward to it.

[@kooken58]

Thank you for the video and the walkthrough. I'm curious though on the lens you were using. I have a 24-70 and it's a great all around lens but to get the detail on deeper sky objects I was thinking about investing in a 135mm Rokinon.

[@LateNightAstronomy]

I was just out last night shooting with the 135mm Samyang/Rokinon. Do you have any tracking mounts or other imaging equipment?

[@kooken58]

@LateNightAstronomy I was going to get a tracker once I have a telephoto lens. At this time I have a canon eos r8 with a 24 - 70mm f2.8 and tripod. Also have a 50mm f1.8

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Nice. I would look at the ioptron skygudier pro that I've reviewed on this channel or a smiliar version of it made by Sky Watcher.@@kooken58

[@mxquattro]

This is the best hour Ive ever spent, thank you so much for taking the time to post this fantastic tutorial

[@LateNightAstronomy]

You are very welcome! Thanks for such a positive comment and let me know if you have any questions down the road! Are you currently processing anything?

[@mxquattro]

@@LateNightAstronomy I am still very much a rookie, and this is a new hobby to me, but already Im hooked! Right now I am trying the low hanging fruit like M31 and Orion. They so far have come out way better than my expectations, very much thanks to you and your tutorial. Im still tweaking exposure settings, gain, field flattener etc but Ill get there!

[@matthewkendall5235]

Question - in Photometric Color Calibration you cansearch for you object type - but in the latest version of the software I don't see this option - is that critical or how do you enable it / was it removed?

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Apparently that portion of the video is a bit different with a newer version of the software. I'm working on some images right now and will get back to you hopefully in a few days with what might work best since it's been updated.

[@jjaimesmx]

Excellent video, you cover every single detail especially for the ones( like me) that are not familiar with this amazing tool, but I do have a question, why didnt you stack your subs here and use DSS instead?

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Thank you and great question! I find DSS to be an easier and more straight forward process for alignment and stacking (particulalry for beginners in this hobby). Pixinsight is superior with everything you can fine tune and I've used it to great success for stacking as well!

[@jjaimesmx]

@LateNightAstronomy so the stacking it will be the same across the board of the stacking software, I find really easy to use SiriL, so you'd recommend not to do any kind of stretching but only stacking and then do all the post in PI?

[@LateNightAstronomy]

@@jjaimesmx Yes. My processing pipeline for deep sky imaging is 1. Capture Light, Dark, Flat and Bias Frames. 2. Stack in DSS. 3. Stretch and process in PixInsight.

[@FPVA71]

Thank you for putting this out, it really is a great video on how to process for those that have never used PixInsight.

[@LateNightAstronomy]

You're welcome, I hope to put out a new video on some different features in a few months.

[@bthr22123]

When you add the focal length in the color calibration, do you include any crop factor for an aps-c sensor or any non full-frame sensor?

[@FantaMakeMeHyper]

No, the actual focal length of the telescope/lens

[@LateNightAstronomy]

The only other thing that can throw off the color calibration portion is if you drizzled the image.

[@geldingmakr]

Great video!! Thanks. Why do you not stack the subs in Pixinsight?

[@LateNightAstronomy]

I appreciate that! Pixinsight is the ultimate sub stacker in my opinion but for me right now I find the results compared to DSS to be similar for the amount of time it takes and the equipment I'm using. Also, I hoped to make this a more entry level video series and think DSS is a much preferable option for most seeing as it is free.

[@geldingmakr]

@@LateNightAstronomy I have used DSS from the beginning, but just purchased Pixinsight, and stacked data today with it and was pleased with the results. instagram.com/p/CQKSfXFMgev/?

[@jtepsr]

Do you have an updated tutorial with some of the new features available, for example noise x, star x, blur x with gradient or grapert

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Good question. I do not but will keep your suggestion in mind for future videos. I do have a separate pixinsight video that covers star reduction and other parts of the software.

[@nitin_tag]

Very well explained along with practical demonstration. You are the best tutor.

[@LateNightAstronomy]

I really appreciate you taking the time to say that! Let me know if you ever have any questions!

[@aerialdronemaster7483]

great job, can you share what camera and setting you used? Gain, how many photos and exposure? time?

[@LateNightAstronomy]

If you go to the end of the video with the final results of the Orion Nebula. It should have all of that info listed.

[@leonardoleo5250]

My photometry color calibration doesn’t have the catalog search, even though using the purchased version. They’ve changed it?

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Yes, that's a change that was made a few months after I uploaded this video. Check out my pinned comment to see if that helps you out regarding this issue.

[@user-sz8ph8cl9w]

nice video

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Thank you!

[@cwillybiker]

Great tutorial! Question: When you are adjusting the Histogram, the scale seems to magically change to where you are working on a smaller range of the entire Histogram. How do you do that?

[@LateNightAstronomy]

I think that was me using the middle scroll wheel of my mouse to change the perspective of it in the program. I appreciate your comment and am glad you found the video helpful.

[@spacestudent5831]

I learned a lot from this and I knew I think we can follow up again Thank you for the good video! 👍👍

[@LateNightAstronomy]

I appreciate that! It's such a wonderful piece of software. Best of luck with your astrophotography.

[@DegeaVR]

Hello, I have a problem with saving, whatever I choose (jepg or tiff), the image is not processed. What am I doing wrong?

[@LateNightAstronomy]

At what point in the process are you refering? The final image or earlier on?

[@davesmith9342]

Man, I have been struggling with post processing. I think I get about as much from GIMP as I'm going to get, and Photoshop was just too difficult. You just sold me on Pixinsight!

[@LateNightAstronomy]

I'm so glad to hear that! I started with GIMP as well before moving over to PixInsight! Take care and clear skies.

[@HarshaVardhan-dn7gq]

I have a 8 inch dobsonian and a asi224mc. Deep space photography possible with these?

[@LateNightAstronomy]

You won't be able to do much with deep sky unless you have a polar aligned tracking mount. You could experiment with some lunar and planetary imaging. Although I believe that camera is best used for long exposure photography.

[@travlon5101]

There are many tutorials on KZbin about PIX, but your method of teaching and what you covered are so very helpful. Thanks so much.. One thing you do in the section of Histogram Transformation is to zoom in on the curve to stretch it more. You didn't show how to do that. (about the 23 minute mark). Can you tell me how to do that? I slide the middle slider to the left, but can't hardly see the shadows slider anymore. The numbers near the zoom bar went from 1 to 57. (HOW?) Hope my question is clear. Thanks

[@LateNightAstronomy]

You're very welcome! I believe the way to do that is to use the middle scroll bar on your mouse. Give it a try and let me know if it works for you! Take care and clear skies!

[@johnmichalopoulos687]

hello great video, really thank you. i am thinking to buy this amazing program! i have a newtonian 8inch f4,4 (F900) and i am faceing many problems! vignetting ,reflexions, light pollution... i am a new guy (about 3 months) and i am in a bortle 8! this photo that you are editing, from what bortle scale has been taken? And total exposure? really thank you

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Good question. In this video the skies were Bortle 5 and the total exposure length was about an hour.

[@sarpozturk6511]

What do we do when we shoot not an object but a portion of the sky with the photomectirc color calibration?

[@LateNightAstronomy]

You will still want to put in the information of a bright star or object that is near the center of the field of view, even if it wasn't your main target or didn't show up in the picture. I've got a comment pinned to this video now with some additional steps needed for PCC since I made the video and they updated the software!

[@chrismcgrew4692]

I'm struggling to find info about my cameras' pixel size. I can find pixel pitch, but not size. Any idea where to go to find that info for a Nikon Z50 and a Nikon Z6 ii?

[@LateNightAstronomy]

The pixel pitch should work just fine for that parameter. I believe they mean the same thing. At least for my DSLR it's the same number of 3.7.

[@jdgeksggsgwksvuwns140]

hi guys i have a major problem with saving the image after all the processing iam saving the final image but when i go to check it , its like the stacked image please help

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Are you saving it as a TIFF 16bit file?

[@swayamtirlotkar9377]

hello sir, im getting plate solving error for photometric colour callibaration. why is it so?

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Yes, that part of the video has changed due to recent updated to pixinsight. Check out the comment section for a pinned comment I did that might help you address this issue!

[@paigebradley2490]

Thanks for the great and informative video!!

[@LateNightAstronomy]

I'm glad you found it helpful. If you have any specific questions about the steps involved don't hesitate to reach out to me!

[@Art3mis_games]

Is there a good free alternitive for post stacking?

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Deep Sky Stacker if free. I started with that and GIMP 9also free) for some stretching and post processing when I began in the hobby.

[@DiamondIR]

I am blown away by this! I just wish Pix Insight was free. I'll just have to keep using my Free Trial for this

[@LateNightAstronomy]

It is incredible software. The price was high for me but I appreciate how they only charge once and provide free upgrades! Best of luck with your astrophotography.

[@mirnamohamed7035]

Is there a website that has images packages of celestial bodies that I can work on as I dont have a dslr camera

[@LateNightAstronomy]

That is a great suggestion. Not that I know of but I would encourage you to check out cloudynights.com to see if they may have some in the astrophotography forums.

[@dr8964]

Such a fantastic tutorial. Thank you so much.

[@LateNightAstronomy]

You're welcome! I am planning an updated video this month with some more advanced features. Take care and clear skies!

[@JoeLewis14]

These videos have been very helpful. However, I have had a lot of issues with the Photometric Color Calibration. I've only got it to work once.

[@LateNightAstronomy]

Thank you. Please check the pinned comment to this video for an update on how to use it. See if that helps!

[@JoeLewis14]

@LateNightAstronomy Thanks, Michael. I gave that a shot, and it still wasn't happy. However, I figured out that the issue was caused by the 2X Drizzle. If you use 2X Drizzle, you have to divide the pixel size in half for PCC. Again, great video, and thanks for the help.

[@deeber35]

What Bortle Zone was this taken in? Does Pixinsight remove the need for filters in Bortle 6/7?

[@LateNightAstronomy]

I live under a Bortle 5 sky and took this image under those conditions without a light pollution filter. They way I view it is that the best thing to do is always to try to get to a darker sky. If not, then consider using a light pollution filter and lastly software to remove light pollution. I now use a CLS light pollution filter and Pixinsight to help with light pollution when I shoot from my house.

[@deeber35]

@@LateNightAstronomy So a filter even in Bortle 5? Pixinsight alone won't get rid of the LP well enough? Anyway, I guess I should likely get a filter as well then. Thanks!

[@LateNightAstronomy]

@@deeber35 PixInsight does an excellent job at it but for objects like the Veil Nebula I've found a Light Pollution Filter is also needed. On star clusters and globular clusters I don't use a light pollution filter for example. Check out a video I made on the light pollution filter I use for astrophotography to see if you may get some use out of it.

[@mima-foto]

would it be possible to offer a stacked tif-file that we can try to make some exposures our own? i normally work with photoshop and it would be interested if development would work with PS too. thanks in advance. best regards - frank

[@LateNightAstronomy]

That's a great suggestion and I'll keep it in mind for future post processing videos!