PixInsight - 3SistersAstronomy

Last updated: May 17th, 2023

PixInsight (PI) is an exceptional image processing platform designed specifically for astrophotography. We believe it’s an indispensable tool that adds tremendous power to our processing workflow.

In our quest to master this remarkable software, we’ve invested in books, sought professional lessons, delved into forums, and immersed ourselves in countless YouTube videos. Yet, we’ve barely scratched the surface of its vast capabilities. While we plan to create our own tutorials in the future, we’ve compiled a collection of valuable resources below to aid your journey.

To explore PixInsight further, including the option to try the trial version or make a purchase, click here or simply click on the PI icon above, which will redirect you to their official website.

If you know of any other resources like books, classes, YouTube videos, or any additional content that you believe should be included, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We’re always open to expanding our list and sharing valuable insights with the astrophotography community.

Disclaimer: We do not endorse or guarantee the accuracy, safety, security, or virus-free status of any website or software linked to from this website. By clicking on any of the links provided, you assume all risk and responsibility for any damages or losses that may result. Use at your own risk.

Our PixInsight Resources

The information provided in this section is from our experience, perspective, and our journey. Everyone’s astrophotography journey is different based on their gear, imaging targets, and preferences in processing. We do not claim to be experts, but we do hope to offer some guidance. When going through any part of our site just remember that what we are doing is based off what works for us and may not work for you. We’ve supplied hundreds of resources for you from more experienced people in the community for this reason. We hope that you find what you are looking for and piece together your own path through this amazing hobby with the information provided.

Broadband Workflow	Narrowband Workflow
*Coming Soon!*	*Coming Soon!*

YouTube Resources

There are hundreds of astrophotography/astronomy related YouTube videos across the platform. For this, we’ve pulled together PixInsight specific videos and organized them into “playlists.” We hope this assist you with your processing while giving exposure to those that put so much work into creating video tutorials. We will continue to add videos as we come across them, so check back often.

-PIXINSIGHT PLAYLISTS-

Tutorials from the PixInsight Crew

Beginners Playlist

Full Workflows

Pre-Processing (blink, calibration, WBPP, stacking, etc.)

Adam Block’s WBPP (Weighted Batch Pre-Processing Script) Playlist

Background Work (removing gradients, light pollution, etc.)

Noise Reduction

Color Calibration

Channel Combination (RGB, HaRGB, etc.)

Deconvolution

Masks

Mosaics

PixelMath

Scripts & Add-ons

Stars (removal, reduction, etc.)

Stretching (curves, levels, histogram work)

Tips & Tricks

Books

Mastering PixInsight
We purchase this book when we first got PixInsight. This book is very detailed and breaks down the processes inside of PixInsight nicely. When you purchase the “Mastering PixInsight” book, you also receive a digital copy and a second book “PixInsight Reference Guide” for no additional charge. The PDF will always be the latest revision according to the author Rogelio Bernal Andreo.

Inside PixInsight
“Inside PixInsight“ by Warren A. Keller is a comprehensive look into PixInsight and its processes. Mr. Keller has led workshops, lectured at multiple astro-imaging conferences, and is an official PixInsight ambassador.

Helpful Websites

Light Vortex Astronomy
Light Vortex Astronomy is a specialized website that primarily focuses on providing tutorials and guides for image processing using PixInsight. With a strong emphasis on PixInsight techniques, the website offers in-depth tutorials, workflows, and tips to help astrophotographers maximize their use of this powerful software. Whether you’re looking to learn specific PixInsight processes or enhance your overall image processing skills, Light Vortex Astronomy is a valuable resource tailored for PixInsight users in the realm of astrophotography.

Cosgrove’s Cosmos
Patrick Cosgrove is an astrophotographer and the man behind “Cosgrove’s Cosmos“. He provides detailed PixInsight write-ups that breaks down various processes nicely. These can be found in his “Tips & Techniques” section. Additionally, he has a YouTube channel which is extremely helpful as well.

-FACEBOOK GROUPS-

PixInsight for Beginners
The biggest Facebook Group for discussing PixInsight. The group name says “beginners”, but all are welcomed. Private group until admins approve join request and rules are read and agreed upon.

PixInsight Tips and Tricks
Another Facebook Group that is designed for the community to share knowledge with one another about PixInsight. It is a private group that you must apply to join. Once you accept the rules then an admin reviews your request. We recommend both groups mentioned as they are extremely helpful and have a good community.

-DISCORD CHANNELS-

None known at this time (Please submit channels if you know of any)

Paid Instruction

VisibleDark
Shawn Nelson is a PixInsight guru. We’ve taken his “PixInsight Beginners Video Tutorial” instruction and it helped us tremendously. He has a way of breaking things down in an easy-to-understand format. Aside from his paid tutorial, Shawn generously shares a wealth of free PixInsight content on YouTube. You can find his paid tutorial through the VisibleDark link above or go to it directly by clicking here.

Masters of PixInsight
Online workshops, tutorials, and free “quick tips” are provided by Warren Keller, Dr. Ron Brecher, and Pete Proulx. Details on services and pricing can be found here.

Adam Block Studios
Adam Block is a name that you will hear if you are in this hobby. That’s because he knows his stuff. He has been in this hobby for over 20 years. He studied Astronomy at the University of Arizona and worked to create the Mount Lemmon SkyCenter. His “Adam Block Studios” is the home for several courses and he always putting out new tutorials. The amount of technical breakdown of not only the processes, but the science and math behind it all is priceless.

Galactic Hunter
Antoine and Dalia make up Galactic Hunter. Two astrophotographers that have put together an extensive course for learning everything it takes to image the night sky. You can purchase the entire course for a one-time fee or purchase individual chapters. For those looking to get help with PixInsight, you can find what you are looking for in their “Learn PixInsight“ page. Check out their site by clicking here. If you end up purchasing anything, please tell them 3SistersAstronomy sent you.

Astrofalls
Bray Falls, a seasoned astrophotography since the age of 14, showcases his incredible talent through his website Astrofalls and social media platforms. He offers personalized editing videos as well as in-person lessons. Even though his lessons are not strictly PixInsight, we’ve included it here because a portion of his workflow does indeed include PixInsight. Click the link above to browse his website or click here to go straight to his “imaging processing” page.

AstroDoc
Ron Brecher, the man behind AstroDoc.ca is a well-known astrophotographer in our astro community. He has been imaging the cosmos since 2006. He offers his expertise not only on “Masters of PixInsight“ (mentioned above), but he provides one-on-one tutoring and support services. If you need help with PixInsight, hardware/software setup & use, or just overall troubleshooting, then consider checking out his services by clicking here.

Billions and Billions (not secure)
Warren Keller from the site Billions and Billions offers one-on-one sessions. Warren has taught astro processing since 2005 utilizing books, videos, and private lessons. If you are interested in his lessons, feel free to reach him via email (warhenk@yahoo.com).

Utkarsh Mishra
Utkarsh Mishra offers pre-recorded tutorial sessions as well as private one on one sessions. These sessions cover both PixInsight and Photoshop programs. You can find out more information by visiting his website by clicking here. If you want to see some free examples of his tutorials, check out his YouTube channel.

Forums

Cloudy Nights
Simply put, this is taking your exposures, calibrating and stacking them into a single image to further process. The more exposures on a target you take, the more signal and less noise your final stacked image should have.

Stargazers Lounge
When stacking it is normal to have “edge” artifacts on your image as each exposure you have taken does not match up perfectly. This is an easy fix with a little crop around the edges to trim them off.

PixInsight Forums
PixInsight’s very own forum. Follow all the latest releases, news, and discussions.

The Backyard Astronomy Space
Another forum to discuss all things related to amateur astronomy. “The Backyard Astronomy Space” forum provides a friendly and safe environment to help those starting out or those that have been in this community for years. If you are looking specifically for PixInsight related threads, check out the “Astronomy Software” section by clicking here.

Add-ons/Plug-Ins/Downloads

RC Astro Tools
RC Astro Tools are extremely powerful add-ons for PixInsight. Created by Russell Croman, an esteemed engineer and astrophotographer, these advanced solutions for astronomical image processing are trusted worldwide. From deconvolution to noise reduction and more, RC Astro Tools deliver exceptional technical performance.

NoiseXTerminator: AI-powered tool that reduces noise in astrophotos.

StarXTerminator: AI-powered tool that removes stars from astrophotography images. Stars can be added back into your image later in processing if you decide to do so.

BlurXTerminator: AI-powered deconvolution (sharpening) tool specifically for astronomical images.

EZ Processing Suite
EZ Processing Suite is a free set of scripts that are helpful as an easy button for deconvolution, denoise, live stacking, soft stretches, and star reduction. The install is easy as well (see note below).

*Add this URL in PixInsight under “Resources > Updates > Manage Repositories”. **Remember to keep all your scripts up to date

Star Reduction (De-Emphasis)
Using Adam Block’s de-emphasis method for stars, Maxim Valenko has created a script. We recommend watching Adam’s YouTube video on his process prior to watching his video on the script itself. Once you’ve watched both, you can copy Maxim’s repository ” https://pixinsight-updates.astroswell.com ” and insert it in PixInsight under “Resources > Updates > Manage Repositories”.

Video 1: Click Here

Video 2: Click Here

Thread (discussion installation, method, usage): Click Here

Scripts by Hartmut Bornemann
Hartmut has put together over 20 scripts that can be added to PixInsight as a bundle or installed individually. Our favorite by far is the “GAME” script. This script allows you to create an elliptical or multipoint mask. We use the elliptical for masking galaxies and multipoint for certain areas within our astro photos. A full list of his scripts and their descriptions can be found on his website by clicking here.

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