PixInsight Forum (historical)
PixInsight => Tutorials and Processing Examples => Topic started by: Mark de Regt on 2013 September 03 10:19:27
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Hi,
I am hoping to move from CCDStack to PisInsight (for its apparently superior image alignment ability).
But I'm really put off by the completely non-intuitive UI.
I'm looking for a simple video of someone going from a whole bunch of raw files (including master flats, darks and bias), to an LRGB image, going through calibration, alignment, data rejection, image combining, making the RGB and applying the luminance layer.
Is there such a thing?
I certainly will want to learn the more advanced features of PI as I move along the learning curve, but I really want to start simple, and I have so far failed to find such a thing.
Thanks!
Mark
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Hi Mark,
Have you tried "Harry's Astro Shed"?
http://www.harrysastroshed.com/
Click on "Video Tutorials" and "PixInsight user guide" links at top.
For a fee, Warren Keller's video tutorials are also excellent.
http://www.ip4ap.com/pixinsight.htm
Peter
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I'll look at "Harry's Astro Shed"; thanks!
Yes, I have Warren Keller's video (the first one), but it's not easy for me to get through (too much detail; goes too slowly for my poor feeble, quirky mind). I'm looking for something that, in 10 or 15 minutes goes through all the major steps.
Mark
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Hi Mark
As Peter says, Harry's Astroshed is a good starting place. The batch preprocessing script is one you'll find particularly useful i think http://www.harrysastroshed.com/pixinsighthome.html
Geoff
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Harry's stuff has been around a while and is very nice and, best of all, free. I do personally prefer Warren's, however. The fact that he does go slow is an asset, IMHO, as it allows stupid folks like me to absorb it better.
I found that it helped greatly to slowly put together my own tutorial as I watch the videos, complete with screen captures using my own images. That not only brings it home for me but gives me a reference to go back to as I (inevitably) forget things. I can also update and tweak my tutorial as I gain more knowledge or new features are added. This takes a lot of time but there is no fast way to learn this program, at least not if you want good results. Probably true of most things but even more so with PI.
I also did a workflow diagram but workflow diagrams can only be a rough guide with PI as it depends a great deal on the image and it's characteristics and issues.
No, don't ask me to share these as they are heavily based on Warren's work so would not be fair to him, besides, as mentioned above, doing them was way more useful than if someone had just given them to me.
In fact, I have lots of data from this summer but have held off processing until I finish Warren's videos and my tutorial. I expect to get to that soon but am also involved it a long overdue redo on my webpage. Too much stuff, too little time!
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I fully agree with CCD-PIX.
I too purchased Warren's tutorials. I too will make a sort of standard workflow.
I also have no problem with the tempo of the tutorials. Better slow and precise that quick and dirty.
The best way is to practice and practice. And read these forums !
Eddy
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I have Warren's DVD and have also downloaded most of Harry's videos. I've watched all of that at least once.
I found a crib sheet that I've been using recently, which I believe has really helped me climb the curve (along with the videos). It was created by "quantumac", largely based on Harry's videos. It's in this thread: http://www.cloudynights.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/4600217/Main/4591530
It's light on the details and doesn't cover all situations (e.g. his Color Calibration section assumes an image that has a good white balance object in the center of it, which mine didn't, so I had to turn on Structure Detection and use the whole image as a white reference), but again it's been helpful in if nothing else remembering the general order of scripts/processes to use and starting points for the settings you need to worry about.
I don't generally post my images in forums but as an example, those notes were heavily used in making this narrowband image of M16 last weekend, which I'm pretty happy with as my first NB processing effort: http://www.flickr.com/photos/46580576@N07/9631540100/lightbox/ (http://www.flickr.com/photos/46580576@N07/9631540100/lightbox/)
good luck,
Dave B.
San Jose, CA
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Harry's stuff has been around a while and is very nice and, best of all, free. I do personally prefer Warren's, however. The fact that he does go slow is an asset, IMHO, as it allows stupid folks like me to absorb it better.
Oh what it is to get old and be replaced ;D
Harry
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Harry's stuff has been around a while and is very nice and, best of all, free. I do personally prefer Warren's, however. The fact that he does go slow is an asset, IMHO, as it allows stupid folks like me to absorb it better.
Oh what it is to get old and be replaced ;D
Harry
People are diffetent. I personally prefer Harry--maybe because I am also old. Keep up the good work Harry.
Geoff
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Harry,
When people advised me to look at your videos I didn't know I would get hooked on PI because of them.
It were your tutorials that gave me a impressive first look on PI and how to use it.
They are imho in no way old or outdated.
I find it interesting to compare your workflow to the others, and use the one that most fits my images.
Keep up the good work !
Eddy
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Mark,
If it helps, here is my latest cribsheet I have been compiling. Harry (and others) get all the credit, I am just a scribe to the great work of others. Note due to posting restrictions its in PDF but I would be happy to supply a Word version. Just drop me an email note.
Jim
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Mark,
If it helps, here is my latest cribsheet I have been compiling. Harry (and others) get all the credit, I am just a scribe to the great work of others. Note due to posting restrictions its in PDF but I would be happy to supply a Word version. Just drop me an email note.
Jim
Thank you!
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I agree. Thank You!
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Glad you found it useful :D
Jim
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Yes thanks Jim, having a few teething problems with pixinsight but it is really great that people like yourself do the community a great service and that goes to "stig" aka Harry..............brilliant guys :cheesy: :cheesy:
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PI Folk,
I have been updating with my Cribsheet and its now up to Rev18. Here is the latest pdf version which includes improved formatting and organization as well as my latest learnings. In the 18a version I have cut out the Tool Details at the end since they are available elsewhere and go deeper into theory than the Cribsheet is intended to cover (and to make it a more manageable size so it will fit in a Forum post).
As always, just drop me an email if you want this in Word format so you can tweak to heart's content. I am also happy to send along the Rev18 version with the Tool Details covering Masks, Dynamic PDF, ATWT Noise Reduction and Pixel Math.
Best,
Jim
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Well, I finally girded my loins (and have an unexpected stretch of free time), and started on Harry's videos. And I already have a master that's better than what I could do with my old software (principally, I think, because PI seems to do registration of FSQ106 images much better).
I have an overwhelming amount to learn, but I'm finally gaining some optimism.
Thanks!
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Mark,
I think you'll find Harry's videos extremely useful and an excellent start. While I think the processing outlines will be helpful you will develop your own routines in time. Depending on the object and equipment used, FSQ vs RC, some routines may be needed on one that isn't on the other. One thing I see used a lot is noise reduction and suggest that it may not be needed depending on the amount of good data available to be used. If you only have say four 15 minute frames of red, green, and blue for your RGB image then likely it will be a bit noisy. On the other hand if you have 15-20 frames each you will find it much less noisy and likely not needing any reduction and able to process more aggressively.
One thing I have done since the beginning and continue to do today is name my images so I can see what I've done along the way. When I run a process on an image I save accordingly such as M57_101110_rgb_c_dbe_bn_cc_ms9.fit which tells me that I've got an rgb image that has been combined with 10 red, 11 green, and 10 blue images, cropped to eliminate the edges (dithered images), dbe has been applied, the background has been neutralized, color correction is applied, and I applied a masked stretch with a setting of 0.09 for the target background always with a preview of the starless background used for the background reference.
The point is during any image processing of any image I can go back see what was done and when. I can backup and choose anywhere along the line and change direction should I want. For that matter I may learn a new process skill such as using Local Histogram Equalization that I want to try after doing HDRMultiscaleTransform to bring back some brilliance into the image because it now look a bit flat , another one of Harry's Videos.
Depending on how you image you may want to align all your like binned images at one time. When I use the FSQ they are all binned 1x1 so why not align them all in the beginning. Now when you make your master color channels they are already aligned. When I use the RC color is usually binned 2x2 and luminance 1x1 so all color is aligned and save at the same time and then the luminance. When the LRGB image is made I use Dynamic Align to align the rgb with the luminance. I use the luminance as the reference image and the rgb as the 2nd image. This scales the rgb image up to the luminance image.
Anyway, that's just something additional to chew on. PI is a great program and always getting better. Much to learn but a good deal of help is just for the asking on this forum.
Steve
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I tried Warren's workshop and Harry's workshop.
Warren's slow speed makes me impatient :-X , so I stay with Harry's page and collect information from here.
But basically you need time for processing.
Cheers
Tom
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If you own Warren's disks you can save the video files to your hard drive and then just increase the playback speed on what ever video viewer you use.
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Thanks for the hint, but I don't owe them.
I watched some free videos on the website.
CS
Tom