Star Generator Video Tutorial

[Niall Saunders]

In response to an earlier question from Colin, posted elsewhere on the Forum (http://pixinsight.com/forum/index.php?topic=2191.msg14304#msg14304), I finally decided to get around to uploading MY first attempt at a PixInsight video tutorial

You can download this 10Mb WMV-format file from:-
http://74.50.19.20/nsaunders/StarGenerator_Tutorial/PI%20Star%20Generator%20Tutorial%2001%20BQFS.wmv

And here is the accompanying text document for those who might wish to translate this into their native language (Harry, for your convenience, try Googling "Scottish to English")
http://74.50.19.20/nsaunders/StarGenerator_Tutorial/PI%20Star%20Generator%20Tutorial%2001%20transcript.rtf

Information regarding how to install the Star Database can be found at
http://pixinsight.com/forum/index.php?topic=1366.0

Don't get too desperate for the 'follow up video' - it should be ready 'soon' (but that is a 'Juan soon' )

Cheers,

[Carlos Milovic]

Any year estimation?


Nice work

[Harry page]

Hi

I can have a hoot'nanny watching this 



Harry

[Nocturnal]

nice work Niall! Very easy to follow. Two comments:

- when you click on a target in CdC and get the details the coordinates can be copied/pasted easily. this may work better than using cursor coordinates. perhaps something worth mentioning.

- I think it's worthwhile mentioning in the beginning of the video why you're doing this. So let me ask you here Why do you want to create a starfield and register it to the image you created? I know it's possible and a nice illustration of the versatility of PI but I don't yet see the use of this operation

[Jack Harvey]

Cool tutorial.  I'm in Sander's boat, where are we going with this?

[Niall Saunders]

Hi All,

I am not actually 'going anywhere' with the video - I really only put this tutorial together as a 'first attempt', to see what was actually involved in operating the video capture and editing software.

I then followed it up with a tutorial on DynamicAlignment, showing how to select stars in one image, see them 'match up' on a target image (a 'synthesised starfield in this case - hence the first video), and then have PI 'dynamically align' the source to the target. But the second tutorial grew arms and legs, and I became bored and disillusioned Some day, I may punish myself hard enough to finish the second video, and then let you all see the results.

But, again, these tutorials are really just to 'show you how' - they were never intended to 'explain why'

So, I really only finally posted the video in response to Colin's question, where he wanted "a tool to generate an accurate Starfield based on catalogued data of all stars in a particular region of the sky" - which, to me, is exactly what StarGenerator provides, and which is what my first video demostrated. Colin must therefore have an idea of how he would like to 'use' the StarGenerator tool.

Personally, I have not had to use it since I made the video

Cheers,

[Jack Harvey]

I understand and I would say your experiment is a complete success.  I am looking forward to more video tutorials from you.  I guess the only reason I an think of to use the starfield generator is for mosaic construction???

[Nocturnal]

Hi Niall,

please don't be discouraged. Your video was great. I liked the way you zoomed in and out to show detail or overview.

[Niall Saunders]

. . . I would say your experiment is a complete success . . .

Thanks Jack - unfortunately I came to the same conclusion - which was why I then embarked on my Dynamic Alignment tutorial.

B I G  mistake !!

Especially because I didn't feel confident enough to just "voice over" as I went along, so I chose to add the audio track 'post-edit'. Now, the easiest comparison is to go out and image all night, and then come back into warmth of the house a few days later and try to 'paint up' a set of calibration frames - because you hadn't taken them during the imaging session.

Heck, most of the time during the video I struggled to even figure out what particular aspect it was that I was trying to emphasize or demonstrate. Anyhow, I watched the twenty minutes of raw video about twenty times, and typed up the audio commentary that I thought I had been aiming for - and then started 'dubbing over', only to find that audio didn't fit, or the narrative didn't apply, or that it just sounded plain 'wrong'

But, I do have a 90% complete tutorial - which demonstrates MY method of interacting with the Dynamic Alignment tool. Maybe I will get it finished some day, and posted - It at least shows, by way of my mediocre M1 image, that I do occasionally get out and capture actual photons

Cheers,

[Niall Saunders]

Your video was great. I liked the way you zoomed in and out to show detail or overview

Thanks Sander,

That was very much a case of trying to play with ALL the little 'buzzers and bells' on Camtasia. "Restraint" really is very much the order of the day - hence the very simplistic approach to fades and other 'transitions'.
 during the video.

As I said in my reply to Jack's comments - what would make life much easier is to just record 'what happens' along with the actual 'live commentary', bloopers and all. Since that session, I have even watched some of the Camtasia 'in house' video tutorials - and they certainly don't waste time and effort trying to post-dub any lines that have been 'fluffed'.

Very much "WISIWYG" - What I Say Is What You Get

Cheers,

[Nocturnal]

Imagine doing a 20m demonstration live in front of a 100 person audience. It took a bit of practice

[Niall Saunders]

Hi Sander,

doing a 20m demonstration live in front of a 100 person audience

In some ways that WOULD have been easier - simply because, as you said, you 'practised' first.

That is just what I didn't do!! I just hit 'Record', with the Mic turned OFF. I editted out the mistakes, or changes of mind, in the video track - and then I tried to recreate an audio track by post-preparing an audio 'script' to read from. Then I recorded all the individual 'sound bites' and 'dropeed' them on the video time-line.

On reflection, a very poor way to do this.

Next time (if there IS a next time ) I think I would consider recording the audio and video together, but I would even think of doing this 'live' in front of my astro-neighbour, Alex, so that the audio track ends up more as a 'conversation' than a 'performance'.

In some ways, Juan's "robo-voice" solves the problem quite nicely

Cheers,

[Nocturnal]

Hi Niall,

I think after doing one or two trial runs you should be fine recording video and audio at the same time. Of course it depends on your own requirements for perfection. I am sure your viewers will gladly excuse a few mistakes. It's a -free- video after all.

[Juan Conejero]

Hi Niall,

Please keep more videos coming. This one is your first attempt and it is great.

Making good videos is a matter of organization and practice. From my experience, one must write a complete script before starting to get screen captures, as if it was a real movie --well, it is like a real movie, in fact. Then you must practice to learn the script until you can reproduce it with no big mistakes (little ones are almost unavoidable).

Post-edition is also very helpful. I don't know Camtasia, but Apple's FinalCut (even the Express edition) is a wonderful application that allows you to produce professional level videos with little effort. Unfortunately it is only available on Mac OS X.

A synthetic voice is very easy to control and reproduce, and can be post-edited without limits, along with the fact that Alex works for very little money These are big advantages, but if my spoken English wasn't nonexistent I'd use a human voice (mine) for sure.

[Niall Saunders]

if my spoken English wasn't nonexistent

I very much doubt that Juan - your written English is better than most of my fellow countrymen's

In any case, some day I intend to put that false claim of yours to the test - by standing next to you and offering to buy you a beer!

OK - so, maybe I'll get the second video completed (if only to 'worry' Harry Spielberg into blowing the dust off HIS microphone )

Cheers,