dannybgoode

I’m just waiting to see what my wife’s shifts are but should be any day the rota is released. I’ll let you know.

As a 'normal' photographer first and foremost (at least for now) I wouldn't be without DxO PhotoLabs, Lightroom and PS CC and they all certainly pay a significant part in my astro workflow too. I do have Affinity as well but unless I am on the iPad I prefer PS although for the money and if you don't fancy an Adobe sub of some description it is fantastic value for money. Worth the £50 entry fee over GIMP because it is so much nicer to use (IMO YMMV etc).

@geeklee - see post here for my attempt at processing with APP v PixInsight. I could probably get much more out of APP but I like the fact that the PI workflow encourages getting the maximum out of the data by design. I found APP was too automated for my liking.

For a labour of love and for such as polished piece of software I am happy with the price. Yes it’s mid - priced for a piece of software these days but the support you get and the care and detail that have gone into it means its value for money. It’s a limited market so it’s not like it’ll be flying off the shelves and then there’s all the plugins etc-many of which are free. My trial ends on 9 Feb and I’ll definitely be buying it.

That article is from 2017 and Microsoft have technically ceased to offer W10 free. The technique still works but you are technically in breach of the EULA. Whether that bothers anyone is a separate debate Note also W10 isn’t activated using this method. At the moment this doesn’t really affect anything but things like security updates and service packs may become restricted.

Technically you still need a licence for W10 whether or not it’s running on a virtual machine. To the OP - have a look at laptopsdirect.co.uk, they have a good range of refurbished ones that are very good. I’ve bought from them before and the service is excellent. You easily find a decent one in your price range.

I’ve tried both APP and PixInsight and have really fallen for the latter. Unfortunately it is even more expensive but I can’t live without it now having used it. Just can’t get on with APP for some reason... You’re getting good results from it though. Thor’s Helmet is on my list of early targets to try and nail

I have Stellarium, CdC etc but if I’m honest I rarely use them. I generally use the skywatcher app or some other such app and have a look through ‘the nights best’ suggestions and see what looks interesting. I’m so new to imaging that I have a few things I want to tick off my list as well so have an occasional flick through Stellarium or SkySafari if I’m on my phone to see what might be a good option but more often than not I just browse the best of lists.

I’d be happy with that as a first effort. Much better than mine was. I too am learning PixInsight and if you haven’t already got it then order a copy Inside PixInsight. Watching YouTube etc is ok but the book really nailed down exactly how to use it, the best steps to take and in which order etc as well as digs into the more advanced stuff. Seeing as I am new to it as well I will try to download your data and have a go

I know how you feel - I have spent hours trying to get something I am really happy with. The time I put in and the results that come out do not correlate at the moment which is compounded by the fact I know it is me that is failing and not the equipment. But I have also learned to take what positives I can and you have a great first M31 here. There's subtle detail and the overall shape of it is apparent. And you've taken a photo of a ****ing galaxy from your balcony and that in itself is cool as! Not many people can say they've done that. I would drop the ISO down to 400 or 200 and try that as a next step. Less noise may help tease out more detail.

Absolutely stunning. See so many images of M45 and oftentime whilst they are good they do not capture such an amount of the nebulosity. Must give it a go some time but I don't I'll get anything as good as this.

So freshly armed with a very limited knowledge of PixInsight I decided to have another go at processing the scant data I have for M81 - Bode's Galaxy. 15 mins each of L & b, 20 mins of G and 25 Mins of R. I am reasonably happy now - it looks a bit like a galaxy and with more data I am pretty sure I can get something I can be content with. First image was my first attempt at processing using APP which I just can't get on with and then the second effort is PixInsight. Both were finished using a combination of LR and PS.

I think like everyone I decided to try PixInsight with some trepidation and to be honest I was rather hoping I’d hate it. But... By golly it’s a fantastic piece of software. Having tried Nebulosity and APP as well as fiddling in PS and Affinity I just felt I could do better with the (admittedly paltry) amount of data I am able to collect in a session so signed up for the free trial and am about 36 days into it. Having watched a few YouTube videos I had an initial attempt at integrating the data for each channel and then combining it and the result was ok but no better than any other package I’ve tried so I finally got stuck into ‘the book’, shot some flats and darks and set to work. Note it’s not really a piece of software you can just fiddle with a few bits to see what they do unlike say Lightroom (although you can to an extent). You really do need some guidance be it youtube or a book or both. Having watched the vids and having an initial play I could at least navigate around but there were a few initial hiccups as to be expected. But as I’ve followed the first few chapters of the book I’ve found I really like the granular approach to the processing workflow, and the total control you have over every single aspect. It’s daunting yes but the default settings are often ‘good enough’ but over time I’ve been tweaking and playing with them to see what they do. Another aspect I like is how quickly you can create a cloned instance to work on save in the knowledge the master is just a click away if you mess up. The non-destructive previews and the way you have to consciously apply a setting is a help rather than a hindrance. And then there’s the magic tools like Dynamic Background and that’s before I’ve even started getting into the custom modules etc. All in all I’m incredibly impressed - the workflow, once you’ve got over the initial familiarisation, is very logical. But now there’s the issue that I’m going to have to actually buy a licence hence why I was rather hoping I’d get along better with APP on the basis it’s cheaper. But no, having had a taste of PI it’s the only route for me. Of course I’ll be using PS, DxO and LR as well and I’ve only scratched the surface but for the core heavy lifting it’ll be PixInsight all the way. My advice to anyone considering it - watch some YouTube videos so you understand the basics of the interface etc, invest in the book (Inside PixInsight) and register for the free trial and give it a go. Worst case you’ll have to sell the book on and will lose a few quid on that but you may just like it . Just don’t be scared of at least giving it a try...

Ah my apologies. Let me check with Mrs Danny when she’s back from yoga and will report back.

Surely even just rotating the focuser would require new flats as would rotating the camera in the focuser as any dust spots and other imperfections on the filters and objective would not line up with any previous flats? I was of the impression for best results you should take flats for every imaging session accordingly. Happy to be corrected - would save me a task!

Also you haven’t mentioned what mount you have. This is far more important than the scope...

The old ‘if it’s too good to be true’ I think applies. A quadruplet for £395 suggests there are cost cuttings somewhere. Not always the case and it may just be the bargain of the century - I mean it is advertised as being able to file views which is pretty awesome . Could have a great bug laser on it!

Most Facebook groups and forums have a ‘one bump per whatever rule’. In decent forums like this it’s usually pretty self-policing and not too much of an issue.

Thank you I will keep at it and try some narrowband work when I get my filter wheel back. Just gotta keep at it...

I believe you bumped your ad for the motors on Sunday with no changes to the price etc 😂

Banging price that. Hopefully mine will be similar . All boxed up and ready to go so hopefully won’t be out of action for too long...

Hmm. 2 versions of M42 a year apart. The first one was pretty much my first marginally passable attempt and the second was taken a few nights ago. Other differences - The second image was semi-automated in APT (EQDir controlling the mount, plate solving to find the target, automated imaging sequence etc) and it was processed initially in PixInsight. Not sure it is much progress but then I haven't really had much chance to image this year so I'll take it. Bit more detail in the nebulosity etc but not overly happy. Ah well, when I get my filter wheel back from the menders hopefully we'll get some clear nights and I can continue the journey...

Good to hear. They’ve been very quick to respond thus far. I’ve got my RMA no etc already so will be going off to them tomorrow. Hopefully won’t be too expensive but it has to be done either way. I was almost tempted to have a go myself - I’m pretty handy with an iron - but would rather leave it to the experts

I absolutely get having a sensible back up routine in place and would not bin the original subs (except for those that are completely unusable) and yes - I have multiple copies of them. I am just not sure on the value in keeping say the non-star aligned calibrated subs when you have the star aligned versions which are the same data just a stage on. For example would you ever go back in and start re-processing old data from that step in the chain? I suspect I would either start from scratch or from the point of integrating the fully calibrated and aligned subs and not at any point in between.

I am lucky to have only just started out so I have a blank canvas to work from for such things. Decided I may as well start off organised - don't know how long it will last though