Is AIP4WIN any good?

[james_screech]

I'm looking to get some new image processing software, I currently use DSS / Photoshop for processing DSLR deep sky images. I only have a budget of £100 so most packages are out of reach, however AIP4WIN is within my budget. I've looked on the internet but cannot find much in the way of reviews. I understand the book is good with detailed descriptions of image processing (which I like) but I don't know much about the software.

Is the AIP4WIN software any good?

I did read in one place that it cannot handle DSLR files (they are too big) is this true?

Are there any alternative software packages within my £100 budget that I could consider?

Thank you

James

[Martin Meredith]

Hi James

Have you considered Nebulosity? That's 80$ and does everything from capture to stacking, levels/curves/DPP and noise reduction. Dead easy to use. It probably doesn't have quite so many options as DSS but that might be seen as a good thing.

Re Berry and Burnell, I bought the book 2nd hand but without the software (which is fine as I use a Mac   ). I would say the book is excellent in its own right and well worth the 50 euros I paid. If you like detailed descriptions of the fundamentals of astronomical image processing then it is superb. Mine is the first edition so 14 years old now but I don't find it at all dated. In fact, I refer to it very frequently in trying to get the best out of the near-live imaging/observing that I'm doing. They don't gloss over many details.

good luck!

Martin

[IanL]

The book was pretty much (and perhaps still is) the bible of astronomical image processing for many years.  I have the first edition, and much of what is in there is still useful/applicable, but obviously cameras, software, etc. have moved on since it was written so you have to use a bit of common sense to adapt the advice to current technology.  The second edition is more up to date but still it was written in 2006 so some things have moved on.  If you don't already have a solid grounding in the theory/practice of processing astro-images and want to get one, it would be a worthwhile investment regardless of the software.

With regard to AIP4WIN, I did use the original version but it was a long time ago. The second edition version is still pretty old in terms of software.  Take a look at the requirements at the bottom of this page https://www.willbell.com/aip/index.htm  Minimum operating system is WIndows 98SE which might give you an idea of the vintage.  That said it certainly does support some DSLR RAW files (e.g. up to Canon 550D), but the website doesn't mention newer cameras so perhaps someone else can advise.  You can always convert RAW files to FITS using a separate utility (loads of them out there that are cheap/free and support current DSLRs).  The software has a lot of the basics covered and plenty of more advanced stuff, but from what I remember it was not the most slick package (even at time when software was pretty basic).

Here are other products that fit your budget (or just about) that are worth considering:

StarTools: http://startools.org/drupal/ (50 Euros)

AstroArt: http://www.msb-astroart.com/ (129 Euros - free demo available)

Iris: http://www.astrosurf.com/buil/us/iris/iris.htm (free - eccentric user interface, but very powerful and many features if you can figure them out)

Nebulosity: http://www.stark-labs.com/nebulosity.html (80 USD - combined capture and processing).

[GuillermoBarrancos]

As already mentioned above. Have you checked AstroArt 5.0?  It´s very popular and is used by People on this forum that speak highly of it:

http://www.msb-astroart.com/default.htm

It´s 129 euro and it has an unlimited demo (you can´t save, but at least test out all functions before commiting into buying).

Nebulosity 3.0 and StarTools are also popular.

Best is to try out the demo´s and see which software suits Your needs and is easiest to use for you.

Regarding AIP4WIN, by the looks of the site it is a very old piece of software and the site itself hasn´t been updated anymore since 2008.

So it might not even run really well on the latest Operating Systems.

[billhinge]

I think it should still work on a PC, I think I tried it on windows 7 about a year ago. I use OS X mainly and it will run under WINE but it does crash occasionally depending on what you do (always worth trying WINE/WINE Bottler on a mac for the odd windows app if you are desperate, a few apps will work well enough to do what you need to do)

(I also have the first edition book & software but I recall if you have the individual code you could download the later updated software)

I don't use it anymore as I have PI & PS but I recall AIP4WIN was groundbreaking in its day

[james_screech]

Thank you for all the suggestions. It looks like AIP4WIN may not be my best choice as it's so old.

AstroArt is out of my budget (set by her-indoors)

Star Tools does not have any stacking functionality.

IRIS, I've looked at before, but it is so overly complicated and has a poor user interface.

Nebulosity has only limited image processing.

I'll have a look at the demo but I'm now considering a combination of Nebulosity and Star Tools (just about on budget).

James

[GuillermoBarrancos]

Thank you for all the suggestions. It looks like AIP4WIN may not be my best choice as it's so old.

AstroArt is out of my budget (set by her-indoors)

Star Tools does not have any stacking functionality.

IRIS, I've looked at before, but it is so overly complicated and has a poor user interface.

Nebulosity has only limited image processing.

I'll have a look at the demo but I'm now considering a combination of Nebulosity and Star Tools (just about on budget).

James

Ok. Thought Your Budget was £100 and 130 euro for AstroArt 5.0 would be just about that.

[russellhq]

Can I ask why you are moving away from DSS and Photoshop? I use them and find them to be a good combination.

Also, another free piece of software, which I use sometimes, is called Fitswork4 and would recommend having a look. You can download it from here:

http://www.fitswork.de/software/softw_en.php

[ChrisLX200]

StarTools + DSS would be a good combination, I use those extensively myself.

ChrisH

[james_screech]

Ok. Thought Your Budget was £100 and 130 euro for AstroArt 5.0 would be just about that.

Astro Art is not 130 euros its 153.51 (including vat)

[GuillermoBarrancos]

Astro Art is not 130 euros its 153.51 (including vat)

Ah yes forgot about that, as it doesn't show for me when ordering from Norway.

[james_screech]

Can I ask why you are moving away from DSS and Photoshop? I use them and find them to be a good combination.

Also, another free piece of software, which I use sometimes, is called Fitswork4 and would recommend having a look. You can download it from here:

http://www.fitswork.de/software/softw_en.php

DSS & PS are ok but they don't have some of the astronomy specific processing like DDP, deconvolution etc.

I have played with Fitsworks, but it does lack documentation.

James