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Which software to invest in?

Stevp

By Stevp
in Getting Started With Imaging

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Stevp

Stevp

Posted
Posted

Hi all,

Ok so i'm not brand new to imaging and have had a few attempts in the past. Now I want more :)

I've recently upgraded my mount from eq3-2 to heq5 pro so thats a good starting point i think. Well, its all i plan to spend on the mount for the near future at least.

Somewhere i'm lacking is the software and processing side of images. Ive done a few bits with various software but never taken enough time to learn to use it properly.

I've now got a few quid back in the coffers so think i should invest in some proper software. I see some people get very good results with different software but the favoured seems to be photoshop, is that right?

I used photoshop in years gone by but only to a very basic level.

Is photoshop the thing to buy, and if so which version? There are now lots of products and I'm not really sure which I want. Can anyone offer some advice please?

My goal is to progress and try to get some nice dso photos. This will be slow progression, starting out using dslr on either explorer150p or evostar90. When I've got on a bit more with the basics i'll look at upgrading scopes, cameras, guiding, bank loans etc!

Cheers

Stevp

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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lensman57

lensman57

Posted
Posted

Hi all,

Ok so i'm not brand new to imaging and have had a few attempts in the past. Now I want more :)

I've recently upgraded my mount from eq3-2 to heq5 pro so thats a good starting point i think. Well, its all i plan to spend on the mount for the near future at least.

Somewhere i'm lacking is the software and processing side of images. Ive done a few bits with various software but never taken enough time to learn to use it properly.

I've now got a few quid back in the coffers so think i should invest in some proper software. I see some people get very good results with different software but the favoured seems to be photoshop, is that right?

I used photoshop in years gone by but only to a very basic level.

Is photoshop the thing to buy, and if so which version? There are now lots of products and I'm not really sure which I want. Can anyone offer some advice please?

My goal is to progress and try to get some nice dso photos. This will be slow progression, starting out using dslr on either explorer150p or evostar90. When I've got on a bit more with the basics i'll look at upgrading scopes, cameras, guiding, bank loans etc!

Cheers

Stevp

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

StarTools and then Pixinsight if you think that u have the time and the drive to learn the complex software. I find photoshop more useful as a finishing touch rather than AP processing software, the price does not help either.

A.G

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tingting44

tingting44

Posted
Posted

DSS,StarStax,PIPP,APT,BYEOS,Photoshop,lightroom.

no point spending cash out on BYE and APT? same with PS and LR?  for me it would either be BYE or APT and PS or LR not both, that seems a real waste of money, id be tempted to get PS and PI tho if it were my choice...

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wxsatuser

wxsatuser

Posted
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no point spending cash out on BYE and APT? same with PS and LR?  for me it would either be BYE or APT and PS or LR not both, that seems a real waste of money, id be tempted to get PS and PI tho if it were my choice...

You get Lightroom with PS CC.

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Stevp

Stevp

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Thanks all, half a dozen posts and already got as many things to research!

Can anyone clarify the difference between PS and lightroom? Which would you use for what?

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Thalestris24

Thalestris24

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Hi

Personally I don't think it's worth spending a lot of money on post-processing software unless and until you have acquired images of a quality that are deserving. I use StarTools which is cheap and dedicated to AP. It does require a 64 bit OS.

I finish off in PS CS2 which is free to download.

Louise

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PorkyB

PorkyB

Posted
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I have had no need to pay for image processing so far.  Deep Sky Stacker, Registax & Gimp are all free.

You can do a lot with Gimp once you get the hang of it.  There are some neat tricks you can do with layers to process out noisy backgrounds and gradients.  Masks are good for dealing with star trailing.  Part of the fun (for a nerd like me anyway) is working out how to do this sort of thing.

I did try both PixInsight and StarTools but neither offered me enough to make me part with my money.

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kalasinman

kalasinman

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I have both PS and LR (as well as DSS) I like the stretching tools in PS and the noise reduction and sharpening tools in LR. I also can tell PS mask ability will be usefull as well as the improved brush which allows brushing in of functions like contrast as well as colors. I'm obviously just learning, but the 2 seem more like a good team than a choice. I have cs4 BTW.

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Stevp

Stevp

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Many thanks for all the comments! I'm getting the feeling that the plan for now should be to keep on with the free stuff and perhaps get a bit more acquainted with GIMP. Then in the future as i get better (or give up because it was too hard) look at pixinsight. I don't think at my level id even get much use out of a demo!

This has the benefit as well as freeing up the pennies for new toys :)

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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DoctorD

DoctorD

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Hi Steve

The one thing to look for in post processing software is the ability to work with colour depths greater than 8 bits - unfortunately the best free image manipulation software (GIMP) only supports 8 bits per colour and this limits it's usefulness for astrophotography. There are several free options for stacking and image manipulation with DSS being one of the favourite stacking solutions.

Hope this does not make it ay harder to choose where to spend your cash!!

Paul

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Tim

Tim

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I use a combination of Pixinsight and Photoshop CS5, but the day is coming when PS will be on the shelf. Pixinsight is upgraded for free all the time, is a fraction of the cost of PS, has specific astro tools for specific purposes, can do planetary, DSO and widefield images, mosaics, lunar, and can stack and calibrate the files and does a damn fine job of it too.

It uses a great interface with customisable tools and star masks, can save, open and edit pretty much all formats and bit depths, including camera RAW files, has helpful tool tips explaining every action and its purpose, a built in highly customisable deconvolution tool, and for the more adventurous can utilise scripts and pixel math equations, not to mention the extremely useful background modelling tool, both an automatic quickfire version and a highly customisable tool too, plus a dedicated forum where the team behind the software interact with the end users.......

(That's the long answer, the short answer remains "Pixinsight" :D )

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