Jump to content

Banner.jpg.b83b14cd4142fe10848741bb2a14c66b.jpg

How far to go with imaging?

ianpwilliams

By ianpwilliams
in Imaging - Discussion

Recommended Posts

  • Replies 49
  • Created
  • Last Reply
PeterCPC

PeterCPC

Posted
Posted

I can use gradient exterminator with paintshop pro and also that hldv plugin also talked about and it has adjustment layers and masking.

I know nothing about this but if you have that much light pollution then is it realistic to use 20 minute guided subs? Won't that just be one wash out image with no data left in it to actually process?

Why not look at Louise's threads as Louise had lots of lp in Glasgow and see what Louise is doing.

I thought that Gradient Exterminator could only be used with Photoshop. I use Paintshop Pro X5 - would it work with that?

Peter

Link to comment
Share on other sites
ianpwilliams

ianpwilliams

Posted
  • Author
Posted

I think guiding is more important than new laptop / Pixinsight, I managed perfectly OK with old laptop Win XP and star shoot autoguider for years, Pixinsight is a step too far for me, if you have money to chuck at the hobby then all well and good otherwise you can manage quite well without it.

Dave

But what do you process your images with? As far as I can tell the free programs like GIMP aren't really up to the job, so surely it would be a case of having to pay for some piece of software.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
ianpwilliams

ianpwilliams

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Did you see this post? Potentially cheaper than a laptop and very portable.

http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/234107-anyone-using-cheap-windows-tablet-with-apt/?fromsearch=1

I assume that that is 64-bit (am I right in saying that Windows 8 is always 64-bit?), but could PixInsight be used on that? Even if it could, I'm guessing that it would be a bit of a pain operating PixInsight with a touch screen instead of a mouse. Nice price though!
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Zakalwe

Zakalwe

Posted
Posted

Why the insistence on a 64 bit OS? Is it so it can address more memory?

Moving from a 32-bit OS to a 64-bit OS isn't the same as moving from an 8-bit photo-editing program to a 16-bit one. That relates to how many shades of grey the program can handle.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Zakalwe

Zakalwe

Posted
Posted

Some of the latest versions of apps are only available for the 64bit versions of the os...

Peter....

Thanks for the clarification. That explains it.

There's no real reason for opting for a 32-bit OS now if you are building a new workstation, to be honest.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
ianpwilliams

ianpwilliams

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Why the insistence on a 64 bit OS? Is it so it can address more memory?

Moving from a 32-bit OS to a 64-bit OS isn't the same as moving from an 8-bit photo-editing program to a 16-bit one. That relates to how many shades of grey the program can handle.

Not really an insistence for 64-bit, it's just that 32-bit PixInsight doesn't seemed to be favoured by anyone (including the authors), and my machine is 32-bit, so it's a case of trying to work out what to do going forward

Link to comment
Share on other sites
happy-kat

happy-kat

Posted
Posted

I thought that Gradient Exterminator could only be used with Photoshop. I use Paintshop Pro X5 - would it work with that?

Peter

given it also worked on my very very old version (which is so old it was still owned by Jasc) of paintshop pro there is nothing stopping you trying the trial the only thing that fails is the plugin remembering the authorisation code so I have to enter it in each time.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
happy-kat

happy-kat

Posted
Posted

Ian I assumed you already have a desktop pc because you have already processed some images.

The sharing of the tablet idea is because it is very small and very light yet can run the programmes needed (surely?) to control your mount when in the garden I would think as it is full windows 8.1 and a micro usb port though the tablet can't power the attached usb device. I did not suggest it for processing pictures however I have run the trial of photoshop 32bit on mine and mine has a mini hdmi port to connect to a monitor and I use a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse on the table inside.

Though for about the same price I saw a link in a post to a hardy go outside laptop.

Perhaps Peter has tried this?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Psychobilly

Psychobilly

Posted
Posted

Ian I assumed you already have a desktop pc because you have already processed some images.

The sharing of the tablet idea is because it is very small and very light yet can run the programmes needed (surely?) to control your mount when in the garden I would think as it is full windows 8.1 and a micro usb port though the tablet can't power the attached usb device. I did not suggest it for processing pictures however I have run the trial of photoshop 32bit on mine and mine has a mini hdmi port to connect to a monitor and I use a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse on the table inside.

Perhaps Peter has tried this?

My Desktop is a I7-4930K  @ 4.2GHZ (6 cores - 12 with Hyperthreading)  with 64GB or RAM  2x  Nvidia GTX 760's 6GB VRAM GPU's  driving a   27"  2560 x 1440 x 30 bit Dell with hardware calibration and a 42" full HD LCD  with  Multiple SSD / Fast HDD pairs  for  9TB of storage - all the PP get done on that ..

The tablet as you suggested is for controlling the camera's away from home.. I might get a 4 port OTG hub and see if i can use it to control and guide the mount but the main thing is Running APT to control my DSLR's...

Horses for courses and all that :)

Peter...

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Davey-T

Davey-T

Posted
Posted

But what do you process your images with? As far as I can tell the free programs like GIMP aren't really up to the job, so surely it would be a case of having to pay for some piece of software.

Photshop CS4, does all I need, don't know if you can buy it any more.

Dave

Link to comment
Share on other sites
ianpwilliams

ianpwilliams

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Ian I assumed you already have a desktop pc because you have already processed some images.

The sharing of the tablet idea is because it is very small and very light yet can run the programmes needed (surely?) to control your mount when in the garden I would think as it is full windows 8.1 and a micro usb port though the tablet can't power the attached usb device. I did not suggest it for processing pictures however I have run the trial of photoshop 32bit on mine and mine has a mini hdmi port to connect to a monitor and I use a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse on the table inside.

Though for about the same price I saw a link in a post to a hardy go outside laptop.

Perhaps Peter has tried this?

I do have a desktop PC, but it's so old that the x200s is more powerful, and with Windows 7 instead of XP. So I suppose I need to buy a desktop or laptop anyway.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
frugal

frugal

Posted
Posted

Ian, all of my images have been taken with an unmodified DSLR (http://www.astrobin.com/users/frugal/), it is not as easy as with a CCD and there is certainly a lot more noise to contend with, but it is certainly doable. The ones in the last couple of months have been guided which has really helped because I can take lot longer exposures (up from 3 minutes to 15 minutes). I too have to pick everything up and take it all out to the garden piece by piece, and then bring it all back in again at the end of the session.

Although the PI team are no longer supporting the 32 bit version of the program, it is only 3 minor versions behind the more recent version (1.8.1 rather than 1.8.3), so it will be a while before it becomes obsolete. Certainly there is no major functionality that is missing from it that I can think of. Also, check to see if your PC is actually 64 bit. Intel were making 64bit chips long before MS were making 64bit versions of windows. The Pentium 4 from 2004 onward was 64 bit...

I would be very cautious about using a Windows tablet for everything. I can imagine that it will be helpful for image capture (assuming it has a USB port that is usable as a real USB port and not just a charging port), but I would not want to do image processing on it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
DaveS

DaveS

Posted
Posted

I would be wary of trying to control everything through a single micro USB port and a hub. I was having no end of problems trying to do that with my laptop, now I have my mount and cameras on different root hubs and *touch wood* it looks to be stable

Link to comment
Share on other sites
IanL

IanL

Posted
Posted

See this for the official position on 32 bit versions of PI:

http://pixinsight.com/forum/index.php?topic=4401.0

The last 32 bit version is a fair way behind in terms of new functions like drizzle integration but it did work fine at the time so no reason why you can't use it until such time as you are ready to move on to 64 bit. It is basically a memory issue and my 6GB machine struggles with large numbers of DSLR files when stacking and so on, despite being 64 bit, so more memory is always better.

The other option might be to go for a dual boot system with existing 32 bit Windows and 64 bit Linux if your machine has a 64 bit processor. Cost would be nil other than a bit of disk space and most of the people who have benchmarked PI suggest that Linux wins hands down, especially if you have less memory and are more reliant on disk swapping.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
IanL

IanL

Posted
Posted

I wouldn't have thought that the Lenovo x200s is a 64 bit machine as it's pretty old. I'm also not sure how to check!

The x200s can have a fair few different processors fitted, but as far as I can see they are all 64 bit. If you go in to Control Panel and choose 'System' (switch to icon view if you don't see it) it lists the Processor name, and under system type whether the OS and the Processor are 64 bit.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
ianpwilliams

ianpwilliams

Posted
  • Author
Posted

I've checked my processor using System Information, and it's says "x-86 Based PC", and the internet says that that means it's 32-bit. So it looks like I'll have to either take a risk and hope that the 32-bit version works until I upgrade, or use a different piece of software.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.