PixInsight Trial License

[tomato]

I've decided that improving my image processing should be my next step, rather than advancing the hardware substantially. To that end I have applied for the PixInsight trial license but I understand your identity now has to be confirmed by a real person.

Has anybody taken out a trial license recently as I was just wondering how long this process takes?

[Laurin Dave]

Nope... but whilst you are at it why not have a look at the AstroPixelProcessor..  free trial 

[Frank the Troll]

GIMP is free, and affinity photo is only £48

[vineyard]

16 minutes ago, tomato said:

I've decided that improving my image processing should be my next step, rather than advancing the hardware substantially. To that end I have applied for the PixInsight trial license but I understand your identity now has to be confirmed by a real person.

Has anybody taken out a trial license recently as I was just wondering how long this process takes?

I think it took one working day for me (but then that might have been b/c a weekend got in the way - it's not too long).  Cheers

[geeklee]

3 minutes ago, vineyard said:

I think it took one working day for me (but then that might have been b/c a weekend got in the way - it's not too long).  Cheers

Ditto.

[tomato]

Thanks for the heads up, I'm trying to soak up the many online tutorials at the moment, but there is only so far you can go without the software up and running.

[discardedastro]

13 minutes ago, Frank the Troll said:

GIMP is free, and affinity photo is only £48

GIMP is fantastic, but if you're going to spend any money on image processing software for photos, PixInsight is the way to go imho - I spent money on StarTools and others before PI and haven't touched them since.

However, I'd also add to the already-high cost of PI the excellent Inside PixInsight book - it is the missing manual.

[tomato]

31 minutes ago, Laurin Dave said:

Nope... but whilst you are at it why not have a look at the AstroPixelProcessor..  free trial 

 

24 minutes ago, Frank the Troll said:

GIMP is free, and affinity photo is only £48

Thanks for the tips, I have got APP, StarTools and GIMP but my processing skills have plateaued, and I always have a niggling doubt that my data could deliver a better final result than I am currently achieving.  As most of the experts appear to have a copy of PI in their processing toolbox, I thought I would try and devote some serious time to this option, I think I am more at home with the concept of masks rather than layers, but time will tell.

Edited March 5, 2020 by tomato

[tomato]

10 minutes ago, discardedastro said:

GIMP is fantastic, but if you're going to spend any money on image processing software for photos, PixInsight is the way to go imho - I spent money on StarTools and others before PI and haven't touched them since.

However, I'd also add to the already-high cost of PI the excellent Inside PixInsight book - it is the missing manual.

I have also heard good things about Inside PixInsight, I'm old enough to still appreciate the printed word.👴

[Tomatobro]

25 minutes ago, tomato said:

I have also heard good things about Inside PixInsight, I'm old enough to still appreciate the printed word

My copy will be in your hands tomorrow......

[tomato]

PI trial license has just come through, here I go....

[happy-kat]

14 hours ago, Frank the Troll said:

GIMP is free, and affinity photo is only £48

And StarTools less than that about £40 ish depending on AUS$ exchange. ST 1.6 is not comparable to earlier versions lots developed in it.

edit

For Tomato

I see you've tried the main ones already so I hope you get what you are after with PI

Edited March 6, 2020 by happy-kat

[dannybgoode]

I have used PS, Affinity and LE extensively. Nebulosity 4 a bit and APP a bit. I hate GIMP and the horse it road in on. Just so clunky compared to PS. Sure its free but I’d rather pay Adobe for a highly polished piece of software than suffer GIMP but for a second. YMMV 
 

I then tried PI.

Inside PixInsight is invaluable and together with a couple of YouTube videos it’s much easier to pick up the basics than some would have you and I just really liked it. 
 

The control is gives you is astonishing, the way instances are used and the way it is completely non-destructive and totally ‘undoable’ is brilliant. Further, once you’ve got a modest workflow going it’s a totally repeatable process. 
 

Well worth the money imo. 

[Frank the Troll]

2 hours ago, happy-kat said:

I see you've tried the main ones already so I hope you get what you are after with PI

Im working my way through them, from what I've seem both Gimp & PI just have manuals. which is fine for thoses that can use them, but they dont have the walk throughs that inffinty photo has, which are easier to follow, and in the same style as the tech IT manuals I use to write.  As for videos, pretty much most are by those too well verse in them, that they speed through them, so its hard too follow. And the one thing I learnt most as an IT Trainer, was to dumb down. so ALL your students could follow. Affinity photo, as I see it, is going to fill a void. And will likely end up as the first go to stepping stone for many. That said, I will likely end up using PI, but only because I've done my homework first

Edited March 5, 2020 by Frank the Troll

[Adreneline]

21 minutes ago, Frank the Troll said:

they dont have the walk throughs

Hi.

I learnt how to use PI using Light Vortex. One of my first AP attempts was M31 and LV do a complete start to finish processing of a colour stack from a dslr/osc. I found the best thing for me was to make a brief note of each step/process settings, etc.

Over the past three years I have worked my way through just about every tutorial. The only one that hasn't worked for me was mosaics but all the rest are really good and everything is explained with loads of screen shots to show you exactly how to complete each process.

Have to say I now use APP to calibrate and integrate, PI for virtually all my post processing and PS to add the final colour tweaks and noise reduction.

HTH

Adrian

 

[daz]

The new WBPP script in PI makes the calibration and integration much much slicker in PI now. Especially if you invest the extra time to generate the CosmicCorrection and plug that in....