StarTrail: comparison between software

[aster94]

Hello,

In a few days I am going to do my first startrail, so yesterday I made some software's test, someone may find this topic with google and may be interested.

I compared these software:

StarTrails: https://www.startrails.de/

StarStarX: https://markus-enzweiler.de/software/starstax/

Gimp + plugin: https://github.com/themaninthesuitcase/gimp-startrail-compositor

Siril: https://www.siril.org/

 

I used a canon 600D with samyang 8mm 3.5f and I shoot in RAW. The environment is not perfect with street lights. I converted the RAW to jpg with darktable without any processing step, in average a single jpg pic was aroung 500kb.

I made around 340 shoots and from these I made two datasets of images

1) with all of them

2) with only the first 140 pics because after some nasty clouds appeared

 

 

About the software:

1) startrails (version 2.3) - velocity medium - image size -60%

2) starstax (version 0.71) - velocity fast - image size +76%

3) gimp (version 2.10.18) + plugin (version 1.8) - velocity slow - image size -30%

4 Siril (version 0.9.12) - velocity fast - image size +100%

 

Here the visual comparison:

1) All pictures (with clouds)

Startrail:

with dark:

 

without dark:

StarStaX

with dark:

 

without dark:

 

Gimp + plugin:

with dark:

 

without dark:

 

with dark + removing skyglow "light":

 

Siril

(without dark)

 

2) only first 140 pictures - always without dark

Startrails:

 

StarStaX

 

gimp + plugin (png, not jpg):

 

with removing skyglow "heavy"

 

with removing skyglow "full"

 

Siril:

 

Even if gimp was the slowest it is the one i enjoyed most for the "removing skyglob" mode

 

 

 

Edited April 15, 2020 by aster94