DSS or Pixinsight for stacking?

[scrufy]

Just curious, I do almost all of my processing in Pixinsight but almost all my stacking and integration/calibration in DSS.

 

Am I missing out on better image quality?

Just wondered what preferences are out there.

[jiberjaber]

20 minutes ago, scrufy said:

Just curious, I do almost all of my processing in Pixinsight but almost all my stacking and integration/calibration in DSS.

 

Am I missing out on better image quality?

Just wondered what preferences are out there.

You could try doing it all in Pixinsight on a couple of ones you've split between the two previously and see how it looks?

[Stuart1971]

Well as the old adage goes, you get what you pay for, and you have paid for Pixinsight and yet you do your most import ant part of image processing on the free software....so my question is why...?

I use APP (Astro pixel processor) personally as it does it all really well, And just finish of processing in PS... 👍😀

[Kinch]

We all do our own thing 😀.....I stack everything in APP and save the master as a non stretched Fits. I take that into PixInsight.....and finish the image in PI. (I used to do everything in PI - but now find that APP makes life easier for just getting that 1st step completed).

[scrufy]

22 minutes ago, Stuart1971 said:

Well as the old adage goes, you get what you pay for, and you have paid for Pixinsight and yet you do your most import ant part of image processing on the free software....so my question is why...?

I use APP (Astro pixel processor) personally as it does it all really well, And just finish of processing in PS... 👍😀

I just find image integration in Pixinsight intimidating.

I played with the batch prepossessing script but it leaves a lot to be desired.

I do a basic work flow but I've been getting slowly better for a couple years now.

I usually limit simple workflow to DSS to register and stack.

PI:

Dynamic Crop

DBE

Back Neutralization

Deconvolution

Photometric Color Calib

Sometimes Clonestamp (arg.. bad flats...)

Histo Transformation

Curves Transformation.

Sometimes then Starnet (++) plugin

Unsharp mask if it needs it

 

I barely touch the surface on what PI can do. It just seems to me that DSS gets the job done and I can go from there.

This is why I posed the question. I guess from initial replies I should take the time to learn ImageIntegration in PI.

Thanks for the responses so far.

I really would like to know of anyone else besides myself uses the kind of work flow I do.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[scrufy]

9 minutes ago, Kinch said:

We all do our own thing 😀.....I stack everything in APP and save the master as a non stretched Fits. I take that into PixInsight.....and finish the image in PI. (I used to do everything in PI - but now find that APP makes life easier for just getting that 1st step completed).

ok thanks. I guess I'm not completely crazy for doing it the way I do. I've heard good things about APP but I just don't like the interface. I really think they could work on that- sorry I digress.

[jiberjaber]

1 hour ago, scrufy said:

I just find image integration in Pixinsight intimidating.

I played with the batch prepossessing script but it leaves a lot to be desired.

I do a basic work flow but I've been getting slowly better for a couple years now.

I usually limit simple workflow to DSS to register and stack.

PI:

Dynamic Crop

DBE

Back Neutralization

Deconvolution

Photometric Color Calib

Sometimes Clonestamp (arg.. bad flats...)

Histo Transformation

Curves Transformation.

Sometimes then Starnet (++) plugin

Unsharp mask if it needs it

 

I barely touch the surface on what PI can do. It just seems to me that DSS gets the job done and I can go from there.

This is why I posed the question. I guess from initial replies I should take the time to learn ImageIntegration in PI.

Thanks for the responses so far.

I really would like to know of anyone else besides myself uses the kind of work flow I do.

RE Workflow, Well for the bit you do in PI as listed above yes  

I think if DSS is working for you and you are happy with the results then it leaves more time for the more artistic bits then keep on trucking.... 

Do you know what DSS does in the background? Might be worth finding out to see if there is similarity or differences in how it might be done with PI.  It might also effect what you get with PI compared with DSS if there is a difference..

Myself, as I paid for P,I I like to get max use out of it

I use the weighted batch pre-processing script to pre-process my files and sometimes let it go all the way through to integration to see what the result looks like but I am usually using data over more than one session / filter / binning so I usually delete the integration and registered files after the look-see anyway.  I apply cosmetic corrections to the pre-processing and my files are usually darks, flat-darks, flats and lights. (Probably the same seeing as you are using a ASI1600MM also?)

I then use the sub frame selection process to weight my images (all sessions by filter), pick the best reference, align, local normalisation and then a weighted integration. After which I can then apply Mure denoise (script) and dynamic crop, dbe etc... 

So the process is quite similar to the lightvortext tutorials but I also make use of the process and image containers where I need to which allows me to batch up processes (eg: I can batch the registration for all filters, then the same for local normalisation and finally for integration) which allows me to leave stuff running in between batches and do something else...

You've nothing to lose giving it a try if you already own PI    (other than losing time of course ) 

[scrufy]

Thanks Jason.

I'll try some of the flow you described for integration. 

I've just had better luck in the past with getting the  stacking done outside PI.

 

[scrufy]

1 hour ago, Kinch said:

We all do our own thing 😀.....I stack everything in APP and save the master as a non stretched Fits. I take that into PixInsight.....and finish the image in PI. (I used to do everything in PI - but now find that APP makes life easier for just getting that 1st step completed).

Thanks Kinch. Similar to what I've experienced before.

I'm going to give it a go and see if I can get a grip on  Pi I guess just so I can say I did try. I've given up pretty easily in the past on it.

 

I appreciate all the help you guys provided.

[Ouroboros]

When I first got Pixinsight I found the full pre-processing a bit intimidating so I stuck with DSS.  However, having watched a few video tutorials, and read the book Inside Pixinsight by Warren Keller, I began to see the advantages. I appreciate the blink process which allows you to easily look at all the subs in quick succession, and so weed out the bad ones. Also the process which provides statistical information for a set of lights showing eccentricity of stars, noise, signal to noise etc - and again allows you to chose your best files. With Pixinsight I have to keep my wits about me more than with DSS.  PI still takes me much longer than DSS. But I feel more in control.   To speed things up I need to prepare a typed list of the necessary steps, check boxes to tick etc. 

[TerryMcK]

I use either DSS or APP for calibration, stacking etc. I am evaluating PixInsight at the moment just for processing rather than stacking/calibration. I looked at a few tutorials for stacking and found PI much too intimidating as others have noted.

APP is really good and the interface looks the same regardless of which platform you use (Mac, linux, Windows) and I personally don’t find it an issue with its layout.

After stacking I process with Photoshop and/or PixInsight.

[bottletopburly]

I don’t use PI personally ,but I know Ivo Jager Startools developer rates pixinsight ‘s stacking Capabilities , I also came across this https://2eba8069-5418-4763-8796-2cbacac60991.filesusr.com/ugd/f27d5c_b17c8fb7833643e9b46a931daf750395.pdf. last week ,my pixinsight guide by Michael caller on iOS book store free download which may be helpful .

[steppenwolf]

I use PI primarily for alignment and stacking and then move out to PS. I have found that PI does an even better job of stacking than my previous favourite, MaxIm DL. I would recommend that you get to grips with PI for this process as it really is very good indeed.

[ollypenrice]

3 hours ago, steppenwolf said:

I use PI primarily for alignment and stacking and then move out to PS. I have found that PI does an even better job of stacking than my previous favourite, MaxIm DL. I would recommend that you get to grips with PI for this process as it really is very good indeed.

I suppose I ought to try but AstroArt does the job juslikethat in a nanosecond, I'm used to it and I can't see anything wrong with it!

The rejecting of bad subs is an interesting one. Once you have sufficient subs to get an effective sigma rejection how bad does a sub have to be to be worth rejecting? At some point, yes, you have to bin a bad one but a bit of soft focus, a hint of trailing...? I bung 'em in, especially in RGB.

Olly

[Stuart1971]

1 hour ago, ollypenrice said:

I suppose I ought to try but AstroArt does the job juslikethat in a nanosecond, I'm used to it and I can't see anything wrong with it!

The rejecting of bad subs is an interesting one. Once you have sufficient subs to get an effective sigma rejection how bad does a sub have to be to be worth rejecting? At some point, yes, you have to bin a bad one but a bit of soft focus, a hint of trailing...? I bung 'em in, especially in RGB.

Olly

Yes astroart looks good, apart from the extra costs to upgrade to newer version once you have already paid for it....it starts to get very expensive.... 😮

[Merlin66]

Stuart,

The latest Astroart V7 will see you through all your needs for a long time. Fabio regularly issues free Service Pack upgrades (currently up to SP4) to maintain the cutting edge capabilities of Astroart. He has also been very responsive to making improvements based on user feedback. He listens and supports the growing users base. I'm not sure all the other processing packages are as supportive.

I only use Astroart (I do spectroscopy) so I don't know what other packages charge for upgrades? Maybe someone can comment??

[ollypenrice]

17 hours ago, Stuart1971 said:

Yes astroart looks good, apart from the extra costs to upgrade to newer version once you have already paid for it....it starts to get very expensive.... 😮

You don't have to upgrade, though. I prefer 5 over 6 myself.

Olly

[scrufy]

Thanks for the great Info!

I do have the electronic copy of Inside Pixinsight. 

Guess I'll be studying a little more. 

I didn't mention but I do use blink to both get rid of the bad shots and to move a nights sequences into separate directories.

I've been using NINA and one thing I've seen is multiple sequences, platesolving,  flip, autofocus etc are all handled but my lights all end up in the same directory.

I've also learned about a couple new programs to look at.

Thanks again,

Kevin