help with stacking and image processing software pleeeeze

[t8nyy]

Hello all,

well i've taken the plunge and bought all my kit, now I could do with some help with the software bit. Firstly, I know NOTHING, (really really nothing) so i would like to make the whole experience as painless as possible for myself....don't want much do I ?

I intend to use a canon 50d unmoded with a cls clip filter first and see how that goes.(if necessary i'll get it moded later).I dont mind if the software is free or if i have to stump up the dosh for a good programme as long as its not squillions and designed to outsmart NASA.

is registar any good ? or are there better options around for your average uneducated numpty. will I need other software apart from the one to stack the images, to process them after stacking and generally fiddle around with the image ? if so any bright ideas ? again the easier to use the better.

Thanks in advance for you help

tony.

[Helen]

For stacking I'd start with Deep Sky Stacker - free to download and easyto use. For processing most people use photoshop of some variety (I use an early version of Elements).

Helen

[Psychobilly]

Hi Tony

Registar is a bit more specialist you really still need DSS (Deep Sky Stacker) to combine the subs with the darks flats and bias as this isn't implemented in registar... registar is great for mosaicing and combining images from different cameras and scopes..as you might have seen there have been several SGL group efforts and more are in the pipeline

Billy...

[centroid]

As Helen says, Deep Sky Stacker is free, and quite a few people use it.

From reports on the forum, Registar is very good at what it does, but of course not a feebie.

Programs like Astroart 4, and Maxim DL, are very comprehensive, with quite a steep learning curve, and expensive. In the case of Maxim DL, very expensive.

Again, as Helen says, most of us do the bulk of our processing in one of the various versions of Photoshop.

Dave