PixInsight Core
$50.00 7 Sections 83 Lessons
Course Description
A foundational course for mastering calibration, gradient correction, and the core processing logic behind PixInsight.
This course offers a clear, structured approach to the essential stages of astrophotography image processing—designed for learners who want more than just steps to follow. Starting with an in-depth exploration of the Weighted Batch PreProcessing (WBPP) script and manual calibration workflows, you’ll gain a solid grasp of how your raw data becomes a clean, calibrated image.
The Image Integration and Normalization section goes beyond workflow—it’s designed to help you truly understand what’s happening behind the scenes. You'll learn what fluctuations are, why you need many exposures, how statistical rejection and weighting schemes operate, and how those concepts directly inform PixInsight’s tools and parameters.
Through demonstrations and conceptual explanations, this course connects the why and how of image processing—giving you the context you need to make confident, intelligent processing choices.
Course Content
WBPP
This is the Definitive Guide to WBPP. Adam Block assisted PixInsight developer Roberto Sartori to help mold much of how WBPP looks like today. These videos were made not long after WBPP updated and all of the information is still relevant. Some updates will be seen in the other courses- so in practice you will not be confused by reviewing this content. These videos were released publicly (on YouTube)- however this is the one course topic I intend to update at needed. The most important section is the second video on the calibration of astronomical images.
Recommended Path to View Lessons
WBPP: An Introduction
WBPP: Calibration of Astronomical Images MUST SEE!
WBPP: Flat Darks and Dark Frame Optimization MUST SEE!
WBPP: A Brief Tour : Loading Data
WBPP: A Brief Tour : Master File Creation
WBPP : Brief Tour : Calibration Panel
WBPP : Brief Tour : Post Calibration Tasks
WBPP: Managing Master Files in WBPP
WBPP: Cosmetic Correction
WBPP: CMOS OSC Configuration example (with Flat Darks)
WBPP : CMOS OSC Configuration with Biases
WBPP: Mono LRGB Configuration with Interactive LN (2 parts)
WBPP: Separate RGB channels for OSC Data
WBPP: Grouping with Custom Keywords
WBPP: Grouping for Multiple Nights Demonstration
WBPP: Grouping for Multiple Nights and Mosaic Configuration
WBPP: Using the Pedestal Feature (Narrowband Imagery)
WBPP: Long File/Path Names YouTube Video
WBPP : Output files and caching
WBPP : Pipeline processing container
WBPP: The Logic of How WBPP Add Files (Important Reference!)
WBPP 2.0: DSLR Darks only Example
WBPP 2.0: Dark Frame Optimization
Gradient Correction
Gradient Correct is certainly one of the most important processing exercises that leads to vastly improved images in terms being pleasing at a glance. This topic highlights in depth many methods available in PixInsight. The primary method, though it is still a work in progress at the time I write this description, is MultiScale Gradient Correction.
MultiScale Gradient Correction Usage
MGC Full Explanation Part 1
MGC Full Explanation/Demo Part 2
MGC Narrowband and Dual Band
DBE Explanation of Parameters and Setup
DBE Where to Click with Nebulosity Everywhere?
DBE 2022 Update
DBE Usage
AutoDBE Script
DBE Techniques (Use of Symmetries)
DBE Using Symmetries First (example M45)
DBE Removing Fine Scale Structures
DBE Very Cool Example!
Starless DBE Trick (YouTube)
DBE Common Misattribution
ABE (Alternative/Auto)
Alignment
There are handful of methods to align images in Pixinsight. The examples shown here are the primary ones with StarAlignment in particular being the most important. CometAlignment is a specialized kind of registration that is explained and demonstrated in Comet Academy.
Star Alignment
Dynamic Alignment
DSLR/OSC StarAlignment Problem and Solution
AlignByCoordinates (Script)
Color Calibration/Correction
SPCC is the main method for color calibration in PixInsight. The section on how it really works is particularly informative in explaining why you see the parameters and considerations you do in the SPPC process.
Plate scale
SPCC Color Calibration
SPCC the Process (Really how it works!)
SPCC Background Neutralization
SPCC Not Enough Samples Error
SPCC Not Enough Samples Error Another Example
Color Calibration Part 1
Color Calibration Part 2
Image Stacking, Rejection, Normalization and Weighting
The videos found here are unlike any to be found elsewhere regarding real explanations of how light exposures, stacking, rejection, normalization and weighting all work. Yes, we all need to do these operations and Yes, you can do them without understanding how they work... but then the parameters are just senseless and there is richness to be found in the understanding!
Summary Fluctuations (Image Integration)
Image Integration Primer: Fluctuations
Image Integration Primer: Part 2
Image Integration Primer: Part 3
Image Integration Primer: Part 4
Image Integration Part 1
Image Integration Part 2
Image Integration Part 3
Image Integration: Improving Results (advanced demo)
Optimizing Rejection (avoiding artifacts)
Summary Normalization
Introduction (Normalization)
Normalization Primer
Local Normalization
Local Normalization Comet Demo
Summary Image Weighting
Through the Looking Gas (Intro to Weighting Schemes
Image Weighting in PixInsight Part 1
Image Weighting in PixInsight Part 2
Image Weighting in PixInsight Part 3
Image Weighting in PixInsight Part 4
Drizzle
These video lessons cover some of the key concepts to Drizzling. If you take nothing else away from these lessons- just remember that Drizzling utilizes the unregistered data and we are just using ImageIntegration to update the Drizzle and normalization files.
Drizzle Example (from Horizons)
Drizzle (from the Horizons collection)
Manual Calibration
It is important to understand a simple manual calibration workflow. However, ultimately using the Weighted Batch PreProcessing Script (WBPP) will likely be the way to make this workflow much easier. Some of the considerations shown here are mentioned in the WBPP sections - so I present these sections first. I do recommend watching these lessons to help you when you partially process a set of data or to convince you that WBPP is NOT doing anything different than you would do manually. Given the same processes you will get the same answers- it is just easier to do with WBPP (less tedious).
Introduction and Calibration Primer Part 1
Calibration Primer Part 2
Manual Creation of Master Calibration Files
Compare Master Calibration Files with WBPP
Manual Calibration Light Frames
Compare Manual results with WBPP
CMOS/OSC Example with Darks for Flats
Pedestals and Optimization