PixInsight Core
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Learning Path Content & Exercises
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 was updated and all of the ination 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 as needed. The most important section is the second video on the calibration of astronomical images.
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WBPP: An Introduction
This video introduces WBPP with respect to this definitive series on the subject.
WBPP: Calibration of Astronomical Images MUST SEE!
Originally Published in 2021- this video is an overview of astronomical image calibration (via WBPP) and still good today (06/28/2023).
WBPP: Flat Darks and Dark Frame Optimization MUST SEE!
Originally Published in 2021- this video is an overview of astronomical image calibration and still good today (06/28/2022). Dark Frame Optimization example and all about…
WBPP: A Brief Tour : Master File Creation
Published 06/25/2022 In this section, we discuss master file creation.
WBPP : Brief Tour : Calibration Panel
Published 06/25/2022 In this section, we discuss calibration panel.
WBPP : Brief Tour : Post Calibration Tasks
Published 06/25/2022 In this section, we discuss post calibration tasks including registration, normalization and image integration.
WBPP: Managing Master Files in WBPP
Published 06/25/2022 In this section, we discuss master files in WBPP.
WBPP: Cosmetic Correction
Published 2024-08-13 This is a 2024 update on the use of Cosmetic Correction within WBPP (and ImageCalibration). Please also watch the older video below for…
WBPP: CMOS OSC Configuration example (with Flat Darks)
Published 06/27/2022 In this section, we discuss CMOS configuration example.
WBPP : CMOS OSC Configuration with Biases
Published 06/29/2022 In this section, we discuss CMOS OSC configuration with biases.
WBPP: Mono LRGB Configuration with Interactive LN (2 parts)
Published 06/29/2022 Here is the demonstration for setting up a monochrome LRGB configuration in WBPP and the usage of the interactive Local Normalization feature (Part…
WBPP: Grouping with Custom Keywords
Published 06/27/2022 In this section, we discuss grouping with custom keywords.
WBPP: Grouping for Multiple Nights Demonstration
Published 06/27/2022 In this section, we show grouping for multiple nights demonstration.
WBPP: Grouping for Multiple Nights and Mosaic Configuration
Published 06/27/2022 On forums and other places it is asked time and time again… How do you combine images taken across multiple nights? This section…
WBPP: Long File/Path Names YouTube Video
This video shows how to adjust settings in windows to permit long file names and paths. If you see the warning concerning this, it…
WBPP: Frame Selection Feature
Published 2026-01-07 Many users of WBPP have desired some form of SubFrameSelector to be part of the pipeline of this script. Now it is here.…
WBPP: Frame Selection (Philosophy)
Published 2026-01-07 (THIS LESSON IS A PRE-RELEASE. PixInsight has not yet released this…. but will do so very soon.) Many users of WBPP have desired…
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.
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MultiScale Gradient Correction Usage
Published 2024-12-31 This video highlights the basic steps to using the Multiscale Gradient Correction process (where there is currently reference data in MARS). Subsequent…
MGC Full Explanation Part 1
Published 2024-12-31 This video looks at parameters and demonstrates what they do in order to optimize the gradient model that is subtracted from images…
MGC Full Explanation/Demo Part 2
Published 2024-12-31 This video follows Part 1 on the explanation of the MultiScale Gradient Correction Process. M27 is used as an example where the object…
DBE Explanation of Parameters and Setup
This is a members-only video found in PixInsight: Fundamentals: DBE: Section 01.
DBE Where to Click with Nebulosity Everywhere?
Published 2023-12-20 I have addressed the question of where to click on images when placing samples using DBE in a number of workflow videos.…
DBE Techniques (Use of Symmetries)
This is a members-only video found in PixInsight: Fundamentals: DBE: Section 03.
DBE Using Symmetries First (example M45)
Published 03/21/2020 This lesson demonstrates the method of using symmetries first to deal with modeling the background with DBE. This can often simplify gradients…
DBE Removing Fine Scale Structures
This is a members-only video found in PixInsight: Fundamentals: DBE: Section 04.
DBE Very Cool Example!
Published 03/14/2021 Here is a perfect example that shows how DBE works in detail with samples… and you can “hijack” the behavior for your…
Starless DBE Trick (YouTube)
This lesson comes from a YouTube video I published a while ago. Go to the middle of the video to see the demonstration. The basic…
DBE Common Misattribution
Published 2022-12-20 DBE is often “blamed” for a number of issues. The general theme is that the image looks “good” before it is calibrated…
ABE (Alternative/Auto)
This is a members-only video found in PixInsight: Fundamentals: DBE: Section 05.
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.
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Star Alignment
Published 12/28/2018 Star Alignment in Pixinsight is the main process used for image registration. Under the hood there is a good deal of complexity-…
DSLR/OSC StarAlignment Problem and Solution
Published 04/08/2020 It is possible to have StarAlignment “succeed” in the alignment process with OSC/DSLR images- and yet the images will not be aligned!…
AlignByCoordinates (Script)
Published 2025-03-12 This video demonstrates how to align images of vastly different image scales. Although StarAlignment can do this job- it is not the…
Color Calibration/Correction
SPCC is the main method for color calibration in PixInsight. The section on how it really works is particularly inative in explaining why you see the parameters and considerations you do in the SPPC process.
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Plate scale
Published 2024-01-24 This video explains what the plate scale of an image is, lists some important examples and demonstrates three calculations using a simple…
SPCC Color Calibration
Published 2025-03-05 This video demonstrates how to use SPCC- high-precision color calibration process found only in PixInsight. Please also watch the videos below for more…
SPCC the Process (Really how it works!)
Published 12/02/2022 This is the Fundamental explanation of how SPCC works. No other instructor… not even the developers of PixInsight, have a more organized…
SPCC Background Neutralization
Published 02/20/2023 This video demonstrates how Background Neutralization of SPCC works and why you do not need to worry (too much) about having stars…
Color Calibration Part 1
This is a members-only video protected by copyright (Clear Skies Astronomy LLC).
Color Calibration Part 2
This is a members-only video protected by copyright (Clear Skies Astronomy LLC).
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!
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Summary Fluctuations (Image Integration)
Published 2025-03-09 This is a summary video that explains the lessons that follow concerning measurement fluctuations and stacking images. The videos are long enough…
Image Integration Primer: Fluctuations
Published 02/23/2019 This video is a primer for concepts that wend their way throughout the PI Universe. Fluctuations of measurements and the very nature…
Image Integration Primer: Part 2
Published 02/24/2019 A continuing lesson on light and Poisson distributions.
Image Integration Primer: Part 3
Published 02/27/2019 This lesson begins the introduction to the analysis of a set pf values by using the mean, median and a histogram.
Image Integration Primer: Part 4
Published 02/27/2019 NOTE: The beginning of this video might seem like I am in the middle of something…LOL. In the last video, I increased…
Image Integration Primer Part 5 (Statistics and PSF)
Published 02/28/2019 (This is older content that was requested to be brought back… ) In part 5 of this primer on fluctuations and statistics, a…
Image Integration Primer Part 6 (Std Dev)
Published 03/01/2019 In this final installment of the primer, we look at the most common measure- the Standard Deviation of a set of values…
Image Integration Part 1
Published 02/07/2023 This video gives a brief tour of ImageIntegration and touches on weights and normalization (Local Normalization).
Image Integration Part 2
Published 02/07/2023 In this video the conversation concerning Local Normalization and later Rejection in ImageIntegration is continued.
Image Integration Part 3
Published 02/07/2023 This final section of ImageIntegration ties many of the interwoven areas ImageIntegration- especially in how it is implemented in WBPP.
Image Integration: Improving Results (advanced demo)
Published 06/18/2019 In this lesson Adam demonstrates what to look for in your integrated results and how to potentially improve them by adjusting the…
Optimizing Rejection (avoiding artifacts)
Published 06-21-2023 This video is an extension of a talk I gave for the Astronomical League. At the end I demonstrate how to adjust…
Summary Normalization
Published 2025-03-10 This is a summary video that explains the lessons that follow concerning normalization and specifically Local Normalization. The videos are long enough…
Introduction (Normalization)
Published 07/17/2022 This is a general primer on Normalization and how it works to match target frames to reference frames. Subsequent videos go into…
Normalization Primer
Published 01/27/2023 This is a general primer on Normalization and how it works to match target frames to reference frames. Subsequent videos go into specific…
Local Normalization Comet Demo
Published 01/27/2023 This video highlights an important utilization of Local Normalization with respect to Comet imagery. This topic is covered fully (with many many…
Summary Image Weighting
Published 2025-03-10 This is a summary video that explains the lessons that follow concerning image weighting schemes and stacking images. The videos are long enough…
Through the Looking Gas (Intro to Weighting Schemes
This was a talk I gave at the Advanced Imaging Conference in May of 2022. It introduces many concepts that are important in terms of…
Image Weighting in PixInsight Part 1
Published 05/26/2022 Part One below introduces the weighting methods available in PixInsight- and announces PSF Scale SNR (the analogue to Normalize Scale Gradient with regards…
Image Weighting in PixInsight Part 2
Published 05/26/2022 Many plots shows the different responses of the weighting methods based on a particularly useful data set. This analysis can be done with…
Image Weighting in PixInsight Part 3
Published 05/26/2022 Here we look at a different data set and see how things differ from the first. PI developers feel it is narrow-minded to…
Image Weighting in PixInsight Part 4
Published 5/26/2022 This section has the good stuff. Here we compare the results of the plot can compare PSF Signal Weight with PSF Scale SNR.…
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.
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Carina Nebula Download
Download wonderful Data on the Carina Nebula! You can use this data (optional) when watching the next lesson concerning drizzling.
Drizzle Example (from Horizons)
Published 04/09/2021 This lesson simply walks through using Drizzle on undersampled data. The data is also made available to for practice purposes (and…
Drizzle (from the Horizons collection)
Published 04/09/2021 This lesson explains the basic idea behind drizzling undersampled images and then demonstrates a few examples. Subtle and neat to do!…
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).
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Introduction and Calibration Primer Part 1
Manual Calibration is in most cases synonymous with WBPP. Learn all about calibration in general and then compare and contrast the differences in the two…
Calibration Primer Part 2
This is part 2 of the Calibration primer that will set up an understanding of Manual Calibration and more. This highlights optimization of Master Dark…
Manual Creation of Master Calibration Files
This section demonstrates the Manual process of creating master biases, darks, and flats.
Compare Master Calibration Files with WBPP
Here is the first of two demonstrations showing that Manual processing and processing done by script are the same mathematically. However… the script is better…
Manual Calibration Light Frames
With the creation of the master biases, darks, and flats light frames can be calibrated and the simple production of an RGB image can unfold. …
Compare Manual results with WBPP
The Finale! This is an AdamBlockStudios exclusive demonstrating once and for all, there is no difference mathematically between the two methods of calibrating and combining…
CMOS/OSC Example with Darks for Flats
Published 05/01/2021 Please watch the previous sections first! This is a example that shows the variations. This section, like the previous, demonstrates the…
Pedestals and Optimization
Published 05/03/2021 This section wraps up Manual Calibration by touching on the use of the pedestal option (referring to another video on it) and…
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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.
