Mate - as a newcomer to the hobby with a Seestar S50 and a steep learning curve on Pixinsight over the last month, I cannot tell you how helpful your channel has been. Once pay day comes around, I’ll be using your affiliate links for the exterminator plug-ins (using them on the free trial right now) as a small Thankyou but I wanted to reach out in person too. I’m a teacher with 24 years in the classroom and so I hope I have some credibility when I say that your instructional skills and approachability are fantastic. Just a thought for future content: perhaps offer a series of videos in which you coach a noob towards putting together their first rig and capturing/editing their first good quality images. That step up for me from a smart telescope without an EQ mount to a proper set up with all the gubbins that goes with it is terrifying right now so I’d find great value in that kind of a collaboration.
Hey Andy! - I just want to say thank you so much for taking the time to share such a kind comment, it's so uplifting to hear that! :-) Huge thanks again too for your support with those RC-astro tool links, that's a big help my friend! I'd love to make a kind of 'first steps' video at some point, - thank you for the suggestion! I'm sure that would help quite a few people. Wishing you clear skies, thanks again! Luke
Thanks a million for this! Was obviously great data to work with too! The range mask and Curves treatment at the end was really instructive. Bring on galaxy season!
You are an excellent teacher Luke! I especially like that you use the latest tools available to Pixinsight and you produce natural looking images with a relatively simple workflow. I learned how to process nebula from you with a 90mm refractor and just got an F4 newt and want to start imaging galaxies. This is just what I was looking for!
That's so kind of you to say, Mark!! Thank you ever so much mate! :-D I wish you the very best of luck with the newt this galaxy season, it should be a lot of fun!
Thank you so much for sharing this tutorial, your gentle reassuring approach to PixInsight has allowed me to grow in confidence with it. Keep up the great work, well done.
Great video mate !! You're spot regarding the latest processing tools! If I had to pick the biggest game changer over the last couple of years it would be blur xterminator latest version. Just unbelievable what it does especially in the corners. I think for anyone fairly new to pixinsight and watching this they've found the best teacher on RUclips !!
Ah Paul mate you're too kind! So glad you liked the video 👍👍 Re: biggest game changer, I'd agree with that yep! No one thing has raised my enjoyment of astro quite like BXT has (aside from doing RUclips!) Clear skies to you my friend, and sorry about the late reply 👍
Yesterday, I just downloaded and installed Pixinsight and everything sounded like Chinese for me. Today, I have the feeling that I am processing like a PRO thanks to your contributions. Thank you so much for giving this tutorial for the community. I cannot wait to check your others Pixinsight tutorials for nebula.
Thank you so much for this! I just did a 2.5h integration of NGC 2442 (Meathook Galaxy) and ended up with a grey blob. I then used your workflow and I now have a stunning and incredibly colourful galaxy. I'm blown away. Fantastic.
First real galaxy season for me as I've been focused on nebulas with a wider field setup. But this year, I've been able to get some data on a couple of the mid size galaxies. To tell the truth was about to give up because all I got was a white blob no matter what I did. Walked through your process on M106 just now and it is amazing. Thanks for the tutorial very easy to understand!
Great tutorial Luke. When the weather improves I'm keen to have a go at OSC on a target and thanks to you I can try processing it. Keep up the videos, thank you and clear skies!
my new go to galaxy guide !! the buzz for me is seeing images come through on the ipad screen in real time , absolutely love that .. processing on the other hand is like homework arghh !! im usually processing winter targets around spring time etc haha ,but i can now get some images im happy to share online ( Richards astrophotography) keep up the great work luke it helps a lot of us out big time .
Fantastic tutorial! Really, really helped me get the hang of GHS which I'vebeen putting off for too long. It's going to make a huge difference to how I approach my processing. Very kind of you to make your data and tools available too.
Small tip. You can set the option to show the structure protection masks. It allows you a visualization of what structure is being recognized and can remove some guesswork.
Just reprocessed Andromeda shot on my 102edr and 26c with LP filters from a few years ago - 4 panes into one image. It looked ok before this tutorial! Yay! Looks epic now. The Ha from the Ha/Oiii filter I used too is standing out. There's a little area of green I can't shake though.
Glad to hear it was useful! :-D as for the green area, you may be able to use a green mask, apply it to the image and manually de-stretch the green, or even desaturate it 👍
I played with your data and played with your workflow. I got more or less an identical result with one exception. at the final point I removed the stars then saturated them a bit then reintegrated them. the difference is subtle but the stars are more coloured. thanks mate
Hey Luke. I am so glad you put out this video. I'm in the process of getting data with my WO Z61 and 533mc. I'm definitely going to try this technique for processing galaxies. I have a hard time getting colour detail in the galaxy. I'm also using CLS CCD filter. I hope I can make my image look as good as your. Great video bud. Clear skies.
Thanks so much for making this tutorial Luke! This is my first galaxy season and this tutorial was very easy to follow and everything was well explained! It has really carried me through this galaxy season!
Okay, you must be a mind reader! I was about to shoot you a note to see if you could do a full tutorial! Excellent! The information in Gradient Correction was very helpful, along with GHS. Keep up the good great work and thanks!!
And I just rewatched your OSC Nebula video from three months ago & see that the way you used GHS is quite a bit different than for this galaxy. Since I haven’t used GHS yet, would you recommend using each method for their respective targets?
Hey mate! :-D Thank you and well noticed on GHS - my workflow has adapted a bit these days yeah, for nebula targets I do stretch a little differently though so as you mention, it's a good plan to stretch for the target rather than one rule for all, cheers! :-)
Outstanding video, Luke!! I found it very, very, helpful!! I enjoy your teaching style too - friendly, approachable and packed with clear, concise demonstrations. Thank you so much!! ~John
Thank you ever so much John, that's really kind of you to say!! Sorry about the late reply too mate, sometimes my notifications on comments are squiffy! Clear skies! :-)
I finally have a grip on GHS due to this and your video specifically on the subject. What a difference! Now I have to go back and reprocess all my data ( again). :) That’s a good thing.
Great video Luke. I'm going to give this a go and see what I can do with your data. It'll give me a chance to play around with the updated Gradient correction tool. Pixinsight has 3 videos on how to use the newest version. Again, Great video!!!! Learn alot from these. Clear skies my friend!
Fantastic. Loved It. Now I hope I can follow the Tutorial. Off-course, I always make notes, and while processing first times I also run our tutorial, just in case at some place I cannot follow my own notes. So thanks a ton. Loved your Tutorial on Nebulas also, and am following your process, and now will follow your tutorial on Galaxies, with notes made on it. Many thanks.
Thank you Luke. I continue to find that every one of your tutorials offers valuable nuggets of information. I always learn something new regarding the many nuisances of Pixinsight. Quick question, I’m experimenting adding Ha, Sii, and Oiii, to my LRGB data. How would I do SPCC when I mix this data together? Keep up the great work mate, you’re the best.
Hey Joe! - Thank you ever so much my friend!! I really appreciate your support, as always! :-) RE: when to use SPCC - I'd use it on the LRGB prior to adding any narrowband, then perhaps SPCC the narrowband data separately before combination- experimentation will be key on that one I think, I don't have direct experience with it! Good luck!
I love your tutorials and have been the foundation that I build off of. I'm using Seestar images so they aren't as clean as yours. A lot of the videos I see people are doing gradient correction right after a crop and before image solver and SPCC. Also, I've been told I should be previewing a starless piece of the background for region of interest in background neutralization on SPCC. What do you think about this? Do you still think gradient correction should be done after image solver and SPCC steps? I hope you understand my question, thanks!
Hey there mate! that sounds like a really solid approach, I'd say your best bet would be try both ways and see which you like the best, and also to note how much difference there is! :-) Clear skies and thanks for sharing!
Thanks, Luke. Another great tutorial. And just as you uploaded this video, a new version of PI (1.8.9-2 Build 1604 ) came out with an update to Gradient Correction with even more handles within it. I am still trying to grasp the Spectral Photometric Color Calibration function and I just added the Generalize Hyperbolic Stretch tool. Here's wishing clear skies for you Luke (Once the moon gets out of the way that is). - Patrick -
Hey Pat!! - Thanks so much mate, that's interesting about the new GC tool! I'll have to check it out, hopefully it's a little more refined now! :-) I hope you are enjoying plenty of clear skies my friend, it must be warming up for you now in Savannah? Thank you as always!
Once again nice, quick and informative .. Old habits die hard but im starting to get used to the generalized hyperbolic stretch. Nice work Luke and hope you enjoy the show tomorrow...
Another great tutorial! Excellent example on how to use masks to only focus on regions you want to modify. The new gradient removal tool included with Pixinsight works great. Do you plan on making a video about the recent update to the gradient removal tool? Thanks and clear skies!
Thank you so much Dave mate!! 👍 I should get a video out about the new gradient removal update, I just hope it doesn't need a full update of Pixinsight again otherwise I may delay, haha 😅 Cheers bud!
Excellent tutorial - is there one for processing galaxy clusters such as the VIRGO Cluster? Are the procedures the same as we are trying to enhance multiple items not just one major target.
Hey Luke, first of all, thanks once again for this, past and all future vids. Your work is invaluable. Second, good luck with your impending parenthood! It's going to be amazing. And nuts. And all kinds of other things! You're going to be an awesome Dad. Third: I just processed my new data of M33 (180sx86frames) using your workflow in this vid, and it looks amazing. However, my overall image result is very blue. Whereas your image of the Sunflower has much more oranges and reds. Is that a function of equipment used? In this case I used the ZWO 533MC Pro, with no filters whatsoever, and shot from a fairly dark Bortle 3 zone. I'm still somewhat new to Deep space astro and not always completely sure what colors things are supposed to be! Anyway, any pointers or tips are greatly appreciated, as always. Cheers and Clear skies. Aaron in Minnesota.
Thank you so much for your very kind and uplifting comment my friend, I really do appreciate it!! Re: colour differences, the extra blue could be down to quite a few things, my best bet would be something going wrong either during SPCC or gradient removal, but it could even be down to the sky conditions you shot from, it should be rectifiable with masking and stretching the colours you wish to bring out if you'd like to - but all that aside, if you're happy with the image I'd celebrate the differences rather than worry too much!! :-) Clear skies mate!!
Thanks Luke - a very helpful, useful tutorial. I've got some first light with my new Askar V on M104 that I want to process - this is I'm sure going to be perfect for that task. BTW - the Askar V is proving to be superb!
Another excellent processing tutorial Luke - loving this series you are doing! Thanks for the effort that goes into making these so clear and easy to understand / follow: learning so much every time.... Any chance of adding a tutorial in this series using the Askar C1/C2 or D1/D2 Colour Magic filters (Ha/Oiii + Sii / Oiii) on your 2600MC-Pro, on a nebula to give SHO or similar? Appreciate its a bit late in the season, but there's still a few stragglers up there apparently, above the ever-present clouds.... Cheers mate.
Thanks ever so much Ian! :-) I really appreciate that mate, cheers! RE: the colour magic filters, I don't currently have any plans for that to be honest mate, my apologies if that's a letdown!
Brilliant tutorial Luke. I always learn more with each of your videos. Thanks so much. For using SPCC on a nebula shot with an OSC and L-Extreme filter on my IMX571, should I choose the average spiral galaxy as the White Reference, or something like photon flux? Thanks. Dr B from Manitoba, Canada 🇨🇦
Hey Dr.B! - I'd probably use the average spiral galaxy reference, but there's no harm in making a clone first right before application and trying both ways - you may find that you prefer one over the other! :-) Good luck mate!
@@lukomatico The beauty of PixInsight is you can always clone and do side by side comparisons or just undo a process, tweak the parameters and try it again! Thanks Luke. Clear skies buddy! Dr B from Manitoba, Canada 🇨🇦
@@lukomatico no problem, I know how much work you put into this content, was on a trial, and your right, these tools are like magic. Actually, your links saved me a bit of money as well, so thank you!
Cheers on another great video mate. A few questions/comments: 1) Why did you decide to stretch the stars with the galaxies and not remove them first and then stretch separately? I've found GHS takes away some of the star color and but using ArcSin to stretch stars leaves the color. 2) I've read and seen videos that indicate that BlurX on 'Correct Only' should be ran first before using SPCC. Then after SPCC, run the 'normal' BlurX. I know it adds time to the processing but other than that, what is your thoughts on that workflow? 3) Your method on using GHS to stretch the galaxy is the easiest one I've seen so far and I like the results - kudos! When I tried this stretching method on the Leo Triplet, 2 of the galaxies looked great but the 3rd was looking blown out. I tried to use a mask on the one galaxy but mask don't appear to work when stretching (only when using Curves). Any suggestions on the stretching when there's multiple galaxies? Keep those videos coming Luke!!!
Hey there mate! - Just want to start off by saying thank you again for your wonderful support, it's hugely appreciated!! :-) To answer your questions - 1: I totally hear you! I try to stretch everything together for broadband targets now in order to keep everything looking as natural as possible (to my eye at least!) it's certainly achievable with other methods though, so if what you're doing looks best to you - keep doing it, 100%! 2: That used to be the case yeah! running correct only first was sometimes much better - however Russell Croman says since the advent of model 4.0 of the AI it's generally no longer a required step :-) 3: So happy to hear it's been easy to use!! - Regarding using it on multiple targets with different brightness levels, that's a challenge! - I'd probably say to give them an initial smaller stretch using the brightest of the galaxies as your reference, being sure to tame the core a little if possible with the SP, then make your second stretch attempt and see how it goes from there - regarding masked stretching, it should work as long as the mask isn't too conservative, I've certainly done that before in tricky stretching situations! - one other possible technique would be to stretch the brightest galaxy until it's just about overblown in the core, take a range mask on that bright core, and reverse stretch it a bit :-) Good luck! hope that helps and thanks again! :-D Luke
Great video Luke! Thanks for sharing your workflow on galaxy processing. Btw.... apply another BTX at the end. Best sharpening tool ever once all the rest of the processing is done. 😊
for some reason in the range mask step (in your case I see that when the screen turns red the mask disappears as such. In my case the mask remains on the screen no matter how many times I drag it and that means that when opening curves in preview mode The image looked just as blurry as when I was making the mask.
Muy buen tutorial de como procesar Galaxias, estoy reprocesando todo lo que tengo guardado en mi disco para utilizar con este tutorial. Gracias !! un abrazo
Hey Luke, thank you for this tutorial, really enjoyed it, also great data and stunning result ! I have 2 questions, how do you end up with stacking artefacts ? When i run WBPP script, it applies an autocrop to my images and i don't have to crop any further. I also noticed in your previous tutorials, you used gradient correction/graxpert before SPCC, does it makes any noticable difference in your opinion ? Thanks and clear skies, mate !
Hey mate! - Thanks so much! RE: WBPP autocrop, that's perfect - I just include it as a step for those who need it, or are directly following along with this stack :-) On the note of order of usage for gradient correction/graxpert and SPCC - I've tried both ways and not noticed a difference really, there may be one though! Cheers!
I am really new to this and I am building my first rig. I love your video on how to start using PI. It would help me tremendously if I understood how the original image was obtained. Did you use a colour camera, what kind of filters and settings were used and how you stacked the images. One aspect I always wonder about is do you use the default settings for RGB or force it so all channels are the same on the histogram? I would also like to know if you are using short exposures because of your Bortle 7 skies? Are you using a cooled camera? Do you have a video you can point me to that might answer these questions? Thanks for your amazing videos!
Hello Luke. I'm going to run through this workflow this weekend. I got some nice Bortle 3-4 ;-) galaxy data this trip. I finally know what the hell you are talking about now. I broke down and got PI. I have to re-visit all of your past videos now.
Nice processing. The only thing I'd further do is give the stars a bit more 'life' as they look kinda dead to me, but really like the new processing flows :)
Hi Luke, So on your previous video processing galaxies from RGB you did the gradient correction before doing photometric calibration, but here you did it the other way round. Any good reason. I'd have thought the former way was a better approach?
Hey Richard! - I have no good reason, no haha - I've tried both ways around, for me it ends up not making much difference in the end but your mileage may vary of course! Cheers mate!
hey man, thanks for sharing your data - this was the best lesson I could ask for. I was wondering if it was my gear, processing tools or skills that i need to address to produce better images. Turns out everything bit by bit😂. I highly recommend this to all that are starting out that wonder if it is your data thats shite or is it processing. My C6N with ASGT with sony a6500 is actually decent and not as much behind your gear as I thought. I am processing with free tools and lack good noise reduction tool. Processing your data my way got me quite nice results with a bit background noise visible but i pulled out similar amount of detail.I lack sufficient integration time and my camera (or the way I use it) leaves me with a bit more noise that is uglier even after getting about 2hrs of darks at the end of the session. This was a.fantastic way to figure stuff out. Thanks again.This is a bit long but if you actually read till the end - can you share how much integration time this data has? If it was mentioned somewhere I missed it.
Hey mate! Thanks so much for the great message, so glad to hear you're making progress 👍👍 Re: integration time, I believe somewhere around 6 hours from bortle 7 skies, but I can't be totally certain anymore
Hi Luke, great videos. But with this one I came across a problem when working through your example & data. When I tried to do the SPCC, it threw the following error :- "Robust linear regression (R/G): 0% *** Error: Insufficient data: only 0 sample(s) are available; at least 5 are required. Reading swap files... 2883.556 MiB/s " I'm a total noob, so I have no idea what this means or what I did wrong. Any help would be most appreciated. Many thanks
Hi, im using PI v 1.8.9-3 and your data - but when i use SPCC it errors with "*** Error: Insufficient data: only 1 sample(s) are available; at least 5 are required." - what have i done wrong ?
Gradient Correction is a new tool and this is the first that I have seen of it. I do not have it on my version, so I am updating tonight. Does GradientCorrection replace DBE?
I am thinking of moving over to pixinsight from PS but I want to ask what may be a controversial question. When using things like noisexterminator and blurxterminator how much of the image becomes AI generated, and how much remains your own capture? I worry that it'll get to a point where the image is no longer mine but is an AI interpretation.
I hear you completely mate! - as long as you use BlurXterminator in the unstretched/linear phase of processing it's able to do it's job accurately and without hallucinations 👍 Regarding noisexterminator, that's free to be used at any time, it won't hallucinate details etc Hope that helps!
@lukomatico I've downloaded the pixinsight trial and will see how I get on with it. I can see hours of tutorial videos in my future. How's the Uranus-c pro going BTW? I bought the Uranus-c after seeing your review a couple of years back, but I'm thinking of upgrading to a cooled camera this year.
SPCC fails for me. See failed script message below: *** Error: Database files not available for the Gaia DR3/SP catalog, or the XPSD server is not properly configured. Reading swap files... 5648.214 MiB/s Anyone know why?
Sorry to hear that they aren't loading correctly, you may need to copy them into your pixinsight subfolder directly first as I did have a similar issue after the recent update but doing that fixed it. Good luck! 👍
I follow this tutorial with my own data (m101) and thanks to myself is alot of improve on my pics my only question is on my final image I had like a gradient on on of my corners don't know why (it show off rigth after SCNR but anyway I'm happy with my result M101 on a redcat 51 hahaha On few days I will have a new zwp FF107 so I excited
Nice one mate, congratulations!! :-D RE: the light edges, it can be overcorrection of flats if you are using them, or if not then perhaps your crop needs to be stronger before applying GraXpert to prevent it from artifacting Hope that helps!
Sorry to hear that they aren't loading correctly, you may need to copy them into your pixinsight subfolder directly first as I did have a similar issue after the recent update but doing that fixed it. Good luck! 👍
I am trying to learn better galaxies and on the first Step: I get stuck Robust linear regression (R/G): 0% *** Error: Insufficient data: only 0 sample(s) are available; at least 5 are required. Reading swap files... 2505.042 MiB/s
sorry about the late reply to this, - it sounds like it can't detect stars for some reason during image solver? if so, are you using the right focal length & pixel size for the data set you're trying to solve, and it needs data that's un-edited, unstretched. Good luck!
@@lukomatico WAs my bad working with non linear images I started over and followed this to the end. By far my best galaxy yet, I will reprocess and watch again, thank you very much for this Guide.
Many thanks for that tutorial. Any chance of a supplementary vid on blending in Ha data from a NB filter? I have all my data ready to go on Andromeda with an IR cut and an ALP-T🙏
Hello 👋 Luk.Great video again😊.Everything that i learned for pixinsight is from your video.Thank you for the great work 👍 😀 and the lessons.Can you make a video for Ha-Lrgb for galaxies;😊😊
@@lukomatico I apologize. Sometimes I just can’t help myself from being overly critical. I’ll make up for it by saying you’re perhaps the most thorough reviewer of astro cameras I’ve seen. Sara Matthew’s is a close 2nd. You’ve helped so many with your informative and rather politely cordial channel. Thanks so very much.
![Blox Fruits Dragon Rework Update [Full Stream]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/EqDAp8udhm0/mqdefault.jpg)
Mate - as a newcomer to the hobby with a Seestar S50 and a steep learning curve on Pixinsight over the last month, I cannot tell you how helpful your channel has been. Once pay day comes around, I’ll be using your affiliate links for the exterminator plug-ins (using them on the free trial right now) as a small Thankyou but I wanted to reach out in person too. I’m a teacher with 24 years in the classroom and so I hope I have some credibility when I say that your instructional skills and approachability are fantastic. Just a thought for future content: perhaps offer a series of videos in which you coach a noob towards putting together their first rig and capturing/editing their first good quality images. That step up for me from a smart telescope without an EQ mount to a proper set up with all the gubbins that goes with it is terrifying right now so I’d find great value in that kind of a collaboration.
Hey Andy! - I just want to say thank you so much for taking the time to share such a kind comment, it's so uplifting to hear that! :-) Huge thanks again too for your support with those RC-astro tool links, that's a big help my friend!
I'd love to make a kind of 'first steps' video at some point, - thank you for the suggestion! I'm sure that would help quite a few people.
Wishing you clear skies, thanks again!
Luke
Thanks a million for this! Was obviously great data to work with too! The range mask and Curves treatment at the end was really instructive. Bring on galaxy season!
That's awesome to hear my friend!! :-D Good luck and clear skies!
You are an excellent teacher Luke! I especially like that you use the latest tools available to Pixinsight and you produce natural looking images with a relatively simple workflow. I learned how to process nebula from you with a 90mm refractor and just got an F4 newt and want to start imaging galaxies. This is just what I was looking for!
That's so kind of you to say, Mark!! Thank you ever so much mate! :-D
I wish you the very best of luck with the newt this galaxy season, it should be a lot of fun!
Thank you so much for sharing this tutorial, your gentle reassuring approach to PixInsight has allowed me to grow in confidence with it. Keep up the great work, well done.
That's wonderful to hear my friend! so glad it's been useful for you, thank you for the uplifting message!
Clear skies 👍👍
Great video mate !! You're spot regarding the latest processing tools! If I had to pick the biggest game changer over the last couple of years it would be blur xterminator latest version. Just unbelievable what it does especially in the corners. I think for anyone fairly new to pixinsight and watching this they've found the best teacher on RUclips !!
Ah Paul mate you're too kind! So glad you liked the video 👍👍
Re: biggest game changer, I'd agree with that yep! No one thing has raised my enjoyment of astro quite like BXT has (aside from doing RUclips!)
Clear skies to you my friend, and sorry about the late reply 👍
Yesterday, I just downloaded and installed Pixinsight and everything sounded like Chinese for me. Today, I have the feeling that I am processing like a PRO thanks to your contributions.
Thank you so much for giving this tutorial for the community. I cannot wait to check your others Pixinsight tutorials for nebula.
That's wonderful to hear my friend!! So glad you've found it useful :-D
Clear skies and happy processing!
Thank you so much for this! I just did a 2.5h integration of NGC 2442 (Meathook Galaxy) and ended up with a grey blob. I then used your workflow and I now have a stunning and incredibly colourful galaxy. I'm blown away. Fantastic.
Wonderful to hear that my friend!! Thank you!
One of the best complete workflow videos I've seen. I'm using it on M61 data I took last night. Thank you!
Thank you ever so much for that, Ron!! That's really kind of you to say 👍👍
First real galaxy season for me as I've been focused on nebulas with a wider field setup. But this year, I've been able to get some data on a couple of the mid size galaxies. To tell the truth was about to give up because all I got was a white blob no matter what I did. Walked through your process on M106 just now and it is amazing. Thanks for the tutorial very easy to understand!
That's tremendous to hear my friend!! So glad that you've got a result you're happy with! :-)
Great tutorial Luke. When the weather improves I'm keen to have a go at OSC on a target and thanks to you I can try processing it. Keep up the videos, thank you and clear skies!
Thank you so much!! :-D Clear skies to you my friend, and good luck!
my new go to galaxy guide !! the buzz for me is seeing images come through on the ipad screen in real time , absolutely love that .. processing on the other hand is like homework arghh !! im usually processing winter targets around spring time etc haha ,but i can now get some images im happy to share online ( Richards astrophotography) keep up the great work luke it helps a lot of us out big time .
Great to hear that mate!! - I totally love seeing those subs rolling in too, such a great feeling haha! (that first sub especially!)
Fantastic tutorial! Really, really helped me get the hang of GHS which I'vebeen putting off for too long. It's going to make a huge difference to how I approach my processing. Very kind of you to make your data and tools available too.
Excellent to hear it helped you my friend, cheers for the lovely comment!! :-)
Small tip. You can set the option to show the structure protection masks. It allows you a visualization of what structure is being recognized and can remove some guesswork.
Thank you mate!! That's a nice tip 👍👍
Just reprocessed Andromeda shot on my 102edr and 26c with LP filters from a few years ago - 4 panes into one image. It looked ok before this tutorial! Yay! Looks epic now. The Ha from the Ha/Oiii filter I used too is standing out. There's a little area of green I can't shake though.
Glad to hear it was useful! :-D as for the green area, you may be able to use a green mask, apply it to the image and manually de-stretch the green, or even desaturate it 👍
I played with your data and played with your workflow. I got more or less an identical result with one exception. at the final point I removed the stars then saturated them a bit then reintegrated them. the difference is subtle but the stars are more coloured. thanks mate
Tremendous to hear that mate!! :-D so glad it worked out well for you, thank you for letting me know! 🙏
Hey Luke. I am so glad you put out this video. I'm in the process of getting data with my WO Z61 and 533mc. I'm definitely going to try this technique for processing galaxies. I have a hard time getting colour detail in the galaxy. I'm also using CLS CCD filter. I hope I can make my image look as good as your. Great video bud. Clear skies.
Glad I could help you my friend, so glad to hear you found it useful!! :-D hope you're having clear skies buddy
Thanks so much for making this tutorial Luke! This is my first galaxy season and this tutorial was very easy to follow and everything was well explained! It has really carried me through this galaxy season!
Awesome to hear that my friend!! 👍👍
Absolutely wonderful Luke. You bring beauty and elegance to this hobby
That's very kind of you to say!! thank you my friend! :-D
Okay, you must be a mind reader! I was about to shoot you a note to see if you could do a full tutorial! Excellent! The information in Gradient Correction was very helpful, along with GHS. Keep up the good great work and thanks!!
And I just rewatched your OSC Nebula video from three months ago & see that the way you used GHS is quite a bit different than for this galaxy. Since I haven’t used GHS yet, would you recommend using each method for their respective targets?
Hey mate! :-D Thank you and well noticed on GHS - my workflow has adapted a bit these days yeah, for nebula targets I do stretch a little differently though so as you mention, it's a good plan to stretch for the target rather than one rule for all, cheers! :-)
Outstanding video, Luke!! I found it very, very, helpful!! I enjoy your teaching style too - friendly, approachable and packed with clear, concise demonstrations. Thank you so much!! ~John
Thank you ever so much John, that's really kind of you to say!! Sorry about the late reply too mate, sometimes my notifications on comments are squiffy!
Clear skies! :-)
I finally have a grip on GHS due to this and your video specifically on the subject. What a difference! Now I have to go back and reprocess all my data ( again). :) That’s a good thing.
So glad this was helpful my friend, clear skies!
Thanks!
Thank you mate!! :-D
Great video Luke. I'm going to give this a go and see what I can do with your data. It'll give me a chance to play around with the updated Gradient correction tool. Pixinsight has 3 videos on how to use the newest version. Again, Great video!!!! Learn alot from these. Clear skies my friend!
Thank you so much for your support mate!! :-) I hope you enjoy that data, it was good fun to edit! Clearest of skies to you my friend!
Fantastic. Loved It. Now I hope I can follow the Tutorial. Off-course, I always make notes, and while processing first times I also run our tutorial, just in case at some place I cannot follow my own notes. So thanks a ton. Loved your Tutorial on Nebulas also, and am following your process, and now will follow your tutorial on Galaxies, with notes made on it. Many thanks.
Thank you so much my friend!! Clear skies to you 👍👍
Great video Luke. Been following for a while and always learning something new!
That's superb to hear mate, thank you!! :-D
Thank you Luke. I continue to find that every one of your tutorials offers valuable nuggets of information. I always learn something new regarding the many nuisances of Pixinsight. Quick question, I’m experimenting adding Ha, Sii, and Oiii, to my LRGB data. How would I do SPCC when I mix this data together? Keep up the great work mate, you’re the best.
Hey Joe! - Thank you ever so much my friend!! I really appreciate your support, as always! :-) RE: when to use SPCC - I'd use it on the LRGB prior to adding any narrowband, then perhaps SPCC the narrowband data separately before combination- experimentation will be key on that one I think, I don't have direct experience with it!
Good luck!
Thank you so much. This solves many of my issues not being completely happy with my galaxies.
I love your tutorials and have been the foundation that I build off of. I'm using Seestar images so they aren't as clean as yours. A lot of the videos I see people are doing gradient correction right after a crop and before image solver and SPCC. Also, I've been told I should be previewing a starless piece of the background for region of interest in background neutralization on SPCC. What do you think about this? Do you still think gradient correction should be done after image solver and SPCC steps? I hope you understand my question, thanks!
Hey there mate! that sounds like a really solid approach, I'd say your best bet would be try both ways and see which you like the best, and also to note how much difference there is! :-) Clear skies and thanks for sharing!
Thanks, Luke.
Another great tutorial. And just as you uploaded this video, a new version of PI (1.8.9-2 Build 1604 ) came out with an update to Gradient Correction with even more handles within it. I am still trying to grasp the Spectral Photometric Color Calibration function and I just added the Generalize Hyperbolic Stretch tool. Here's wishing clear skies for you Luke (Once the moon gets out of the way that is).
- Patrick -
Hey Pat!! - Thanks so much mate, that's interesting about the new GC tool! I'll have to check it out, hopefully it's a little more refined now! :-)
I hope you are enjoying plenty of clear skies my friend, it must be warming up for you now in Savannah?
Thank you as always!
Once again nice, quick and informative .. Old habits die hard but im starting to get used to the generalized hyperbolic stretch.
Nice work Luke and hope you enjoy the show tomorrow...
What show?
@@sHuRuLuNi Practical Astronomy Show
Thanks mate!! :-D it was a lot of fun being at the PAS show, it's left me knackered though lol!
Clear skies!
Thank you so much for your time and effort it is really appreciated by myself and I know the community as well. Great job as always.
Thank you for that mate!! that's really kind of you to say :-) Clear skies!!
Excellent tutorial Luke mate thanks for taking the time to make these videos
My pleasure mate!! thanks so much for your support!
Another great tutorial! Excellent example on how to use masks to only focus on regions you want to modify. The new gradient removal tool included with Pixinsight works great. Do you plan on making a video about the recent update to the gradient removal tool? Thanks and clear skies!
Thank you so much Dave mate!! 👍
I should get a video out about the new gradient removal update, I just hope it doesn't need a full update of Pixinsight again otherwise I may delay, haha 😅
Cheers bud!
Excellent tutorial - is there one for processing galaxy clusters such as the VIRGO Cluster? Are the procedures the same as we are trying to enhance multiple items not just one major target.
Hey mate! - the process would be fully transferable to galaxy clusters, should be no issue at all :-) Good luck!
Hey Luke, first of all, thanks once again for this, past and all future vids. Your work is invaluable.
Second, good luck with your impending parenthood! It's going to be amazing. And nuts. And all kinds of other things! You're going to be an awesome Dad.
Third: I just processed my new data of M33 (180sx86frames) using your workflow in this vid, and it looks amazing. However, my overall image result is very blue. Whereas your image of the Sunflower has much more oranges and reds. Is that a function of equipment used? In this case I used the ZWO 533MC Pro, with no filters whatsoever, and shot from a fairly dark Bortle 3 zone. I'm still somewhat new to Deep space astro and not always completely sure what colors things are supposed to be! Anyway, any pointers or tips are greatly appreciated, as always.
Cheers and Clear skies.
Aaron in Minnesota.
Thank you so much for your very kind and uplifting comment my friend, I really do appreciate it!!
Re: colour differences, the extra blue could be down to quite a few things, my best bet would be something going wrong either during SPCC or gradient removal, but it could even be down to the sky conditions you shot from, it should be rectifiable with masking and stretching the colours you wish to bring out if you'd like to - but all that aside, if you're happy with the image I'd celebrate the differences rather than worry too much!! :-)
Clear skies mate!!
That's a great point! Cheers and thanks.
Thanks Luke - a very helpful, useful tutorial. I've got some first light with my new Askar V on M104 that I want to process - this is I'm sure going to be perfect for that task. BTW - the Askar V is proving to be superb!
Great to hear my friend!! so happy you're enjoying the Askar V! :-D Clear skies!
Another excellent processing tutorial Luke - loving this series you are doing! Thanks for the effort that goes into making these so clear and easy to understand / follow: learning so much every time....
Any chance of adding a tutorial in this series using the Askar C1/C2 or D1/D2 Colour Magic filters (Ha/Oiii + Sii / Oiii) on your 2600MC-Pro, on a nebula to give SHO or similar? Appreciate its a bit late in the season, but there's still a few stragglers up there apparently, above the ever-present clouds.... Cheers mate.
Thanks ever so much Ian! :-) I really appreciate that mate, cheers!
RE: the colour magic filters, I don't currently have any plans for that to be honest mate, my apologies if that's a letdown!
Brilliant tutorial Luke. I always learn more with each of your videos. Thanks so much. For using SPCC on a nebula shot with an OSC and L-Extreme filter on my IMX571, should I choose the average spiral galaxy as the White Reference, or something like photon flux? Thanks. Dr B from Manitoba, Canada 🇨🇦
Hey Dr.B! - I'd probably use the average spiral galaxy reference, but there's no harm in making a clone first right before application and trying both ways - you may find that you prefer one over the other! :-) Good luck mate!
@@lukomatico The beauty of PixInsight is you can always clone and do side by side comparisons or just undo a process, tweak the parameters and try it again! Thanks Luke. Clear skies buddy! Dr B from Manitoba, Canada 🇨🇦
Thanks for this, I used your links to complete my purchase for the RC Astro Tools! Cheers!
Aw mate that's so kind of you, thank you very much indeed for your support! :-) I hope they bring you tons of enjoyment!!
@@lukomatico no problem, I know how much work you put into this content, was on a trial, and your right, these tools are like magic. Actually, your links saved me a bit of money as well, so thank you!
That's just fantastic to hear!! :-D thank you again my friend!
Cheers on another great video mate. A few questions/comments: 1) Why did you decide to stretch the stars with the galaxies and not remove them first and then stretch separately? I've found GHS takes away some of the star color and but using ArcSin to stretch stars leaves the color. 2) I've read and seen videos that indicate that BlurX on 'Correct Only' should be ran first before using SPCC. Then after SPCC, run the 'normal' BlurX. I know it adds time to the processing but other than that, what is your thoughts on that workflow? 3) Your method on using GHS to stretch the galaxy is the easiest one I've seen so far and I like the results - kudos! When I tried this stretching method on the Leo Triplet, 2 of the galaxies looked great but the 3rd was looking blown out. I tried to use a mask on the one galaxy but mask don't appear to work when stretching (only when using Curves). Any suggestions on the stretching when there's multiple galaxies? Keep those videos coming Luke!!!
Hey there mate! - Just want to start off by saying thank you again for your wonderful support, it's hugely appreciated!! :-)
To answer your questions -
1: I totally hear you! I try to stretch everything together for broadband targets now in order to keep everything looking as natural as possible (to my eye at least!) it's certainly achievable with other methods though, so if what you're doing looks best to you - keep doing it, 100%!
2: That used to be the case yeah! running correct only first was sometimes much better - however Russell Croman says since the advent of model 4.0 of the AI it's generally no longer a required step :-)
3: So happy to hear it's been easy to use!! - Regarding using it on multiple targets with different brightness levels, that's a challenge! - I'd probably say to give them an initial smaller stretch using the brightest of the galaxies as your reference, being sure to tame the core a little if possible with the SP, then make your second stretch attempt and see how it goes from there - regarding masked stretching, it should work as long as the mask isn't too conservative, I've certainly done that before in tricky stretching situations!
- one other possible technique would be to stretch the brightest galaxy until it's just about overblown in the core, take a range mask on that bright core, and reverse stretch it a bit :-)
Good luck! hope that helps and thanks again! :-D
Luke
Great video Luke! Thanks for sharing your workflow on galaxy processing. Btw.... apply another BTX at the end. Best sharpening tool ever once all the rest of the processing is done. 😊
for some reason in the range mask step (in your case I see that when the screen turns red the mask disappears as such. In my case the mask remains on the screen no matter how many times I drag it and that means that when opening curves in preview mode The image looked just as blurry as when I was making the mask.
Muy buen tutorial de como procesar Galaxias, estoy reprocesando todo lo que tengo guardado en mi disco para utilizar con este tutorial. Gracias !! un abrazo
That's wonderful to hear, my friend!! :-D thank you so much for your kind words!
Hugs right back! 👍👍
Hey Luke, thank you for this tutorial, really enjoyed it, also great data and stunning result ! I have 2 questions, how do you end up with stacking artefacts ? When i run WBPP script, it applies an autocrop to my images and i don't have to crop any further. I also noticed in your previous tutorials, you used gradient correction/graxpert before SPCC, does it makes any noticable difference in your opinion ? Thanks and clear skies, mate !
Hey mate! - Thanks so much!
RE: WBPP autocrop, that's perfect - I just include it as a step for those who need it, or are directly following along with this stack :-)
On the note of order of usage for gradient correction/graxpert and SPCC - I've tried both ways and not noticed a difference really, there may be one though!
Cheers!
As always an excellent video, I learnt a lot more about GHS. Thank you ;)
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching mate!! 👍👍
I am really new to this and I am building my first rig. I love your video on how to start using PI. It would help me tremendously if I understood how the original image was obtained. Did you use a colour camera, what kind of filters and settings were used and how you stacked the images. One aspect I always wonder about is do you use the default settings for RGB or force it so all channels are the same on the histogram? I would also like to know if you are using short exposures because of your Bortle 7 skies? Are you using a cooled camera? Do you have a video you can point me to that might answer these questions? Thanks for your amazing videos!
Hello Luke. I'm going to run through this workflow this weekend. I got some nice Bortle 3-4 ;-) galaxy data this trip. I finally know what the hell you are talking about now. I broke down and got PI. I have to re-visit all of your past videos now.
That's just awesome to hear!! I hope you have a ton of fun with it :-D Good luck mate!
Another great result Luke👍
Thank you ever so much Pete my friend!! :-D Clear skies to you mate!
Nice processing. The only thing I'd further do is give the stars a bit more 'life' as they look kinda dead to me, but really like the new processing flows :)
Thanks mate!! I agree yeah, giving those stars more colour is a nice touch 👍
Clear skies!
Cracking tutorial matey look forward to catching up tomorrow 👍
Thanks mate!! it was lovely to meet again! :-D
Hi Luke, So on your previous video processing galaxies from RGB you did the gradient correction before doing photometric calibration, but here you did it the other way round. Any good reason. I'd have thought the former way was a better approach?
Hey Richard! - I have no good reason, no haha - I've tried both ways around, for me it ends up not making much difference in the end but your mileage may vary of course!
Cheers mate!
Hey great video wich version on pixinsight version i got to use the option of black or white borde
i get this error: Database files not available for the Gaia DR3/SP catalog, or the XPSD server is not properly configured. When doing SPCC
You'll need the GAIA database files installing mate, best sorted with a Google on 'pixinsight SPCC setup' 👍
Very nice tutorial, like always. Thanks a lot :)
Thanks my friend!!
Great tutorial, as always. Keep up the good work ;)
Thank you mate!!
hey man, thanks for sharing your data - this was the best lesson I could ask for. I was wondering if it was my gear, processing tools or skills that i need to address to produce better images. Turns out everything bit by bit😂. I highly recommend this to all that are starting out that wonder if it is your data thats shite or is it processing. My C6N with ASGT with sony a6500 is actually decent and not as much behind your gear as I thought. I am processing with free tools and lack good noise reduction tool. Processing your data my way got me quite nice results with a bit background noise visible but i pulled out similar amount of detail.I lack sufficient integration time and my camera (or the way I use it) leaves me with a bit more noise that is uglier even after getting about 2hrs of darks at the end of the session. This was a.fantastic way to figure stuff out. Thanks again.This is a bit long but if you actually read till the end - can you share how much integration time this data has? If it was mentioned somewhere I missed it.
Hey mate! Thanks so much for the great message, so glad to hear you're making progress 👍👍
Re: integration time, I believe somewhere around 6 hours from bortle 7 skies, but I can't be totally certain anymore
Hi Luke, great videos. But with this one I came across a problem when working through your example & data. When I tried to do the SPCC, it threw the following error :- "Robust linear regression (R/G): 0%
*** Error: Insufficient data: only 0 sample(s) are available; at least 5 are required.
Reading swap files...
2883.556 MiB/s
"
I'm a total noob, so I have no idea what this means or what I did wrong. Any help would be most appreciated. Many thanks
Hi, im using PI v 1.8.9-3 and your data - but when i use SPCC it errors with "*** Error: Insufficient data: only 1 sample(s) are available; at least 5 are required." - what have i done wrong ?
You may need to alter the scale setting mate, sorry I can't be more specific at the moment as I'm not near a PC to check
@@lukomatico thank you for replying
Incredible work 🌌
Thank you so much!!
Thank you so much for this video. Very thorough very clear.
Glad you enjoyed it my friend, cheers!! :-D
Thanks! if I don't have blurXterminator (being $100 AU just for that one), what else could I use through pixinsight?
You could potentially run EZ decon in it's place if you can get the repository installed 👍👍 hope that helps!
If not available, it could be skipped :-)
Gradient Correction is a new tool and this is the first that I have seen of it. I do not have it on my version, so I am updating tonight. Does GradientCorrection replace DBE?
it would replace it yeah :-) cheers!
I am thinking of moving over to pixinsight from PS but I want to ask what may be a controversial question. When using things like noisexterminator and blurxterminator how much of the image becomes AI generated, and how much remains your own capture? I worry that it'll get to a point where the image is no longer mine but is an AI interpretation.
I hear you completely mate! - as long as you use BlurXterminator in the unstretched/linear phase of processing it's able to do it's job accurately and without hallucinations 👍
Regarding noisexterminator, that's free to be used at any time, it won't hallucinate details etc
Hope that helps!
@lukomatico I've downloaded the pixinsight trial and will see how I get on with it. I can see hours of tutorial videos in my future. How's the Uranus-c pro going BTW? I bought the Uranus-c after seeing your review a couple of years back, but I'm thinking of upgrading to a cooled camera this year.
Great tutorial, thanx! What was the total exposure time in this case?
Thank you my friend!! - good question by the way, I think it was around 5 hours on this one :-) Cheers!
SPCC fails for me. See failed script message below:
*** Error: Database files not available for the Gaia DR3/SP catalog, or the XPSD server is not properly configured.
Reading swap files...
5648.214 MiB/s
Anyone know why?
I loaded version 3 of graxpert PixInsight said it was not supported I could not find ver 2 I was thinking of using it Stand alone until PI updates
Sorry to hear you've had issues with this my friend!
There is any tutorial without icon tools? For some reason the tools don't load on my pc and for learn how you do the mask for exemple
Sorry to hear that they aren't loading correctly, you may need to copy them into your pixinsight subfolder directly first as I did have a similar issue after the recent update but doing that fixed it.
Good luck! 👍
I follow this tutorial with my own data (m101) and thanks to myself is alot of improve on my pics my only question is on my final image I had like a gradient on on of my corners don't know why (it show off rigth after SCNR but anyway I'm happy with my result
M101 on a redcat 51 hahaha
On few days I will have a new zwp FF107 so I excited
Nice one mate, congratulations!! :-D
RE: the light edges, it can be overcorrection of flats if you are using them, or if not then perhaps your crop needs to be stronger before applying GraXpert to prevent it from artifacting
Hope that helps!
the process icons luke file is greyed out and i cannot load in PI, can you tell me why
Sorry to hear that they aren't loading correctly, you may need to copy them into your pixinsight subfolder directly first as I did have a similar issue after the recent update but doing that fixed it.
Good luck! 👍
What I want to know is what equipment you're using.
This was taken with a skywatcher 300pds Newtonian, aplanatic coma corrector, asi2600mc pro camera 👍 cheers for watching!
Thanks so much for this tutorials. Now I only need a high focal length scope for galaxy season xD
Thank you for watching mate!! :-D
I am trying to learn better galaxies and on the first Step: I get stuck
Robust linear regression (R/G): 0%
*** Error: Insufficient data: only 0 sample(s) are available; at least 5 are required.
Reading swap files...
2505.042 MiB/s
sorry about the late reply to this, - it sounds like it can't detect stars for some reason during image solver? if so, are you using the right focal length & pixel size for the data set you're trying to solve, and it needs data that's un-edited, unstretched. Good luck!
@@lukomatico WAs my bad working with non linear images I started over and followed this to the end. By far my best galaxy yet, I will reprocess and watch again, thank you very much for this Guide.
Many thanks for that tutorial. Any chance of a supplementary vid on blending in Ha data from a NB filter? I have all my data ready to go on Andromeda with an IR cut and an ALP-T🙏
hi , great job , i recommend also scripts GAME for galaxies and clone stamp for some minor adjustment
Great video. Thank you but I have the latest version of PixNsight 1.8.9-2 but no GradientCorrection.
Sorry to hear it's not there for you mate, that's very odd!! Perhaps a full reinstall may be needed.
Cheers!
Hello 👋 Luk.Great video again😊.Everything that i learned for pixinsight is from your video.Thank you for the great work 👍 😀 and the lessons.Can you make a video for Ha-Lrgb for galaxies;😊😊
Great to hear mate, thank you!! :-D I'll look into HA-lrgb at some point yeah! :-D
error is narrowbandnormalization
I personally wouldn’t leave a bright star on the edge of the frame. It’s all subjective, though.
Great point! I did think about that one while I was recording, haha! :-D Clear skies!
@@lukomatico I apologize. Sometimes I just can’t help myself from being overly critical. I’ll make up for it by saying you’re perhaps the most thorough reviewer of astro cameras I’ve seen. Sara Matthew’s is a close 2nd. You’ve helped so many with your informative and rather politely cordial channel. Thanks so very much.
Nice work.
Thank you! Cheers!