PixInsight Learning Path
All 113 tutorials arranged into six stages following the PixInsight workflow. Starting from zero? Walk the stages in order: read the essential picks first, then explore the rest of each category.
Before You Start
Get to know the PixInsight interface and the overall workflow before setting off.
Preprocessing & Stacking
Turn a pile of raw frames into one clean stacked image: calibration frames, frame selection, rejection, and the full WBPP guide.
- The Standard PixInsight Preprocessing Workflow
- Calibration Frames in Practice: Getting Lights, Darks, Flats, and Bias Right
- The Complete WBPP Guide: Interface, Master Calibration Frames, and the Execution PipelineEarly notes
- FBPP: A Fast Preprocessing Script for Beginners
- Image Selection: Getting It Right With Blink and SubframeSelector
- Integration Rejection: Choosing an Algorithm and Reading the Rejection Map
Linear Stage
The critical work before stretching: gradient correction, color calibration, deconvolution and noise reduction — all done in the linear state.
- An Overview of the PixInsight Linear-Stage Workflow
- Where Does a Galaxy's Diffuse Gas Come From? On Why Linear Processing Matters
- Removing Light-Pollution Gradients: ABE, DBE, Gradient Correction, and GraXpert
- Color Calibration in the Linear Stage: From PCC to SPCC
- Getting Started with BlurXTerminator: A Guide and Field NotesEarly notes
- AI Noise Reduction Tools: NXT, DeepSNR, and Their Friends
Stretching & Nonlinear
Bring out the faint signal: the concepts behind STF, histogram and GHS stretching, plus masks and dynamic-range control.
- Understanding the Linear and Nonlinear States of an Image
- Understanding STF Screen Stretch: Concepts and Techniques
- Concepts and Tools for Nonlinear Stretching: The Histogram and GHS
- Making and Applying Masks in PixInsight
- HDR Dynamic Range Compression: HDRMT and iHDR
- A Workflow for Stretching and Luminance Processing of Galaxy Images
Color Management
Make your colors defensible: color-management concepts, monitor calibration, LRGB combination and narrowband palettes.
- Color Management for Astro Images: Why You Should Take It Seriously
- Monitor Color Management and Calibration: Not Just Tweaking a Display Mode
- RGBWorkingSpace (RGBWS): Principles and Applications
- Why My LRGB Has No Color: The Correct Way to Use LRGBCombination
- Narrowband Color: SHO Palettes and Common Color-Mapping Scripts
Astro Post-Processing in PS
The last mile beyond PixInsight: masks, blend modes and fine retouching in Photoshop.
- PixInsight × Photoshop Hybrid Workflow
- Photoshop Masks Series: Highlights, Objects, and Alpha Channels
- How Blend Modes Work, and Layer-Style Operations in PixInsight
- Photoshop Retouching: Halos and Blue Rings Around Bright Stars
Tools & Hardware
Choosing software, building a processing machine, and small tools that speed things up — the practical side outside the workflow.
- How to Choose Post-Processing Software: Prices and Usage Distribution of Common Programs
- Choosing a Computer for Astro Image Processing: CPU, RAM, SSD, and Real-World BenchmarksEarly notes
- What the Six Buttons at the Bottom-Left of a PixInsight Process Window Mean
- Using Process Explorer to Manage Your Go-To Processes
- Preserving Your PixInsight Processing History with Projects and XISF