This page provides details of the PixInsight scripts and processes available for download from this site .
ColourMask
Repository address:
https://www.cosmicphotons.com/pi-modules/colourmask/
Requires PixInsight 1.8.9-2 build 1604 or later
This process is based on the excellent ColorMask script that forms apart of the standard PixInsight installation and was written by Rick Stevenson. In 2023 Boris Emchenko and I created a modified version of Rick’s script which has been (and continues to be) available for download from this site. I am now pleased to offer this as a process with the additional functionality of linking in to the PixInsight Realtime Preview. This allows you to see the mask in realtime and enables much easier fine tuning.
The process has full accompanying documentation accessible via the usual documentation button on the process interface.
After installation the process can be found in Process>MaskGeneration.
SolarToolbox
Repository address:
https://www.cosmicphotons.com/pi-modules/solartoolbox/
Requires PixInsight 1.8.9-2 build 1597 or later
This process allows users to process solar image data in PixInsight with real-time feedback using the PixInsight real-time preview functionality. The process allows you to colourise your monochrome data, provides an innovative approach to increase contrast and sharpness, plus we offer a proprietary way to stretch data to help boost faint or hidden prominences while keeping the solar data all in phase
The process has been developed in collaboration with Bill Blanchen. Bill has produced a video on his YouTube channel illustrating the use of the SolarToolbox process. The video is linked here
After installation the process can be found in Process>Solar.
ImageBlend
Repository address:
https://www.cosmicphotons.com/pi-scripts/imageblend/
The ImageBlend script allows images to be blended together using a range of blending methods. It also allows you to apply a stretch to the constituent images so you can balance the relative pixel intensities to your liking. A filter (blur or high pass) can be applied to the blend image and its opacity can be adjusted. This brings into PixInsight, much of the functionality that some users have sought by exporting images out to other image processing software. There is full documentation available from within the script.
After installation the script can be found in Script>Utilities.
NBColourMapper
Repository address:
https://www.cosmicphotons.com/pi-scripts/nbcolourmapper/
The NBColour mapper allows you to combine greyscale images by “colourising” each of them with a hue and saturation of your choice and then blending them together. The script also allows the pixel intensities of each channel to be balanced and the background can be neutralised – all with a real-time preview. The script includes full documentation.
With version 1.1 you can now add RGB layers into the mix. Furthermore you can adjust layers by reference to other layers. This latter facility provides considerable flexibility, for example the script can be used to enable continuum subtraction (the documentation provides more details).
NBColourMapper has been produced in consultation with Adam Block. Adam has produced a YouTube video which is linked here. Adam and I did a session on The Astro Imaging Channel which is linked here. There is also further material on this script and a wealth of other material on Adam’s site at https://wwww.adamblockstudios.com.
After installation the script can be found in Script>Utilities.
NarrowbandNormalization
Repository address:
https://www.cosmicphotons.com/pi-modules/narrowbandnormalization/
The NarrowbandNormalization process has been produced in collaboration with Bill Blanshan. The process helps balance the intensities of the three channels in a narrowband image.
Bill has produced a video on his YouTube channel illustrating the use of the NarrowbandNormalization process. The video is linked here
After installation the script can be found in Process>ColorCalibration.
StarReduction
Repository address:
https://www.cosmicphotons.com/pi-scripts/starreduction/
The StarReduction script has been produced in collaboration with Bill Blanshan. The script implements a variety of star reduction techniques, the effect of which can be seen in the real-time preview before applying them to your image.
Bill has produced a video on his YouTube channel illustrating the use of the script. The video is linked here.
After installation the script can be found in Script>Utilities.
ScreenStars
Repository address:
https://www.cosmicphotons.com/pi-scripts/screenstars/
The ScreenStars script has been produced in collaboration with Bill Blanshan. The script facilitates star removal and replacement using the screening/unscreening blending method. It also incorporates a new approach whereby the images are “reverse stretched” to a pseudo-linear state prior to removal or replacement. This can improve colour retention in the stars, particularly when moving to a very different colour pallet (eg RGB stars to a narrowband starless image).
Bill has produced a video on his YouTube channel illustrating the use of the script. The video is linked here.
After installation the script can be found in Script>Utilities.
DrawAnnotation
Repository address:
https://www.cosmicphotons.com/pi-scripts/drawannotation/
Sometimes you want to produce a version of your image with an arrow pointing to something of interest, perhaps a supernova, an asteroid, or an artefact that you would like help removing. You may also wish to add some free form text alongside to describe the object.
Until now that is awkward to do in PixInsight and I have tended to resort to loading the image into a different program to do this. The DrawAnnotation script now makes this a breeze. It has a preview facility and allows you to define an arrow and text and place these with mouse clicks.
After installation the script can be found in Script>Render
BatchFITSKeywordEdit
Repository address:
https://www.cosmicphotons.com/pi-scripts/bfke/
The BatchFITSKeywordEdit script allows you to add, edit or delete FITS keywords from multiple files. The edited files are output to a specified folder/directory.
Adam Block has produced a video introduction to using this script which can be found here.
After installation the script can be found in Script>Batch Processing.
ColorMask
Repository address:
https://www.cosmicphotons.com/pi-scripts/colormask/
The ColorMask script, written by Rick Stevenson, forms part of the standard distribution with PixInsight. The script allows you to produce masks based on selecting specified colours within your image.
Boris Emchenko and I have recently enhanced the script’s functionality. We hope that, in due course, PixInsight will include our enhanced version as part of the standard distribution but until then we offer it for download here.
After installation this new version will appear as ColorMask_mod under Script>Utilities. The original ColorMask script will still be there as well.
A YouTube video about this script by Adam Block is here.
GeneralizedHyperbolicStretch
Repository address:
https://www.ghsastro.co.uk/updates/
GeneralizedHyperbolicStretch (GHS) is a utility to allow highly controllable pixel transformations (stretches) to astronomical images.
GHS is available as both a script and a process. Both can be downloaded from the repository specified above.
GHS is a collaborative effort between myself and fellow astrophotographer Dave Payne. He and I have worked together to create the GHS script and process. (Note the process version is only available for PixInsight 1.8.9-1 or later, users of earlier PixInsight versions can use the GHS script).
More details about GHS, including instructional video tutorials, can be found at the dedicated GHS website here.
CloseView
Repository address:
https://www.cosmicphotons.com/pi-scripts/closeview/
The CloseView script has been produced in collaboration with Bill Blanshan with a specific use case in mind.
Its intended use is to facilitate implementing a sequence of actions in a process container. When doing this, it is sometimes necessary to produce interim images which will not be needed once the sequence has been completed. The CloseView script can be used within the process container to close down these interim images, thus tidying the workspace before the process container exits.
Bill has produced a video on his YouTube channel illustrating the use of the script. The video is linked here.
CopyAstrometricSolution
Repository address:
https://www.cosmicphotons.com/pi-scripts/copyastrometricsolution/
The CopyAstrometricSolution is a simple script that will do just what it says! It can be used to copy from a source view to the current active view. It can also be used in combination with an image container to copy an astrometric solution to a group of images in bulk.
After installation the script can be found in Script>Utilities.