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PixInsight, is it worth it?

Steffen Hirtle GraXpert Serif Affinity Photo Processing Deep Sky
Tony GondolaBill McLaughlinGiffS
•44 replies•1.4k views
Tony Gondola avatar
Tony Gondola avatar
First off, I'm not trying to light a fire here, just a fruitful discussion ;)

I am currently processing using Siril, Graxpert and Affinity Photo and am happy with those tools. My question is, for over $300.00 US, would switching to PI be worthwhile? I do have the trial version but its tools and workflow are so different that I'm afraid I won't be familiar enough with it after 45 days to answer my own question. What do you guys think
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Bogdan Borz avatar
Bogdan Borz avatar
Of course. It's the most powerful and versatile dedicated software for astrophotography. I agree, the learning curve is a bit steep, but there are some excellent books (Warren Keller for ex.) out there and youtube channels, explaining it very well.
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Craig Dixon avatar
Craig Dixon avatar
Pixinsight is without question the single best piece of Astro “gear” I’ve ever purchased. It’s a one time purchase and has improved my images more than anything else. If you take the time to learn it, you won’t regret it.
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Claudio Tenreiro avatar
Claudio Tenreiro avatar
It is worth every penny. This does not mean that there are no other ways to achieve similar results with other set of programs. For PxI you find many, many learning resources on the web, from very basic to a highly sophisticated ones. However, I must admit that with PxI you feel that always there is something new to learn, new routines, new plug ins, and so on.
Jean-David Gadina avatar
Jean-David Gadina avatar
As a beginner, I tried a few software before moving to PixInsight almost exclusively.

DeepSky Stacker was too unstable and didn't produce good results.
Siril was nice and free, but I found the user interface too cumbersome.

Now, PixInsight's user interface is weird, and there's a learning curve, too, but once you get to know it, there's no equivalent IMHO.

As I said, I'm still a beginner, and there's much to learn, but I could get way better images with PixInsight than with Siril.
I'm sure I could get better images with Siril, too, but to my surprise, using PixInsight was more straightforward.

I would definitely recommend you watch a good tutorial on how to set it up and process images.
I used this one if you're interested:
  1. https://youtu.be/kANrkd5j_pU?si=9TnPJAYaVKt0MhlH
  2. https://youtu.be/-r__PoIQX-Q?si=8fsr3fa3_pyndrMV
  3. https://youtu.be/WSq121EDDH0?si=4l6WBs2QQqczREo0
  4. https://youtu.be/YcRItb__GcQ?si=mrMZAydqzOrICbXN
  5. https://youtu.be/QwEHmjFtIcw?si=wMmTpS1-UoMJ4cs3

The only thing I don't like about it is the curves editor.
I prefer using other software, such as Photoshop or Affinity Photo.
It gives you better control of the final output.

But curves are usually one of the last steps, so that's not a problem.
For everything else, I would say it's a must!
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Georg N. Nyman avatar
Georg N. Nyman avatar
I am using Siril, AstroPixelProcessor and PixInsight - PI is definitely the most powerful tool but also the most complicated of all. You have to really learn it, but once you have reached an imtermediate level of understanding, you love it. All other do processing of course and they are fine but PI lets you do things you cannot do with any other software. 
I would say - yes, go for PI and start learning it - there are lots of tutorials on YouTube and most of them are very good. Do not give up - most likely at the beginning, you get to a point of frustration, just overcome it and you start enjoying PI. 

CS
Georg
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Michael Jarvis avatar
Michael Jarvis avatar
I agree with the others on this thread that PI is the best investment I have made in the hobby thus far.  I have been using PI for less than a month and it has made a major difference in the quality of the images I capture.  The learning curve is nowhere as steep as advertised, especially with the abundance of YouTube tutorials presently.  Check out Cuiv, the lazy geek, SetiAstro, Paulyman, Lukomatico.  All are extremely helpful and provide links to many useful scripts/plugins.  I should have taken the plunge on PI over a year ago.
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Dave Ek avatar
Dave Ek avatar
Tony Gondola:
First off, I'm not trying to light a fire here, just a fruitful discussion ;)

I am currently processing using Siril, Graxpert and Affinity Photo and am happy with those tools. My question is, for over $300.00 US, would switching to PI be worthwhile? I do have the trial version but its tools and workflow are so different that I'm afraid I won't be familiar enough with it after 45 days to answer my own question. What do you guys think

Yes. Game changer. Not as hard to learn as everyone makes it out to be. Might be the best money I've spent on the hobby.
Oskari Nikkinen avatar
Oskari Nikkinen avatar
Yes, its worth it even if you used it only to run BlurXterminator. Lots of invaluable tools in there that you are almost guaranteed to need/want at some point.

Its a one time purchase and you will have it forever, so the price is really not that bad in the end.
Dave Rust avatar
Dave Rust avatar
Yes, PI is worth having in your tool box.

But how you use it might change over time. I used PI for most tasks for a long while. Eventually, I relied on it less. I stack with APP and stretch & finish in Photoshop. In between, there are a few tools in PI that are not reproduced elsewhere. So my workflow has evolved, much as has anyone else, I suspect.

But I am also a career-long graphic artist and advanced user of Photoshop, so it might just be a comfort thing. There is no doubt that PI is the worse designed GUI I've ever seen. But its tools are real and effective. That being said, I use 15% of them all. After all, nothing beats the process of just getting terrific data to begin with.

Learn how to use just a couple of plug-ins to start. Through sheer repetition, you'll grow comfortable with PI and start exploring other tools. I put the ones I almost always use on the top of the interface and save it as a template. That really helps speed things up, as well as reinforce your workflow memory.
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Barry Schellenberg avatar
Barry Schellenberg avatar
YES
peng155 avatar
peng155 avatar
Tony Gondola:
First off, I'm not trying to light a fire here, just a fruitful discussion ;)

I am currently processing using Siril, Graxpert and Affinity Photo and am happy with those tools. My question is, for over $300.00 US, would switching to PI be worthwhile? I do have the trial version but its tools and workflow are so different that I'm afraid I won't be familiar enough with it after 45 days to answer my own question. What do you guys think

@Tony Gondola ,
I'm in the same boat as you.. I'm on day 6 of my trial of PI... up to this point I've been using Siril and GIMP...

I am having a heck of a time learning PI, but I have been looking at all of the basic learn PI video's I can find, and understand, I'm beginning to get the hang of the work flow in PI... I recently got the kindle version of  "Inside PixInsight" by Warren Keller, to go along with my self guided training..  it was like 9 bucks... I figure it was a cheap investment before I make the decision whether to plunk $300 for the software, and then there is the possibility of forking out another $200 for the Xterminator plugin Processes...

I will say that right now there are a few things that I still do in Siril, only because I can just do a couple of clicks and it's done.. obviously as you probably already know PI gives you a bunch of adjustable settings.. that adds to my learning curve

At this point if I were smart, I probably should stay with Siril for the time being and use it to get more usage time on basic image post-processing, but since I like to diddle around with new stuff, and always  looking for an easier way to accomplish a task... In the end I'll probably end up purchasing the software at the end of trial

What sort of worries me is the possibility at some point in time PI goes from a one time purchase to a subscription model like Photoshop, and Office
Vitali avatar
Vitali avatar
Tony Gondola:
I am currently processing using Siril, Graxpert and Affinity Photo and am happy with those tools. My question is, for over $300.00 US, would switching to PI be worthwhile?


IMO PixInsight is the most advances set of image processing tools. Whether you'll be happy with it, depends on how you approach the image processing. PixInsight gives you a number of excellent tools but you have to learn how and when to use them in order to get the best results. Every tool is transparent and fully configurable, there are no black boxes. I like this.

Some people are happier with a more automated approach, where software provides more help in each processing step.
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starpixels avatar
starpixels avatar
If you see yourself in this hobby beyond a passing moment, I wouldn't look at the learning curve as a negative. Another way to look at it is… further insurance towards having enough on your plate to keep interested and stay busy learning. PI's "object based" computing structure is weird at first, especially if you hop on after half a lifetime of using Photoshop. But as you learn more of it, I think you'll come around.  As many said above, you basically can't go wrong with an industry standard. As for the $300 - I think in the big picture it's reasonable. Hopefully one day we won't all feel nostalgic about the pay-to-own model ):
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Quinn Groessl avatar
Quinn Groessl avatar
Once you have a basic workflow and your process icons saved it’s really not bad at all. There are so many free (and paid) 3rd party things that really make things simple. 

I would say if your 1/2 competent with a computer and with a decent tutorial you can put out a respectable image in an afternoon.
Bill McLaughlin avatar
Bill McLaughlin avatar
Jean-David Gadina:
Now, PixInsight's user interface is weird, and there's a learning curve, too, but once you get to know it, there's no equivalent IMHO.


Totally agree. Look at the best imagers out there and I cannot think of one that does not use PI as the main processing tool. That should say it all.

There will be a significant investment in learning and some cost but that is true of anything, anywhere that is done well.
Tony Gondola avatar
Tony Gondola avatar
Tony Gondola:
First off, I'm not trying to light a fire here, just a fruitful discussion ;)

I am currently processing using Siril, Graxpert and Affinity Photo and am happy with those tools. My question is, for over $300.00 US, would switching to PI be worthwhile? I do have the trial version but its tools and workflow are so different that I'm afraid I won't be familiar enough with it after 45 days to answer my own question. What do you guys think

@Tony Gondola ,
I'm in the same boat as you.. I'm on day 6 of my trial of PI... up to this point I've been using Siril and GIMP...

I am having a heck of a time learning PI, but I have been looking at all of the basic learn PI video's I can find, and understand, I'm beginning to get the hang of the work flow in PI... I recently got the kindle version of  "Inside PixInsight" by Warren Keller, to go along with my self guided training..  it was like 9 bucks... I figure it was a cheap investment before I make the decision whether to plunk $300 for the software, and then there is the possibility of forking out another $200 for the Xterminator plugin Processes...

I will say that right now there are a few things that I still do in Siril, only because I can just do a couple of clicks and it's done.. obviously as you probably already know PI gives you a bunch of adjustable settings.. that adds to my learning curve

At this point if I were smart, I probably should stay with Siril for the time being and use it to get more usage time on basic image post-processing, but since I like to diddle around with new stuff, and always  looking for an easier way to accomplish a task... In the end I'll probably end up purchasing the software at the end of trial

What sort of worries me is the possibility at some point in time PI goes from a one time purchase to a subscription model like Photoshop, and Office

That would be unfortunate but I suppose if you're already bought in, your old version would still function, just no updates.
Tony Gondola avatar
Tony Gondola avatar
Thanks for all the feedback, PI certainly has a lot of people who love it. I wonder if anyone can point out a particular tool or process that makes a visible difference and can't be done in any other way?
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Bill McLaughlin avatar
Bill McLaughlin avatar
Tony Gondola:
I wonder if anyone can point out a particular tool or process that makes a visible difference and can't be done in any other way?

I think most would agree that there are quite a few but the most significant/obvious is Russ Croman's Blur Exterminator.
Jim Raskett avatar
Jim Raskett avatar
I’m not absolutely sure, but BlurXterminator has huge bang for the buck. Besides Pixinsight, I believe there is a plugin for Photoshop also.

Subscription based Photoshop will cost more in the long run than Pixinsight.

Like others have mentioned, Pixinsight is the most valuable purchase that I’ve made for astro.

I use both Pixinsight and Photoshop.
The bulk of processing is done in Pixinsight, but Photoshop can be used to add some quick, but dramatic finishing touches.
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Bill McLaughlin avatar
Bill McLaughlin avatar
Jim Raskett:
Besides Pixinsight, I believe there is a plugin for Photoshop also.


There is for Noise X and Star X but not for BlurX....
Oscar avatar
Oscar avatar
yes, PI is worth it

just make sure to save your work after every process used, or at least after the ones that take up the most time (like Starnet, SXT, BXT, NXT), because PI crashes often, when I use it
Sean Mc avatar
Sean Mc avatar
Also… PI is slow as piss javascript that can’t properly handle modern computer resources. 

smile
Dan Kearl avatar
Dan Kearl avatar
yes, PI is worth it

just make sure to save your work after every process used, or at least after the ones that take up the most time (like Starnet, SXT, BXT, NXT), because PI crashes often, when I use it

In the real world this never happens.  You have a computer problem or something. Pixinsight does not crash for 99.9% of users.
Dan Kearl avatar
Dan Kearl avatar
Sean Mc:
Also… PI is slow as piss javascript that can’t properly handle modern computer resources. 


It works fine on any modern computer. I use it on a basic Mac and it works flawlessly.
You have a computer problem, it is not the software.