Our PixInsight processing guides are designed to be easy-to-follow tutorials with images and instructions. Learn how to process images of the subject step-by-step and achieve a result that you can be proud of! Processing guides can be accessed with the Processing Bundle or purchased individually.

  • Lifetime access with free updates

  • Compatible across platforms (Windows, Mac, Mobile...)

  • Videos with commentary

  • Downloadable videos for offline learning

Get the BEST out of your Files

Don't underestimate how much potential your data has! Reveal all the hidden beauty in your image that doesn't show in our Smart Telescope app!

What People Say

Karl Morris

5 star rating

“Awesome Job!! I think overall this was an excellent tutorial. I moved away from PS, the learning curve for me was jumpy and all over the place form online sources. Two weeks ago I downloaded Pixlnsight, went through an in depth short course for...”

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“Awesome Job!! I think overall this was an excellent tutorial. I moved away from PS, the learning curve for me was jumpy and all over the place form online sources. Two weeks ago I downloaded Pixlnsight, went through an in depth short course for the basic foundations and understandings to get me to a start point. If you're a true beginner, maybe buy Galactic Hunter Beginner PixInsight Processing Guide, then move to the others. This was exactly what I was looking for after that foundation study. This is targeted towards narrowband, causing me hesitancy as I only have a OSC, I do use dual/tri band filters with the OSC, and if I wanted to keep the channels separate during processing this tutorial has given me great insight in how to do that. I also had no issues following the process just using OSC data. Nothing less than a 10/10 here, two slightly different workflows would be have been nice though, maybe with two different Nebula. [Now included]. The interface is seriously 10/10, great job! Ease of Use 10/10 Value 10/10 Awesome job!!”

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Jim Eckes

5 star rating

“Great Job. This answered a lot of questions.”

“Great Job. This answered a lot of questions.”

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taj martinez

5 star rating

“Beyond all expectations 5 stars if you don't want to Read the review. So lets go back towards the end of 2024 Octoberish. My son's 10 years old started falling in love with space. and learning about nebulas. so we were watching YouTube videos abou...”

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“Beyond all expectations 5 stars if you don't want to Read the review. So lets go back towards the end of 2024 Octoberish. My son's 10 years old started falling in love with space. and learning about nebulas. so we were watching YouTube videos about telescopes and so I knew what he was looking at image wise so I started looking at smart telescopes that stacked the photo and would give him a glimpse of what he's most curious about. so we watched your vespera videos 30x and comparison video, I let him choose telling him I will work the overtime and get it if you truly want it so after a couple months of watching videos about it and different reviews he would have your videos on repeat. So come Christmas I bought him the vesperra 2 and the 3 filters and the warmer to prevent fog when its cold. Then i started thinking if there was a course or class specific to editing the vespera photos.(smart telescope photos) and I started looking and I seen a different tutorial you posted on the Channel. Which led me to website and led me to the "exact" thing i was looking for. The knowledge I learned in the course priceless the lesson plan is very informative and laid out in way that truly anyone can get through with time patience and practice. My only tip is make copies as you go of your work. Because I messed it up a few times. But the more you do it the more familiar you are the better the experience gets. My intentions are to teach my son what I learned in hoping he will be able to process his images from the new telescope. So for that I'm forever grateful. Thank you. I mean that. I'm sure I will take the other courses because now I'm curious of the full pix insight potential and new found love inside astrophotography. Thank you again. 5 STARS”

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Jason Knight

5 star rating

“Good job”

“Good job”

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Bruce Leski

5 star rating

“What is REFRESHING to see is the detail in the course work as well as the detail in the downloaded books. I really like the notes, and star charts with examples. Great work ! Thanks, B.Leski”

“What is REFRESHING to see is the detail in the course work as well as the detail in the downloaded books. I really like the notes, and star charts with examples. Great work ! Thanks, B.Leski”

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Aerial Drone Master

5 star rating

“The course is great for beginners, everything is explained in easy to understand language with plenty of examples Tom Toka ( Aerial Drone Master )”

“The course is great for beginners, everything is explained in easy to understand language with plenty of examples Tom Toka ( Aerial Drone Master )”

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Mupanga Mwanakatwe

5 star rating

“An excellent guide and introductory tutorial to comet processing. Direct, to the point and explains all the essentials and key elements required to achieve a great result. Bravo and well done !! ”

“An excellent guide and introductory tutorial to comet processing. Direct, to the point and explains all the essentials and key elements required to achieve a great result. Bravo and well done !! ”

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Edward Mizzi

5 star rating

“I was looking for a resource that would guide me, step by step and this workflow does just that, Thanks to Galactic Hunter for developing these resources and offering them at reasonable prices.”

“I was looking for a resource that would guide me, step by step and this workflow does just that, Thanks to Galactic Hunter for developing these resources and offering them at reasonable prices.”

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Course Curriculum

    1. Welcome to our Smart Telescope Processing Workflow!

    2. Table of Contents

      FREE PREVIEW
    3. Come Say Hello! ☕️

    4. How to Transfer Data from a Smart Telescope?

    5. Processing - Before We Start

    6. Download our Raw Data

    7. Download our Process Icons

    1. Star Alignment

    2. Stacking

    1. Dynamic Crop

    2. Background Extraction

    3. Star Size Reduction and Detail Enhancements

    4. Noise Reduction

      FREE PREVIEW
    5. How to Install the Gaia Catalogs

    6. Image Solver

      FREE PREVIEW
    7. Spectro-Photometric Color Calibration (SPCC)

    8. Stretch to Non-Linear

    1. [Optional] Green Removal

    2. Star Extraction

    3. Detail Enhancements Using a Mask

    4. Contrast Curves

    5. Turning a Smart Telescope Image into Hubble Palette

    6. Various Improvements

    7. Adding the Stars Back and Reducing their Size

    8. Final Curves and Image Export

    1. The Final Image

    2. Before you go...

    3. The Galactic Course Ultimate Bundle

    1. PixInsight Keyboard Shortcuts Cheat Sheet

    2. Free Alternatives to the RC-Astro Plugins

    3. Case Study #1: Processing the Pinwheel Galaxy (M101)

    4. Case Study #2: Processing the Orion Nebula (M42)

    5. Case Study #3: Processing the Andromeda Galaxy (M31)

    6. Case Study #4: Processing the Sombrero Galaxy (M104)

About this course

  • $24.00
  • 34 lessons
  • 2.5 hours of video content

Understand How to Transfer your Files to your Computer

Before you learn how to process data from your smart telescope, you'll need to learn how to properly transfer your files to your computer! See the best ways to copy files from your Seestar, Vespera, Unistellar telescope, DWARF and others to your computer, and import them to PixInsight.
Comet capture on NINA

Align and Stack your Files

Import your Smart Telescope files into PixInsight (or the ones we provide) and learn how to align and stack them the proper way! This will give you a master file ready to be processed.
Comet files

Process the File and Export!

Once the aligning and stacking is done, it is time to process the image! See how to easily create a beautiful picture of your object and export it once you are proud of your result!
Process smart telescope data on PixInsight

Ready to Process?

Whether you are planning to use your own data or the provided raw data, you can be certain to get great results. Thanks to its easy-to-follow structure, you will be able to open this guide on the side every time you work on a new image until you have absorbed all the steps and techniques naturally.
Smart Telescope Processing Guide Soul Nebula

Full Access to the Galactic Lounge ☕️

A Space where Everyone is Welcome

Join the Galactic Lounge, a growing community for astrophotographers to connect, share tips, ask questions, and get expert help. Access a supportive forum for all things Astrophotography, share photos, and stay updated on events and announcements!
Galactic Lounge Community Home page

Free PixInsight Shortcuts PDF

All the Shortcuts in One Place

Get access to a printable PDF file that lists the PixInsight Keyboard Shortcuts, all on one single sheet. This is a very useful resource to have on the side which will make your processing much faster.
PixInsight shortcuts sheet

Get the Smart Telescope Processing Guide Now

Instantly access our Smart Telescope Processing Workflow and start learning immediately!

Bonus Material

  • Raw Data

    This workflow contains raw data of the "Soul Nebula" and other targets taken with a smart telescope. You can download this data to practice or follow along with the guide.

  • Process Icons

    Download our custom PixInsight process icons and easily import them into your own PixInsight window! This will help you save time during processing and teach you how to manage icons.

  • Discount for Ultimate Bundle

    Upon completion of this course, you receive a $50 discount for access to our Ultimate Bundle - which provides access to all courses and guides, plus perks.

Extra Content!

Learn processing techniques for various deep sky objects and smart telescopes

Additional 4K walkthrough tutorial videos are added to the guide over time as "case studies". These commentary videos teach you how to process different galaxies, nebulae, and clusters from start to finish so that you can get the same result as ours! These are useful as they help you learn how to work with various types of targets.
Processing the Orion Nebula from a smart telescope

Antoine Grelin

Instructor Bio:

Antoine Grelin is a French-American astrophotographer and is one-half of Galactic Hunter. Along with his wife Dalia, Galactic Hunter offers astrophotography tutorials, guides, gear reviews, and complete courses for all levels of skill and equipment.
Galactic Hunter images have been featured in NASA publications, Astronomy Magazine, BBC, and PBS Television, and have been recognized with awards from APOD, Flickr Explore, AAPOD2, and more.

Antoine Grelin

Instructor

Awards & Features

Our astrophotography has been featured in the following and many more:

  • AAPOD 2 Logo
  • PetaPixel France
  • NASA Logo
  • BBC Sky At Night magazine
  • PBS Outdoor Nevada astrophotography
  • Universo Magico Logo
  • ZWO Logo
  • QHYCCD logo
  • Space Junk podcast logo

FAQ

  • Can I follow this course if I never used PixInsight?

    This guide assumes you have basic knowledge of PixInsight, which is why it is quite compact and goes through each process quickly. In case you are a complte beginner or feel “rusty”, be sure to take a look at our Beginner's Guide to PixInsight which is the perfect starting point before tackling all other guides!

  • Do I need my own files to use the course?

    Not necessarily. We encourage you to use your own data, but also provide high-quality master files of the Pleiades that we shot from the Nevada desert! You can download these files to follow along and do exactly what we do in the videos with the exact same files. This is great if you'd like to practice before using your own data.

  • How long will I have access to the course material?

    Courses that are purchased individually give you lifetime access with no expiry date. Bundles on the other hand, which include all courses at a low price, have a small yearly renewal fee. More info on that can be found on the bundle pages.

  • What kind of support is available if I have questions during the course?

    We receive a lot of emails and messages on social media each day from people seeking help with astrophotography. We do our best to reply to everyone, but it is not always possible. We prioritize emails from both Galactic Course members and Patreon.

  • Can I access the course on mobile devices?

    Yes, you can access the course on any device, which include computers, tablets, and smartphones.

  • Can I access the course offline?

    The course lessons are hosted on an online platform, but you will have the option to download the videos and watch them at any time, even when offline!