Process Your Solar Images From Start to Finish

Solar processing is more than stacking a video and adding some color. Each decision affects the detail, contrast, and noise in your final image. This course puts the complete workflow in one place, in the order you need it.


10 chapters · Practice files · Lifetime access


You'll learn from Mark Johnston, solar astrophotographer, NASA Solar System Ambassador, and author of The Solar Observer's Handbook. Follow his processing methods for hydrogen-alpha, white-light, and calcium-K data, then put them into practice with the included files.

  • solar astrophotography by Mark Johnston
  • M101 the Pinwheel Galaxy
  • Sun in Calcium K tutorial

Learn From a Solar Specialist

The goal of the Galactic Course is to cover every aspect of astrophotography, with each subject taught by an expert who really understands it. For solar processing, I chose Mark Johnston, someone I admire and trust in this field.

Turn raw solar captures into images you'll be proud to share.


This course walks you step by step through a complete solar processing workflow, from stacking and sharpening to colorization, mosaics, time-lapses, and final presentation.

With practical lessons and downloadable example files, you'll learn how I process hydrogen-alpha, white-light, and Calcium K solar data.

  • Lifetime access with free updates

  • Covers H-alpha, white light, and Calcium K

  • Stacking, sharpening, colorization, and denoising

  • Learn mosaics and time-lapse processing

  • Downloadable practice files included

  • Step-by-step workflow lessons

By the end of this course, you'll be able to...

  • Use AutoStakkert! to analyze, align, and stack your video files.
  • Recover fine detail with ImPPG without pushing sharpening too far.
  • Adjust contrast, color, and final presentation in Affinity.
  • Reduce noise while preserving real solar structure.
  • Follow an optional PixInsight workflow using Solar Toolbox.
  • Combine panels into solar mosaics and turn image sequences into time-lapses.
  • Recognize common processing mistakes and build a repeatable workflow of your own.


And most importantly... Get more out of your solar data!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ "If you want to take your solar imaging to the ultimate level, I recommend you let Mike Johnston be your guide. From beginner to advanced, this course covers every aspect of solar image processing, in most cases using free software. With included images and video files, you can practice the techniques explained in the many explanatory chapters and increase your own processing skills." - Nik Szymanek, award-winning astrophotographer
  • Solar Astrophotography by Mark Johnston Tutorial
  • Solar Astrophotography by Mark Johnston Tutorial
  • Solar Astrophotography by Mark Johnston Tutorial

Instructor Bio

Learn from a true expert

Mark Johnston is a solar astrophotographer and the author of The Solar Observer’s Handbook. His solar work has been featured as NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day, as well as reference images for the American Astronomical Society, and in Sky & Telescope, Astronomy, and National Geographic magazines. He’s also been sharing astronomy through public events for more than 30 years and has served as a NASA Solar System Ambassador since 2018. That combination of practical imaging experience and years of teaching makes him the perfect instructor!

Mark Johnston

Instructor

Mark Johnston's Awards & Features

Learn solar processing with a REAL expert. Mark's work has been featured in the following and many more:

  • AAS Logo
  • Astronomy Magazine Logo
  • NASA Logo
  • BBC Sky At Night magazine
  • Digital Camera World logo
  • Live Science Logo
  • Nat Geo Logo
  • Sky and Telescope logo
  • Space.com logo

Course Curriculum

    1. Table of Contents

      FREE PREVIEW

    2. How to Navigate this Course

    3. Come Say Hello! ☕️

    1. Quick Word from Antoine

      FREE PREVIEW

    2. Welcome to the course!

    3. What you will be able to do upon completing the course

      FREE PREVIEW

    4. About the instructor

    5. How the course is organized

    6. The solar processing workflow

    7. Software used in this course

    8. Computer and storage requirements

    9. Downloading practice files

    10. How to use the exercises and quizzes

    11. Before you begin survey

    1. What processing can and can't do

    2. AI Enhancement: Restoration versus Invention

    3. What makes an SER suitable for processing?

    4. Why different captures need different processing

    5. Recognizing over-processing

    6. Natural versus inverted luminance overview

    7. Choosing the Best Capture Before Final Processing

    8. File organization

    9. Foundations quiz

    1. Why stacking?

    2. AutoStakkert! interface overview

    3. Opening SER files

    4. Image stabilization settings

    5. Analyzing the data

    6. Quality estimator and graph

    7. Reference frame

    8. Inspecting the raw sequence

    9. Alignment points — what they do and how to set them

    10. Why more frames are not always better

    11. Sharpening in Autostakkert!

    12. Drizzle

    13. Running the stack

    14. Common AutoStakkert! mistakes

    15. AutoStakkert! workflow summary

    16. Complete AutoStakkert! workflow — start to finish

    17. AutoStakkert! quiz

    18. Practical exercise

    1. Sharpening: What it does and how to think about it

    2. Sharpening versus deconvolution

    3. Introducing ImPPG

    4. Opening and navigating an image in ImPPG

    5. Using Lucy-Richardson deconvolution in ImPPG

    6. Unsharp masking in ImPPG

    7. When to use adaptive unsharp masking

    8. Adjusting luminance with tone curves in ImPPG

    9. Why invert a solar image?

    10. Applying inversion with tone curves in ImPPG

    11. Recognizing oversharpening

    12. Sharpening workflow summary and demonstration

    13. Sharpening quiz

    14. Practical sharpening exercise

    1. Why Affinity For Solar Processing

    2. Importing ImPPG TIFFs & Document Setup

    3. Non-Destructive Workflow Fundamentals

    4. Cropping

    5. Rotation and Orientation

    6. Colorization Using Curves

    7. Refining Hue and Saturation

    8. Selections, Masks and Feathering

    9. Sharpening Adjustments Using the Clarity and Unsharp Mask Filters

    10. Tone Mapping and Local Contrast

    11. Using Enhance Structure for fine contrast adjustments

    12. Correcting Uneven Luminosity Gradients

    13. Dust and Blemish Repair Using Inpainting

    14. Creating Macros for Common Workflows

    15. Saving Masters and Exporting Final Image

    16. Affinity Workflow Summary

    17. Affinity exercise

    18. Affinity quiz

About this course

  • $89.00
  • 134 lessons
  • 1.5 hours of video content

Learn Solar Processing Step by Step

Follow Mark from the first stack to the final image, with written explanations, video demonstrations, and files you can practice on. Work through the course in order, or return to the technique you need when processing your next capture.

Get the Course | $129 $89 | Lifetime Access

Start With the Right Solar Data

Good processing starts before you move a single slider. Learn how to judge your captures, choose suitable SER files, and organize your data. Mark explains what processing can and cannot recover, why different solar captures need different treatment, and how to spot over-processing before it spoils your image.
Astrophotography planning tools: light pollution maps and Stellarium

Stack Your Solar Videos the Right Way

Learn how to use AutoStakkert! to turn a solar video into a clean stacked image. Follow the process from opening your SER file to reading the quality graph, placing alignment points, choosing how many frames to keep, and running the stack. You will also see when drizzle is useful and how to avoid common stacking mistakes.
Autostakkert! to stack solar images tutorial

Practice With the Same Files as Mark

You do not need to wait for your next solar imaging session to start practicing. Download the included files, follow the exercises, and compare your processing decisions before applying the workflow to your own captures.

Bring Out Detail Without Over-Processing

Recover fine solar detail with ImPPG, then finish your image in Affinity. Mark walks you through sharpening, tone curves, colorization, masks, and local contrast, along with ways to reduce noise without smoothing away real structure. Already use PixInsight? A separate optional chapter shows an alternative workflow with Solar Toolbox.
Solar image processing sharpening tutorial

Build Solar Mosaics and Time-Lapses

Do more than just a single image with two-panel and six-panel mosaic walkthroughs, then learn to process a solar time-lapse. Follow the sequence through batch stacking, sharpening, frame alignment, and final video export. Downloadable practice files and final projects help you put the methods together and develop a workflow you can repeat with your own data.
Solar mosaics and timelapses

Get the Complete Solar Processing Workflow

From your first stack to mosaics and time-lapses, learn how Mark processes solar data and follow along with the included practice files. Lifetime access lets you return to the lessons whenever you need a refresher.

$129 $89 | Lifetime Access

Practice, Check Your Progress, and Try Again

Put the lessons into practice with downloadable files, processing exercises, and quizzes. Work through stacking, sharpening, mosaics, and time-lapses, then test what you have learned with final H-alpha and photospheric image projects. You will also diagnose processing mistakes, so you can recognize them in your own work.
Solar Astrophotography course end quizzes

Full Access to the Galactic Lounge ☕️

A Space where Everyone is Welcome

Get access to the Galactic Lounge, a growing community for astrophotographers to connect, share tips, ask questions, and get expert help. Access a supportive forum for Deep Space Astrophotography, share photos, and stay updated on events and announcements!

Also get access to the Discord chat to talk to other members at anytime!
Enter the Galactic Lounge Now
Galactic Lounge Community Home page

Read, Watch, and Follow Along

Clear explanations you can revisit at your own pace

The course is taught in English through written lessons, video demonstrations, and practical exercises. Read the explanation, watch the workflow, then try it on the downloadable files. Written summaries make it easier to revisit a step while you process your own images.
Galactic Course in French, Spanish, and German with subtitles and closed captioning

Build a Solar Processing Workflow You Understand

Learn what each step does, when to use it, and how to judge the result. Join Mark Johnston for a practical course covering still images, mosaics, and time-lapses, with practice files and lifetime access.

Instant Access | $129 $89

FAQ

  • Do I need my own solar data or a telescope?

    No. Downloadable practice files are included so you can follow the processing exercises before using your own captures. To photograph the Sun yourself, you will need suitable solar equipment and must follow the safety guidance for that equipment.

  • How long will I have access?

    An individual purchase gives you lifetime access to this course, with no expiry date. You can revisit the explanations and workflows whenever you process new solar data.

  • Where can I ask questions?

    Use the discussion area in the lessons to ask course-related questions. You can also join the Galactic Lounge to share your progress and talk with other astrophotographers.

  • Can I watch the course on a phone or tablet?

    Yes. You can access the online lessons through your student dashboard on a computer, tablet, or smartphone. Following the image-processing exercises requires a computer with the appropriate software.

  • What software and computer do I need?

    The core workflow uses AutoStakkert! for stacking, ImPPG for detail recovery, and Affinity for finishing. You will need Windows or a Windows environment on a Mac for the core workflow. The introductory lessons explain the requirements and downloads. Dedicated noise-reduction tools and the PixInsight workflow are optional; you do not need to buy every application shown.

  • Do I need PixInsight experience?

    No. The main workflow uses AutoStakkert!, ImPPG, and Affinity. A separate optional chapter covers PixInsight with Solar Toolbox for students who want to use that alternative.

  • What kinds of solar images does the course cover?

    The course covers processing hydrogen-alpha, white-light, and calcium-K solar data. It also includes solar mosaics, time-lapses, and final projects using H-alpha and photospheric images.

  • Is this a capture course or a processing course?

    The focus is processing, from raw solar video to a finished image or time-lapse. You will learn how to assess your captures and plan mosaic panels, but this is not a complete course on choosing, setting up, and operating a solar telescope.

Learn about the Ultimate Membership!

Why get one when you can get ALL?

This solar image processing guide is part of the Galactic Course Ultimate Membership, which also includes our courses on Milky Way photography, Star trails, Time-lapses, Remote Imaging, smart telescopes, all our processing guides, and several perks!

Become an ultimate member to unlock all the learning content and get the very best out of your investment.