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Software
Part and parcel of modern amateur astrophotography is image processing. With good digital SLRs or inexpensive modified webcams, good astro software nowadays allows amateurs to achieve the kind of results which a generation ago was only possible with professional ground-based telescopes.Here is a (non-exhaustive) list of some common tools.
| Name | Free? | Notes |
| Registax | Yes | One of the best-known astro applications around, it is pretty much the standard method of stacking images. This is the process of taking sometimes hundreds of frames, lineing them up, and adding the best together to bring out hidden detail. A must-have. |
| K3CCDTools | * | Standard tool for acquiring AVI clips or single frames at the telescope with laptop and webcam. Focus tool helps get focusing right. Latest version is pay-for, but a version 1 is free. |
| VMA | Yes | Virtual moon atlas is a great interactive - well, atlas of the moon. See the moon as it appears at any time/date, watch the terminator move, look up details of craters and seas, info on geological makeup... and free! |
| Adobe Photoshop | No | Photoshop is the standard image processing and manipulation tool the world over. Although not cheap, there are cut-down versions which have much of the functionality at a much lower price - sometimes bundled with printers, scanners, etc. |
| Carte du Ciel | Yes | CdC (or Sky Charts) is a free planetarium application. You can use it to print out finder charts before observing, track the latest comet sightings, superimpose eyepiece so you can simulate different fields of view, and much more. Also comes with a handy little ephemeris calculator |
| Deep Sky Stacker | Yes | DSS is a stacking programme, like Registax. The difference is that it's specifically aimed at deep sky or widefield images with lots of stars. It hammers the machine but results are very good. |
| IrfanView | Yes | Ifran is described as a viewer; in fact, as well as opening just about anything, it's got basic manipulation functions, and is really good for batch processing images - batch convert, crop, etc. |
| iMerge | Yes | iMerge is a little application for stitching image files together. It's particularly good for lunar files. Load up the images, move them around with the mouse or arrow keys, zoom in or out - full manual control. |
| Autostitch | * | The demo version of this program is free and it's sensational. While iMerge gives you full control, with Autostitch you just load up the source files and it magically lines them up. Don't know what the full version has - I've never used (or needed) it. (Also great for making panoramas holiday snaps) |
| NeatImage | No | This is a standalone app which also plugs in to Photoshop. Essentially it's a noise reduction filter; you have a fair degree of control over the settings. Particularly good at grain reduction and sharpening. |
There are any number of others; I'll add to the list as I get time. |
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LINKS
Sky
at Night
The forum associated with the popular BBC series. Friendly and good for beginners.
QCUAIG
Group dedicated to use and abuse of webcams and other kit for astro work.
Astro-Talk
A small, friendly, relatively new forum based in the UK.
The forum associated with the popular BBC series. Friendly and good for beginners.
QCUAIG
Group dedicated to use and abuse of webcams and other kit for astro work.
Astro-Talk
A small, friendly, relatively new forum based in the UK.