DeepStarMask for PixInsight
Welcome to DeepStarMask!
DeepStarMask is part of the Better PI Suite bundle.
DeepStarMask builds a grayscale star mask — an image that is bright where the stars are and dark everywhere else — so we can protect or isolate stars while we process the rest of the frame.
What sets it apart from a conventional star mask is that the coverage of each star is measured from that star’s own light using an AI model trained for this task, not stamped from a single global radius. Also, DeepStarMask adds several post-mask tools that allow us to modify how the mask is rendered for any given star in the image (say, the mask for a really bright star could use some adjustments, without disturbing every other masked star), or even directly paint on the mask with a built-in, customizable paintbrush for those final edits that other star mask tools simply do not have.
To complete the unique features of DeepStarMask, everything is tuned through the Dynamic Live Preview window: a dedicated window that can show the mask applied to our image, the mask in isolation, or the target image alone. We can also zoom-in up to 32x, pan and other useful viewer tools that we can use while the preview is refreshed live as we move the controls. We don’t need to guess what each parameter would do to the mask. We can see them in action, in real time, as we adjust them.
DeepStarMask Dynamic Live Preview
We can examine the mask as we fine-tune it, pan, zoom in and out of the preview, etc.
Try it for free
DeepStarMask is not free, but you can try it for 30 days, fully functional. Every feature is available to everyone.
To use DeepStarMask after the trial period, you need to get your forever license below. No subscription fees! Your copy is yours to keep and use forever. You would also receive free upgrades within the major version you purchased.
Installing it, in three steps
Every PixInsight process made by Deep Sky Colors is installed through DSC Hub (DSC = Deep Sky Colors), our free PixInsight process. One address gets you the hub, and the hub gets you the rest.
1. Add this repository to PixInsight:
Where do I add it?
- Open PixInsight and go to RESOURCES > Updates > Manage Update Repositories.
- Click Add, and enter the address above exactly.
- Click OK to save it, then OK again to close the window.
2. Go to RESOURCES > Updates > Check for Updates. DSC Hub appears already selected, so click Apply and restart when PixInsight asks.
3. Open PROCESS > DeepSkyColors > DSCHub. You are now looking at every process we make, with its version, what it does and what changed in its latest release. Select DeepStarMask, click Download and install, and restart. It appears under PROCESS > DeepSkyColors.
DSC Hub is free, it installs only what you select, and it leaves the rest of your PixInsight setup alone.
Prefer to add one repository per process? DeepStarMask still has its own: https://repo.deepskycolors.com/DeepStarMask/
Note that individual repositories such as this could be discontinued.
Register your copy, use it forever
DeepStarMask can be registered for personal use under a paid license. If you wish to use DeepStarMask for commercial, business, or organizational purposes, please contact us to discuss appropriate licensing options.
No subscriptions, all free v1.xx updates. Your copy is yours and once registered, it will never be deactivated. You can install and use it on any machine you have also installed PixInsight, for any of the available operating systems (your registration is valid for all offered platforms) or number of installations, as long as they are for you to use.
NOTE: After you make your purchase, you should receive an email from us, usually within 15 minutes. If, after 30 minutes you still haven’t received our message, please check your spam folder. If still nothing, contact us.
DeepStarMask Documentation
DeepStarMask’s full documentation is accessible from within DeepStarMask itself – we just need to click on the Documentation button in DeepStarMask and it will appear in the PixInsight’s Documentation browser . We have also made the same documentation available online, here:
Credits
DeepStarMask was developed using the PixInsight Class Library. Any product derived from the PCL, including DeepStarMask, must reproduce the following acknowledgment:
This product is based on software from the PixInsight project, developed by Pleiades Astrophoto and its contributors (http://pixinsight.com/).
The above statement refers to our use of the PCL to develop DeepStarMask only. DeepStarMask is developed independently, without any relation to or contributions from Pleiades Astrophoto.