PixInsight
Technical sheet for PixInsight, the professional image processing platform for astrophotography (PixelMath, process-based workflow, scripting).
Description
PixInsight is a modular, professional-grade image processing platform developed by Pleiades Astrophoto, specialized in astrophotography and technical imaging. Unlike a classic editor, everything is implemented as a process (PixelMath, calibration, noise reduction, deconvolution, non-linear stretching…) that can be chained, saved as reusable process icons, and applied again across sessions, or driven entirely through scripts (PJSR, the PixInsight JavaScript Runtime).
The software is heavily multithreaded and takes advantage of all available CPU cores, making it particularly efficient on large image stacks or big mosaics. It’s distributed under a commercial license: a single license valid on Windows, macOS and Linux, with no limit on the number of machines, and a 45-day free trial.
Technical specifications
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Type | Image processing platform, geared toward astrophotography |
| Publisher | Pleiades Astrophoto |
| License | Commercial, ≈ €300 excl. tax (perpetual, cross-platform license) |
| Free trial | 45 days |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux, FreeBSD |
| Core features | PixelMath, calibration, stacking, deconvolution, gradient reduction, non-linear stretching |
| Automation | PJSR scripts (PixInsight JavaScript Runtime), reusable process icons |
| Architecture | Heavily multithreaded, uses all available CPU cores |
| Extensibility | Third-party add-on modules (e.g. RC-Astro) |
Values from official specifications, to be refined with real-world use.
Official site: PixInsight
Strengths
- Non-destructive processing via processes/scripts, reusable across sessions.
- PixelMath: a very powerful pixel-level expression language for custom processing.
- Fully leverages multi-core CPUs, efficient on large stacks or mosaics.
- A single license valid on every platform, with no machine limit.
Coming up
This sheet will be expanded with feedback on the processing workflows used (stretching, noise reduction, channel combination…) and installed third-party modules.