Before you join
Check that you have the software and skills to use our processing guides and Ready-to-Process Master Datasets before subscribing. These requirements are public; no account or membership is needed.
Software purchased separately
Our documented workflows use PixInsight. Install it on a compatible computer and review the publisher’s current system requirements. Some workflows also use separately licensed RC Astro plugins, including BlurXTerminator, NoiseXTerminator, and StarXTerminator, plus additional scripts. Each guide lists its specific tools.
Membership does not include PixInsight, third-party software, licenses, or catalog downloads. Check current pricing and installation instructions directly with each publisher before subscribing.
Opening data and following a guide
Our current masters are XISF files, intended for processing rather than ordinary photo viewing. PixInsight opens them; other XISF-compatible applications may also do so. The RC Astro plugins are used for processing, not simply opening the files. Following our documented steps requires the tools listed for that guide; alternative software may use different steps and produce different results.
Basic skills and storage
You should be comfortable opening and saving images in PixInsight, duplicating views, applying processes, and distinguishing an STF display stretch from a permanent stretch. The guides explain our processing choices and settings; they are not a complete introduction to PixInsight.
Check each dataset’s format and size before downloading. Use a computer with adequate memory and free disk space for multiple working images; allow substantially more space than the original download. Preserve the masters and process copies. A telescope or your own image acquisition is not required to work with the supplied data.
What membership provides
Both plans include all published processing documentation. Monthly membership ($10/month) includes one new complete dataset per paid billing month, with no rollover. Annual membership ($99/year) includes unlimited dataset selections. Each dataset includes all its published master files, already calibrated, aligned, and stacked, ready for you to process into your own finished image. Previously selected datasets can be downloaded again during active membership without using another allowance. Individual exposures, calibration frames, and our final processed artwork are not included. You can share your processed results and sell physical prints with StellarPix source credit, including after membership ends for legitimately downloaded datasets. Redistribution of the master data is prohibited.
Read the full membership terms →Cocoon software checklist
Required to follow the recorded LRGB workflow. These tools are not all needed just to open the masters. Software and licenses are not included with membership.
- PixInsight with ChannelCombination, ScreenTransferFunction (STF), SpectrophotometricColorCalibration (SPCC), GradientCorrection, and MultiscaleAdaptiveStretch available. Install the catalog resources required by SPCC, including Gaia DR3/SP, following PixInsight’s instructions.
- RC Astro’s PixInsight tools, installed and licensed: BlurXTerminator for correction and sharpening (recorded: 2.0.4 / AI 4), NoiseXTerminator for noise reduction (2.3.3 / AI 3), and StarXTerminator for star separation (2.3.11 / AI 11).
- ImageBlend from Cosmic Photons for the luminance/colour blend (recorded: 2.7). Add the publisher’s repository in PixInsight and check for updates.
Optional experiments
DarkStructureEnhance and CurvesTransformation appear only in the separate Hα finishing experiments. They are not required for the supplied LRGB baseline. Hα data is not included.
Versions above record the original session, not minimum requirements or a guarantee of identical results in newer releases. The PixInsight version was not recorded; check that the named processes are available before joining. Four XISF masters total approximately 547 MiB; allow additional space for working copies and intermediate images. Calibration, alignment, and stacking are already complete; you do not need to repeat them.
Before you join: software, skills, and downloads →