Seti Astro Scripts come to the Mac as a standalone application

The popular Seti Astro Scripts have now come to the Mac as a standalone application. If you don’t use PixInsight this suite of applications will give you access to some advanced features that can be quite helpful. I personally have used FindBackground, What’s In My Image, and Continuum Subtraction with my own images.

In modern versions of Mac OS you will need to go into security and privacy preferences to allow the application to launch.

Seti Astro offers a suite of scripts designed to streamline and enhance various aspects of astrophotography image processing. Here’s an overview of their functionalities:

  • Star Stretch: Transforms linear star-only images to a non-linear state, enhancing star colors and removing green hues, preparing them for integration with starless images. (SETI Institute)

  • NB to RGB Star Combination: Combines narrowband star-only images (Ha, OIII, SII) into realistic RGB star images, with an option to apply the Star Stretch automatically. (SETI Institute)

  • Statistical Stretch: Dynamically calculates and applies image stretching based on statistical parameters, offering a preview feature for real-time adjustments. (SETI Institute)

  • FindBackground: Automatically identifies background regions suitable for processes like BackgroundNeutralization, ColorCalibration, and SPCC, aiding in accurate color correction. (SETI Institute)

  • Continuum Subtraction Utility: Processes linear narrowband and RGB images to perform continuum subtraction, creating pure signal non-linear images. (SETI Institute)

  • AutoDBE: Utilizes gradient descent to define points with custom weighting and rejection algorithms, automating the Dynamic Background Extraction (DBE) process to remove gradients. (SETI Institute)

  • Mask Merge Utility: Combines multiple masks in various ways, facilitating the isolation of specific colors or features without relying on pixel math. (SETI Institute)

  • FAME (Freehand Astro Mask Editor): Enables freehand drawing of masks, along with placing elliptical and rectangular masks, providing flexibility in mask creation. (SETI Institute)

  • What’s In My Image: Searches and explores your image by querying the SIMBAD astronomical database, helping identify celestial objects within your frame. (SETI Institute)

  • Halo B Gon: Reduces halos around stars by applying the script to star-only images, improving overall image aesthetics. (SETI Institute)

  • Blemish Blaster: Removes artifacts and blemishes from images, functioning similarly to other smart healing tools. (SETI Institute)

  • AstroMark Signature Adder: Adds your signature image directly to your main image within PixInsight, streamlining the watermarking process. (SETI Institute)

  • AstroDepth: Enhances the depth of field in images, adding a three-dimensional effect to astrophotography captures. (SETI Institute)

These scripts are available for free and can be installed via PixInsight’s repository feature or downloaded directly from the Seti Astro website as a Mac application. Each script includes informative tooltips and instructional videos to assist users in their astrophotography processing workflows. (Astroworld Creations)

For a comprehensive demonstration of these scripts, you can watch the following video: