16 replies to this topic

[ChrisWhite]

I consider myself proficient with the UI of Pixinsight while admittedly not proficient with all of the processes of PI.  I have Warren Keller's book and have learned from many of the great tutorials online over the years however I just have not been able to take my processing to the next level.  I keep reading about how Adam Block's tutorials are excellent however it's really expensive if you want to get both the Fundamentals and the Horizons sets. ($450 total).

 

There are several topics in Fundamentals that I'm just not interested in learning more about, such as pre-processing, BPP etc...

 

I decided after weeks of debating that I would give Horizons a try.  Included are complete processing examples for several datasets.  I figured that with my familiarity of using PI for almost four years that I would not be lost by jumping into the advanced lessons.  I've so far watched through one of the processing examples and beginning to digest the actual tool lessons within the Horizons set.

 

I'm sure that I would get plenty out of the Fundamentals, but for someone with my experience with PI jumping into Horizons is perfectly fine.  I'm amazed so far at the little conveniences I have picked up. Like quick keys and ways to compare images as well as a better understanding of the "why" in what we are doing.  I'm really impressed so far.

[Morefield]

I like Adam's series as well.  I like to bring up a similar dataset of my own and process it along with him doing his.  I make liberal use of the pause button to iterate on my own image.  This enhances the learning for me many-fold.  

 

I used his CCDStack and Photoshop series as well.  Those were invaluable for me.

[rgsalinger]

I love these. I am not proficient in PI and probably will never be but they are terrific to just watch and then practice. I particularly like the fact that he goes into a lot of easy to understand theory. I've taken more than one image processing course and these are far more useful than the courses and far cheaper. If you give Adam a call he might well process your data with you - but there will be a price .

 

Rgrds-Ross

[AtmosFearIC]

I haven’t moved into the Horizons yet but as someone who’s only ever used PI, it was good to learn HOW some of the processes work as opposed to just what they do and fiddling with numbers and sliders.

[ChrisWhite]

I like Adam's series as well.  I like to bring up a similar dataset of my own and process it along with him doing his.  I make liberal use of the pause button to iterate on my own image.  This enhances the learning for me many-fold.  

 

I used his CCDStack and Photoshop series as well.  Those were invaluable for me.

 

Thats exactly what I did.  The Three hour video took me about six hours to get through, but it was wonderful to try a different workflow with a solid explanation of the steps being taken.  

[ChrisWhite]

I love these. I am not proficient in PI and probably will never be but they are terrific to just watch and then practice. I particularly like the fact that he goes into a lot of easy to understand theory. I've taken more than one image processing course and these are far more useful than the courses and far cheaper. If you give Adam a call he might well process your data with you - but there will be a price .

 

Rgrds-Ross

Nice to hear.  I'm looking forward to getting through the lessons as well as the additional processing examples.  In retrospect, you are correct.  These videos are pretty cheap.  If I were to sign up for a workshop there would be travel, hotels, food, etc...  

[SnowWolf]

If you are impressed with all the "why" explanations in Horizons, you might rethink your skipping Fundamntals.  It is chock full of the "why". That seems to be the main reason for its existence.  

 

I've found that it greatly enhanced my understanding of PI.

[ChrisWhite]

If you are impressed with all the "why" explanations in Horizons, you might rethink your skipping Fundamntals. It is chock full of the "why". That seems to be the main reason for its existence.

I've found that it greatly enhanced my understanding of PI.

I have a feeling ill be revisiting at some point. I just couldn't swallow spending $450 all at once! Lol...

[Peregrinatum]

I am not a subscriber to his videos, but I decided to learn his star halo removal technique from one of his free videos... I think I spent about 6 hours getting it down, but I learned so much from that video if was well worth my time... I am sure the other videos are of equal value.

[WadeH237]

If you are impressed with all the "why" explanations in Horizons, you might rethink your skipping Fundamntals.  It is chock full of the "why". That seems to be the main reason for its existence.  

 

I've found that it greatly enhanced my understanding of PI.

+1

 

I thought that I knew PixInsight pretty well, so I started with Horizons.  I went back later and got the Fundamentals series - and found out that I didn't know PixInsight as well as I thought...

[AgilityGuy]

If you are impressed with all the "why" explanations in Horizons, you might rethink your skipping Fundamntals.  It is chock full of the "why". That seems to be the main reason for its existence.  

 

I've found that it greatly enhanced my understanding of PI.

+2

 

The explanations for the processes are clear and straight forward.  Some of the most simple and straight forward suggestions he made for some of the processes that have continually given me problems have made the biggest improvement in my processing.  

[Tim]

I enjoy Adams offerings and style takes his time to try and explain what each function does. I have come back and watched a number of them a second a third time at later date to reinforce what he teaches and usually come away with a better understanding. I wished some of the people that teach you tube and other places always seem to have such great data to start with. It would be nice to see some processing done with less than ideal data and what to do in different scenarios to get the most out of it. Definitely two thumbs for Adams videos.

[hungerford]

Superb tutorials and he speaks at a normal speed. 

[WadeH237]

It would be nice to see some processing done with less than ideal data and what to do in different scenarios to get the most out of it.

Adam has office hours where you can interact with him.

 

For simple questions that take less than 5 minutes, there is no charge.  For a fee, he will work with you remotely on your own data:

 

https://www.adambloc...fice-hours-adam

[Stelios]

It took me a long time to spring for the (so far only Fundamentals though Horizons will be next) videos. I also have the WK book, went through the LVA tutorials, processed more than 40 images, and thought the Fundamentals would be a waste of my time. On top of that, I usually dislike videos as I find they tend to dwell on things I don't care about and fast-forward through what I need.

 

But Adam's Fundamentals videos were a revelation. There's *SO MUCH MORE* (and I've only checked the post-integration ones) than I knew or suspected. Plus, even in the subjects where I felt I had a good solution (e.g. MLT for denoising) Adam offered different (IMO better) options. His HDRMT tutorial is superb. I would say the videos are worth *more* than what he charges.  On many items where my modus operandi was "monkey see--monkey do," I now understood exactly why--and how to *not* do it when the shoe wouldn't quite fit. 

 

He also speaks in a measured way and a calm voice, and I've never felt the need to pause and rewind because I missed something. If there's a downside is that sometimes he over-explains some points he has already explained elsewhere. There's some overlap, but unless you have a superb memory it's not always unwelcome, and of course he needs to cater to those who will view things out of "order."

 

HIGHLY recommended. I plan to revisit every single one of my images using his methods. And I'll be buying Horizons as soon as I finish and compile good notes on the Fundamentals. 

[thekubiaks]

Worth every penny, Adam Blocks entire series is fantastic.  I am picking up little details from his processing that I didn't know that have made a big difference in my processing.

[bvalente]

 a better understanding of the "why" in what we are doing.  I'm really impressed so far.

 

Amen to that. 

 

I feel quite proficient at PI as i've really focused on honing my skills for the last two years, and the PI software has evolved to be more powerful and easier to use

 

I still get a ton out of the Fundamentals, especially when i hit a roadblock where the image isn't coming together. Going back and watching more of the vids on background and theory (like the massive 5 part 'why' on image integration) gives me new insights. 

 

Instead of having recipes, i feel better equipped to see approach image for the challenges it presents with good understanding of the tools, not just pushing a button and hoping for the best