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Installing RC Astro tools in PixInsight

These instructions cover installing BlurXTerminator, NoiseXTerminator, and/or StarXTerminator in PixInsight.

  • You must have PixInsight 1.8.8-9 or later. Upgrade as needed.
  • In PixInsight, go to Resources -> Updates -> Manage Repositories.
  • Click Add, and enter whichever of the following repository addresses applies. Use copy & paste to avoid typos, and note that these entries are case-sensitive:
    • BlurXTerminator: https://www.rc-astro.com/BlurXTerminator/PixInsight/
    • NoiseXTerminator: https://www.rc-astro.com/NoiseXTerminator/PixInsight/
    • StarXTerminator: https://www.rc-astro.com/StarXTerminator/PixInsight/
  • After the repository address(es) are entered as shown above, click OK, then OK again.
  • Now go to Resources -> Updates -> Check for Updates. You should be informed that there are two updates for each tool: one for the process module itself, and one for the AI neural network definition file. Click Apply to start the download.
  • Once downloading is complete, click OK and then quit PixInsight to launch the update system. This is just like any other PixInsight update. When prompted to install the updates, click Yes.
  • When PixInsight restarts, you can find your RC Astro tools under Process -> All Processes, or:
    • BlurXTerminator: Process -> Deconvolution
    • NoiseXTerminator: Process -> Noise Reduction
    • StarXTerminator: Process -> Object Recognition or Process -> Mask Generation
  • When you first launch one of the plug-ins, click the “wrench” icon to enter your license key.
  • Once that is done, click the “Select AI” button and choose the latest AI file from PixInsight’s library folder.

If something goes wrong

Occasionally plug-in modules will be removed by third-party anti-virus, anti-malware, or other software. If anything goes wrong with the above procedure, or if your RC Astro tools seem to install and work fine but then stop or disappear from the Process menu, do the following:

  • First, try simply re-installing the the tools:
    • Run Process -> Modules -> Install Modules
    • Click Search
    • If modules are found to install, click OK, then Install
  • If this doesn’t work then:
    • Delete the “updates.xri” file from PixInsight’s main application directory
    • Re-start PixInsight
    • This will force a fresh download/installation of all updates to your PixInsight installation, including all RC Astro tools that are entered in the repository list