On February 28, 2025, Pleiades Astrophoto unveiled PixInsight version 1.9.3, codenamed ‘Lockhart’. This update introduces significant improvements and new features, enhancing the software’s capabilities for astrophotography enthusiasts and professionals. Pixinsight is dedicated astrophoto processing software mainly used to process deep sky images. In this article, we will look at some of the key enhancements in this new update.
Adaptive Thread Performance Optimization
PixInsight 1.9.3 introduces adaptive thread execution optimization, enhancing performance for various image processing and numerical algorithms. This feature dynamically determines the optimal number of parallel execution threads, improving efficiency based on system specifications. The implementation in 1.9.3 focuses on critical algorithms such as:
- FastMedian: Histogram-based median calculation
- FastMAD: Histogram-based median absolute deviation
- NoiseMRS: Noise estimation using multiresolution support
- PSFFit: PSF fitting with the Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm
- Resample, Rotation, and Convolution: Key image transformation processes
A new performance command (performance -x) enables users to execute performance analysis and optimization tasks via the command line. A GUI option is also available under Process > Thread Performance Analysis.
Enhanced Workspace Management
PixInsight now allows saving, managing, and importing workspace configurations. Users can:
- Create custom workspaces tailored to different image processing tasks
- Save workspace configurations with unique names
- Import/export configurations as CSV files
Additional workspace features will be introduced in future 1.9.x versions.
New File Commands
Two notable additions to the File menu enhance user control:
- Close Project: Restores the previous workspace configuration when closing a project.
- Open Single Image: Loads only the first image in a multi-image file (e.g., WBPP integration images). This feature is also accessible via Ctrl + Double Click (Cmd on macOS).
Updated Preprocessing Scripts
The WeightedBatchPreprocessing (WBPP) and FastBatchPreprocessing (FBPP) scripts have been updated with enhancements and bug fixes, including:
- Embedded processing history in master files
- Standard XISF properties prioritized over FITS metadata
- Autocrop improvements (mask writing as 8-bit integer images)
- Fixed bugs related to pipeline execution and metadata handling
System and Development Updates
- Maximum Thread Priority on Windows: This is now set to Normal by default but can be manually adjusted.
- No HISTORY FITS Keywords: Processing history is now stored in XISF properties for better traceability.
- Qt Version Updated: PixInsight 1.9.3 is built on Qt 6.8.2 LTS, ensuring better performance and stability.
- New Command-Line Options for XML and Module Signature Generation: Developers can now sign multiple XML documents and module files using wildcard-based commands.
- PCL/C++ Development: While rebuilding modules is not mandatory, developers are encouraged to compile against PCL 2.9.3 for optimized performance.
Installation packages for PixInsight 1.9.3 are available for all licensed users on Linux, macOS, and Windows here. This version is not available as a standard application update and must be installed manually.
Clear skies!
