GIMP Astrophotography Processing Tutorial - Beginner Friendly!

It's amazing what you can do with just the basics! This video contains just the bare bones on which to build on, and is highly suitable for people starting out with DSO image processing.

You can download GIMP for free here: (I'm not affiliated with GIMP in anyway, I'm just a keen user)

The data was collected using a StellaMira 90mm EDT refractor and Fuji XT1 mirrorless camera. 40x120second exposures. Just light frames and no filters.

StellaMira 90mm EDT Refractor: (affiliate links)

StellaMira 2" 0.8x Reducer/Flattener

Patreon and Channel Membership support really helps me continue and make better content:

Buy me a coffee here:

A huge thank you if you choose to help out!!

Affiliate links for First Light Optics Below - Purchase anything through one of the links and I receive a small commission at no extra cost to yourself.

**Beginner Telescopes**

**Telescopes In Stock**

**Offers**

**General Telescope Section**

**Mounts**

**Cameras/Astrophotography**

**Eyepieces**

**Filters**

**Accessories**

**Binoculars**

[MRDPadam]

Thoroughly enjoyed watching your video. I've always found GIMP really intimidating, but it just shows that when you watch a good tutorial, patiently explained, like your own, your confidence about approaching the software improves. I'm looking forward to giving it a try now. Great presentation. Thanks for posting. Adam

[lol_who]

You really deserve so many more views and subscribers, your content is great and very informative, keep going at it! :)

[shree]

This video has been immensely helpful since I didn't wanted to get photoshop just yet!

[oasacademy]

Thanks for doing this, we are running some tutorials on image processing with GIMP, so its good to see something we can refer to. Thanks again

[jamescollins]

This will provide a great start to many beginners like myself. Thank you so much for taking the time to do this! 🙂

[patrickshea]

Great video to learn the basics. It cleaned up my pictures in less than 30 minutes. Thanks.

[MatthewRowley-dumf]

Fantastic video for beginners like myself 😊

[huguesdebeyser]

Thanks, I started in 2021 with astrophotography. I mainly focus on single exposure Milky Way shots, no tracking, for now! Your tutorial is really helpful, simple and well paced.I abandoned GIMP as it was really overwhelming and lots of tutorials were too fast...I use Darktable, as it is also free, am happy but find it limited. You got me back to GIMP today, and it starts to make sense! Would love to see one on how to specificly improve, reduce noise, change color in specific areas of a picture, in GIMP. I believe it involves using masks, drawing masks? Thanks again! Hugues, QLD-Australia

[thecelticcorrespondent]

Really helpful starter - many thanks! With your help, I managed to process a pleasing - if far from perfect - image of the Iris Nebula!

[ridleyroid]

I've only recently gotten into some AP and am only using my phone and dob for now, dreadfully poor equipment but I'm happy to just learn, thank you for this tutorial!

[smalloptics]

Hey Chris. I've had Gimp for ages and never knew it had a histogram.. Oh well you live and learn.. I suppose it shows just how far my knowledge of photography and editors goes lol.. So, this is brill :D . Thanks for sharing pal, great video :)

[mtippett]

Great video ... as both new to astrophotography and image editing this was really helpful as you explained why you were doing things!!

[vijaygopal]

Great video. Would be even more great if you could put a link in the description for the tiff file, so that we can follow along with the video. Its sad that there aren't too many Gimp tutorials, being as its free and all. Keep up the good work!

[Mobiusc]

Chris, thanks for your Gimp tutorial, really enjoyed that. I learned a few tricks today thanks. I forgot about the ability to use that vignetting tool in photo edit. Hopefully now I have a good technique of doing flats I should not need to use it. I used my Batinov mask as a template and cut out some translucent white plasic which I will hang over my scope during the day. You sound a lovely guy cheers ;-) clear skies.

[woody]

Good job, this is my first day using gimp so this is perfect, thank you

[NewLondonMarshall]

Your channel name is hilarious!! xD Also great video thank you :D

[peteclements]

thank you for this, good presentation, very informative and useful for some one like me getting back into stacking and processing after a long break

[Poe]

So ive got some pictures of the eagle nebula are you able to make a tutorial to get the hubble coloring with this software or a similar one?

[dumpydalekobservatory]

Great video Chris I've tried Gimp on numerous occasions but never really got on with it might give it another go sometime though.

[thefourgrapples]

Thank you Chris, very well done and appreciated.