About
AutoStakkert! is a specialized astrophotography tool built around the technique of lucky imaging — capturing thousands of short-exposure video frames through a telescope and selecting only the sharpest ones to stack into a single high-resolution image. Developed by Emil Kraaikamp, it supports versions AS!2, AS!3, and the latest AS!4, each iteration bringing speed and accuracy improvements. The software automatically estimates the quality of each frame in a video sequence, discards the blurry or atmospherically distorted ones, and precisely aligns the remaining frames before combining them. This process dramatically reduces noise and atmospheric turbulence artifacts, revealing fine surface details on planets like Jupiter, Mars, Venus, and even the Sun and Moon. AutoStakkert! is designed to be both beginner-friendly and powerful enough for advanced astrophotographers. Its workflow integrates seamlessly with other tools in the planetary imaging pipeline, such as WinJUPOS for derotation and Registax or ImPPG for wavelet sharpening. The software is highly optimized for speed, processing large video files in a fraction of the time of competing tools. Ideal for amateur astronomers, hobbyist astrophotographers, and science enthusiasts, AutoStakkert! is completely free to use and runs on Windows as a desktop application. Whether you are imaging during a rare planetary opposition or capturing daily solar activity, AutoStakkert! consistently delivers sharper results than most alternatives.
Key Features
- Automatic Frame Quality Analysis: Evaluates each video frame for sharpness and atmospheric distortion, selecting only the best percentage of frames for stacking.
- Precise Alignment & Registration: Automatically aligns all selected frames using advanced alignment point detection, correcting for atmospheric turbulence and tracking drift.
- High-Speed Stacking Engine: Processes large AVI/SER video files at exceptional speed, significantly faster than most competing lucky imaging tools.
- Multi-Object Support: Optimized for solar system objects including planets (Jupiter, Mars, Venus, Saturn), the Moon, and the Sun.
- Version History & Compatibility: Supports AS!2, AS!3, and AS!4, ensuring compatibility with older workflows while delivering improved results in each new release.
Use Cases
- Stacking planetary video footage from a backyard telescope to produce sharp, detail-rich images of Jupiter, Saturn, or Mars during opposition.
- Processing high-frame-rate solar video captured with a dedicated H-alpha or white-light solar filter to reveal sunspot and prominence detail.
- Creating high-resolution lunar mosaics by stacking multiple video sequences of different regions of the Moon.
- Combining with WinJUPOS derotation to merge multiple stacked recordings into a single image with greater detail than any single stack alone.
- Serving as the stacking component in a full planetary imaging pipeline for astronomy clubs, university observatories, or advanced amateur imagers.
Pros
- Completely Free: AutoStakkert! is available at no cost, making professional-grade lucky imaging accessible to all amateur astronomers.
- Industry-Leading Sharpness: Consistently produces sharper final images compared to other stacking software, thanks to its precise alignment algorithms.
- Fast Processing: Highly optimized processing engine handles large video files quickly, reducing time spent waiting between imaging and post-processing.
- Beginner-Friendly Interface: Designed to be easy to use even for newcomers to planetary astrophotography, with sensible defaults and clear controls.
Cons
- Windows-Only: AutoStakkert! runs exclusively on Windows, leaving macOS and Linux users without native support.
- Focused Scope: Primarily designed for solar system (planetary/lunar/solar) imaging; deep-sky object stacking is better handled by dedicated tools like DeepSkyStacker.
- Limited Built-In Sharpening: Post-stack sharpening (wavelet processing) must be done in a separate tool such as Registax or ImPPG, adding extra steps to the workflow.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is lucky imaging?
Lucky imaging is a technique where hundreds or thousands of short-exposure video frames of a planetary or solar object are captured and only the sharpest frames — unaffected by atmospheric turbulence — are selected and combined into a single high-resolution image.
Is AutoStakkert! free to use?
Yes, AutoStakkert! is completely free software. You can download and use all versions (AS!2, AS!3, AS!4) at no cost.
What types of objects can I image with AutoStakkert!?
AutoStakkert! is optimized for solar system objects including the planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Mars, Venus, Uranus, Neptune), the Moon, and the Sun. It can also be used for some deep-sky objects, though dedicated tools are typically preferred for those.
What video formats does AutoStakkert! support?
AutoStakkert! supports common planetary imaging video formats including AVI and SER files, which are widely used with fast planetary cameras like ZWO, Celestron, and similar brands.
Do I need additional software after stacking with AutoStakkert!?
Yes, most astrophotographers follow up stacking with wavelet sharpening in tools like Registax or ImPPG, and final color/contrast adjustments in Photoshop, GIMP, or similar image editors. AutoStakkert! handles the stacking step in this pipeline.
