How it Works
Quick Menu
Registration and Booking
Step 1 - Click Register Now!
It’s absolutely free to sign up for an account. You’ll only be charged once you book a slot. You will only be able to book once you have signed up for an account.
Step 2 - Enter in your details
Enter your desired Username, password and a valid email address in order to sign up
This allows us to create an account for you to make bookings and allows us to email you booking details etc.
Once you’ve clicked submit, you will be sent a registration confirmation email. Click the registration link to validate your email and complete the registration process
Step 3 - Go to your account
In the top right of the home page ( or any page on the website) you will see the log in button if you are not logged in.
Click Log in to take you through to the log in page and log into your account, using the details you put in at the last step
Step 4 - Log in
Click Log in to take you through to the log in page and log into your account, using the details you put in at the last step
Step 5 - My Account
That’s it. You are now logged into your account. From here you will be able to make changes to your account, make bookings or check your existing bookings.
Connecting to Remote Desktop (Windows)
Step 1 - Find remote desktop connection
Most modern Windows computers will come pre-installed with Remote Desktop Connection. Search your apps to see if its installed.
If not then head over to the Microsoft App store and download the Microsoft Remote Desktop app
There are other remote desktop apps availabe. If you have a preference they should all work, if you have any problems connecting then just let us know at support@astroedit.co.uk
Step 2 - Session Details Email
I know you’re keen to get started but you need to wait for your session details email to arrive.
It will look something like this. It will have the remote dekstop IP address and your Username and Password to access the system. Please note that the password is different to the one you used to register with. This password is unique to your session and will be changed as soon as your session ends.
Step 3 - Enter Details
Open up your chosen Remote Desktop app and enter in the IP address and username from your email. Copy and paste is your friend here.
Please note the IP address is entered into the ‘Computer’ field.
Step 4 - Add a local folder
In order to access your own files on the remote computer you need to give it access and tell it what folder to add.
Click the ‘Local Resources’ tab and go down to the ‘Local devices and resources’ section. Click the ‘More…’
Step 5 - Add a local folder
On this menu you can select which of your local drives to add to the remote session. I find it easier to keep my files on an external drive and add that to the session. But you can add any directory which has your desired files.
I would recommend copying your image files to the server once you have logged in. It is usually quicker to work with them on the remote machine. Please remember that the remote machine is regularly cleared so please do not store your only copy on the server. Please backup and copy any newly created images / works in progress back into your local folder.
Step 6 - Connect
Once you have selected your folder to share, click ok and then click the ‘General’ tab again. From here click the ‘Connect’ button at the bottom right to connect.
Step 7 - Enter Password
The app will then prompt you for the password. Remember this is the password in the Session Details Email and not your website account password.
Step 8 - Accept the certificate warning
Once you have entered your password you will be shown a warning about certificates.
Dont worry about this warning, this is standard for connecting to remote desktops in the cloud. The certificates have been verified by us as legitimate, but it is not feasible to have them issued to every user.
Click Yes to continue.
Step 9 - Success!
If all was successful you should now have access to the remote desktop. If not, go back and check you followed the previous steps correctly. If you still have issues please email us at support@astroedit.co.uk and we can help you diagnose any problems
From here you will now be able to access all the astro software you desire and create the perfect astro images. If you want to see a complete list of what is installed, please see below. Last thing, check the step below to make sure you can accessy your files.
Step 10 - Check your folder came with you!
Before you start, check you have access to your own local folder on the remote desktop. It should sit below the Local Disk when you look at ‘This PC’.
And that it! Enjoy creating your astro masterpiece.
Connecting to Remote Desktop
(Mac OS)
Step 1 - Download a remote desktop client
Mac OS doesn’t come with a remote desktop app out of the box so you’ll need to download one from the App Store.
We recommend downloading the Microsoft Remote Desktop app as its free and has all the functionality you need. The Apple version is nice but it’s also $80!
Step 2 - Session Details Email
I know you’re keen to get started but you need to wait for your session details email to arrive.
It will look something like this. It will have the remote desktop IP address and your Username and Password to access the system. Please note that the password is different to the one you used to register with. This password is unique to your session and will be changed as soon as your session ends.
Step 3 - Add a connection
Open up Microsoft Remote Desktop app and click add PC or the little plus icon in the top bar
Step 4 - Enter Details
Enter in the IP address into the Computer Name field. Select ‘Ask when required’ in the User Account field.
Step 5 - Add a local folder
In order to access your own files on the remote computer you need to give it access and tell it what folder to add.
Click the ‘Folders’ tab and then click the ”Redirect folders’ tick box
Step 6 - Add a local folder
Click the little plus icon in the bottom left corner and you can select which of your local drives to add to the remote session. I find it easier to keep my files on an external drive and add that to the session. But you can add any directory which has your desired files.
I would recommend copying your image files to the server once you have logged in. It is usually quicker to work with them on the remote machine. Please remember that the remote machine is regularly cleared so please do not store your only copy on the server. Please backup and copy any newly created images / works in progress back into your local folder.
Step 7 - Connect
Once you have selected your folder to share, click add and then you should see your remote PC added to the main screen. From here, double click the image to start the remote session
Step 8 - Enter Details
The app will then prompt you for the username and password. Remember this is the username and password in the Session Details Email. The password for your website account will be different.
Step 9 - Accept the certificate warning
Once you have entered your password you will be shown a warning about certificates.
Dont worry about this warning, this is standard for connecting to remote desktops in the cloud. The certificates have been verified by us as legitimate, but it is not feasible to have them issued to every user.
Click Continue.
Step 9 - Success!
If all was successful you should now have access to the remote desktop. If not, go back and check you followed the previous steps correctly. If you still have issues please email us at support@astroedit.co.uk and we can help you diagnose any problems
From here you will now be able to access all the astro software you desire and create the perfect astro images. If you want to see a complete list of what is installed, please see below. Last thing, check the step below to make sure you can accessy your files.
Step 10 - Check your folder came with you!
Before you start, check you have access to your own local folder on the remote desktop. It should sit below the Local Disk when you look at ‘This PC’.
And that it! Enjoy creating your astro masterpiece.