As an astrophotographer myself, I am constantly learning new image-processing tips and tricks from the astrophotography community. My absolute favorite way to learn is by watching YouTube videos created by knowledgeable people willing to share what they have learned. I have recently discovered Paulyman Astro, who is a fantastic resource for all things PixInsight. He…
I’ve been enjoying Russ Crowman’s (RC Astro) astrophotography processing tools since his release of GradientXTerminator many years ago. Now, one of his most popular astrophotography image processing tools has received an impressive upgrade: BlurXTerminator 2.0 AI Version 4. While I am excited to use and share my experiences with this handy new tool myself,…
A great astrophotography image is very subjective. What some people would consider to be the ‘perfect’ image, is a complete mess to others. While there are some core aesthetics that I think most people can agree on (nobody likes a noisy image), other aspects have vastly different opinions depending on who you ask. If…
In this beginner-friendly image processing tutorial, we will use Adobe Photoshop to take an astrophotography image from its raw state to a finished master file for sharing. The post-processing stage of astrophotography is an exciting experience because it is when you finally get to enjoy the deep-sky object you have captured, up-close. This is a…
In this astrophotography image processing tutorial, I will explain an easy way to selectively boost the colors in your image. I like to call the technique “selective color boosting“. Increasing the saturation of your deep-sky object can bring out the true beauty of your subject, and better showcase the contrasting elements of the nebula or…
The goal of Topaz Labs DeNoise AI is to reduce digital image noise while preserving detail and increasing image sharpness. If you’re no stranger to astrophotography image processing, that almost sounds too good to be true. I was skeptical of the application myself but now find myself using it in some capacity for every astrophoto…
In this post, I’ll walk you through the image processing steps I used to create the image of the Andromeda Galaxy shown below. This astrophotography tutorial uses Adobe Photoshop to bring out the intense colors and detail of a galaxy that was photographed using a DSLR camera and a small telescope. You can follow along…
The Select and Mask Tool in Photoshop CC is a powerful way to edit selective areas of your astrophotography images. Whether you want to separate the stars from your deep-sky target, or apply subtle noise reduction to the background sky of your image, the select and mask feature will get you there. Adobe Photoshop CC…
Adobe Photoshop is the preferred image processing software of choice for many astrophotographers of varying levels of experience. The intuitive user interface and limitless image processing capabilities make it a real contender in the astrophotography world. The seamless integration with the .RAW image files produced by a Digital Camera make Photoshop an attractive choice for…
In this deep sky image processing tutorial, I’ll be combining all of the data I was able to collect on the Orion Nebula this winter. This step-by-step tutorial should be useful to anyone processing a bright nebula with Adobe Photoshop. As we transition into spring, a new array of deep-sky imaging targets will present themselves….
When I purchased a new laptop computer back in 2016 for image processing and video editing and was quickly reminded of the importance of having a well-calibrated computer monitor. The brightness of my new laptop screen was intense. It appears to be about 25% brighter than my well-calibrated 23 Inch external IPS monitor. When…
Staying Inside – Image Processing The unseasonably cold weather and precipitation we have experienced here in Southern Ontario have given me the perfect opportunity to go through my old astrophotography images and reprocess the data. I have been advancing my image-processing skills by studying current astronomy images taken by the pros. Being a creative professional myself, I…