There is nothing like taking your first deep-sky astrophotography image. You’re taking pictures of objects that lie thousands or millions of light-years away. Galaxies, nebulae, and star-forming regions are out there, and there’s an endless supply of new targets to capture. The best part is that you can see way more in an image than…
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…
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….
Even without a tracking mount, your astrophotography images can benefit from manual stacking in Photoshop. This method involves aligning exposures and combining them into a master composite. It can make a big impact on your astrophotos by reducing noise and improving the signal-to-noise ratio. The images used in the example were captured using a camera lens…
While digging though some old folders on Adobe Bridge, I stumbled across some unprocessed, 300 second light frames of the Flaming Star Nebula from November 2013! When you are desperate to get out and image a new target, this is like hitting gold. I was originally looking for my raw files of the Pacman Nebula, which…
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…
Astrophotography Video Tutorial In my first ever astrophotography video tutorial, I take a crack at the Rosette Nebula using data collected in February 2014. I have plans of shooting a video about light frame acquisition in the future, but this one is about what happens after you have already captured your data. This astrophotography video tutorial may be…
What is Astrobackyard.com? This astrophotography blog creates an outlet for me to share images, information and tips about my favourite hobby. I received lots of help when I began this hobby in 2011, and it’s my turn to pay-it-forward to the next wave of astrophotographers. I have watched the hobby grow in the short years that I…
The Triangulum Galaxy The M33 Galaxy is the third-largest galaxy in the local-group of galaxies, behind the Milky Way and Andromeda. Its large size from our vantage point makes my wide-field astrophotography 80mm telescope a great choice for imaging this target. Despite it’s size, the Triangulum Galaxy appears much dimmer than M31 – The Andromeda…