Long exposure noise reduction

[Jazzy]

Hi,

Does anyone know how to do this photoshop process in Affinity?

Thanks.

 

1.) Duplicate your background layer in Photoshop

2.) With the new layer selected, click Filter>Noise>Median and, when prompted by the dialogue box, select a radius somewhere in the 3 to 5 range.

3.) Set the blending mode of the duplicated layer to Pin Light.

[James Ritson]

Hi Jazzy, that procedure is.. pretty much the same!  :)

 

1) Duplicate (Cmd+J or Layer>Duplicate) your Background pixel layer.

2) Go to Filters>Blur>Median, use a radius of 3-5px and click Apply.

3) On the blend mode dropdown (just above the layers) select Pin Light.

 

Hope that helps.

 

If you want to take it a bit further, you can do the procedure non-destructively without duplicating the pixel layer. So instead:

 

1) Go to Layer>New Live Filter Layer>Median Blur

2) On the dialog box, set a radius of 3-5px. Now, on the same dropdown, change the blend mode from Normal to Pin Light.

[Nana]

Hi Jazzy, that procedure is.. pretty much the same!  :)

 

1) Duplicate (Cmd+J or Layer>Duplicate) your Background pixel layer.

2) Go to Filters>Noise>Median, use a radius of 3-5px and click Apply.

3) On the blend mode dropdown (just above the layers) select Pin Light.

 

Hope that helps.

 

If you want to take it a bit further, you can do the procedure non-destructively without duplicating the pixel layer. So instead:

 

1) Go to Layer>New Live Filter Layer>Median Blur

2) On the dialog box, set a radius of 3-5px. Now, on the same dropdown, change the blend mode from Normal to Pin Light.

 

Hi James,

 

Except there is no Median under the Filter > Noise in Photo.  Can you confirm that you can see Median in your copy of Photo?

 

Kind Regards,

 

Nana

[James Ritson]

Hi James,

 

Except there is no Median under the Filter > Noise in Photo.  Can you confirm that you can see Median in your copy of Photo?

 

Kind Regards,

 

Nana

 

Hi Nana, sorry, I meant to say Filters>Blur>Median, I've corrected the post above now. Thanks!

[paolo.limoncelli]

Hi Jazzy, that procedure is.. pretty much the same!  :)

 

1) Duplicate (Cmd+J or Layer>Duplicate) your Background pixel layer.

2) Go to Filters>Blur>Median, use a radius of 3-5px and click Apply.

3) On the blend mode dropdown (just above the layers) select Pin Light.

 

Hope that helps.

 

If you want to take it a bit further, you can do the procedure non-destructively without duplicating the pixel layer. So instead:

 

1) Go to Layer>New Live Filter Layer>Median Blur

2) On the dialog box, set a radius of 3-5px. Now, on the same dropdown, change the blend mode from Normal to Pin Light.

 

 

Pack anything into a macro, expose the radius and put in Library.

Boom, you're done forever  :)

[James Ritson]

Pack anything into a macro, expose the radius and put in Library.

Boom, you're done forever  :)

 

That too - macros are ideal for this type of thing  :)

[Big_Stan]

What would this look like using Affinity Photo?

 

Process images in Lightroom and then export layers to Photoshop

• EDIT (right click) > Open as layers in Photoshop
• Duplicate Stack > (Select all layers and drag to New Layer Button on bottom of the layer palette (see black square with lower left corner bent up)
• Now there is the original set PLUS a duplicate set
• Right Click & choose Convert to a Smart Object.  Rename as “foreground” > hide (click on eye icon to hide)
• Hide all the sky layers EXCEPT one > Click the one visible layer and Click Add Layer Mask (see square w/ black circle)
• Click on add layer mask (white) > Select Paint Brush tool (BLACK large soft brush) > roughly paint out foreground on image
• Copy Mask to all remaining layers, CMD + Click on Layer Mask, and Click on Add Layer Mask button (see square with black circle on bottom of the palette) to paste layer mask on to next image in the stack
• Repeat for all sky layers, one layer at a time
• Shift click to select all layers > Edit > Auto-align layers > Auto
• Select Delete Layer Mask to delete mask for each foreground layer
• Select All the layers, Right Click all the layers and choose Convert to Smart Object (name it Sky), Layer > Smart Object > Stack Mode > Median
• Unhide foreground Smart Object and Layer > Smart Object > Stack Mode > Median
• To make final composite (merge foreground & sky layer), Select Foreground layer > Click Add Layer Mask Button > Use large BLACK soft paint brush to paint out sky > Click Option to clean-up mask
• Use small WHITE brush to clean-up layer.

[AlainP]

 

What would this look like using Affinity Photo?

 

Process images in Lightroom and then export layers to Photoshop

• EDIT (right click) > Open as layers in Photoshop
• Duplicate Stack > (Select all layers and drag to New Layer Button on bottom of the layer palette (see black square with lower left corner bent up)
• Now there is the original set PLUS a duplicate set
• Right Click & choose Convert to a Smart Object.  Rename as “foreground” > hide (click on eye icon to hide)
• Hide all the sky layers EXCEPT one > Click the one visible layer and Click Add Layer Mask (see square w/ black circle)
• Click on add layer mask (white) > Select Paint Brush tool (BLACK large soft brush) > roughly paint out foreground on image
• Copy Mask to all remaining layers, CMD + Click on Layer Mask, and Click on Add Layer Mask button (see square with black circle on bottom of the palette) to paste layer mask on to next image in the stack
• Repeat for all sky layers, one layer at a time
• Shift click to select all layers > Edit > Auto-align layers > Auto
• Select Delete Layer Mask to delete mask for each foreground layer
• Select All the layers, Right Click all the layers and choose Convert to Smart Object (name it Sky), Layer > Smart Object > Stack Mode > Median
• Unhide foreground Smart Object and Layer > Smart Object > Stack Mode > Median
• To make final composite (merge foreground & sky layer), Select Foreground layer > Click Add Layer Mask Button > Use large BLACK soft paint brush to paint out sky > Click Option to clean-up mask
• Use small WHITE brush to clean-up layer.

 

I'm sorry but I have to say it.... I just can't belive what I read here.... You can't be serious, this got to be a joke.... Just click the top right corner "X" and start Photoshop.

[Big_Stan]

AlainP,

Thank you for your inciteful comment. However, this is not a joke.  Unless one owns Photoshop 6 Extended or a cloud version of Photoshop, I know of no way that star alignment and noise reduction stacking can be automatically accomplished except in Affinity Photo.  Of course, one can always manually align the stars, but with a Milky Way shot, manual alignment becomes a long and tedious process.

[AlainP]

I'm sorry but I still can't believe your questions, with all the steps involved... why don't you try to do it in AP and then post the solution when you find out.

[Big_Stan]

After you watch the video, I look forward to you showing me an easier way to accomplish the task.

[AlainP]

Ok... This is my final intervention in this post... First, I ain't gonna watch that video that does not interrest me at all. I won't show you any easier way to align and reduce noise on your Milky way pictures. This is something that you should find out yourself. If AP can't do the job you need it to do... well don't buy it and keep doing it in Photoshop. Good for you if you like astrophotography and like spend hours in PS to align the stars. But don't ask people in this forum to try to help you with a 94 (or more) steps to process your photos, try it yourself. Cheers !

[Big_Stan]

I am unable to post the link to the video.

"Landscape Astrophotography Noise Reduction with Image Stacking in Photoshop CC or CS6 Extended"

The presenter is Ian Norman, Lonely Speck

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rydg7JGTAbw

[paolo.limoncelli]

All these function are available in AP.

Workflow is a bit different, for example the stacking dialogs offers alignment options itself.

 

I suggest you to follow this video by James that could give you a nice starting point to replicate the tutorial.

 

 

Also this one is particularly interesting to improve the latitude of a bracketed exposure to give you much more room for editing