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Astrophotography processing, anyone ? help !


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Hi,

I do a lot of Lunar and deep space imaging but struggling with the processing in Affinity as most people use PS. I could do with some help with final lunar processing. I currently use a ZWO224MC colour camera to get my images (.avi file) of the moon before stacking them in AutoStakkert and processing them in Registax. I am then looking to do the final processing in Affinity to bring out some of the colours. I have a guide on how to do it PS but not sure how to it in Affinity. The workflow in PS goes like this,

1. Filter, Sharpen, Smart Sharpen.

2. Layer, Duplicate Layer.

3. Re-name new layer 'Luminosity'

4. Keep the newly created layer selected and from the drop down change 'Normal' to 'Luminosity'

5. Once that layer has been changed click back on the original layer to select it

6. Image, Auto Colour.

7. Image, Adjustments, Hue/Saturation.

8. Adjust Saturation 

9. Repeat the increase in saturation until the colour is revealed.

10. Layer, Flatten Image.

11. Save file.

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@SAWThe workflow would be much the same in Affinity Photo.

  1. Filters > Sharpen > Unsharp Mask or Layer > New Live Filter Layer > Unsharp Mask Filter. This second option allows you to go back to the filter (double-click on the icon in the Layers panel) and re-adjust any time before you finally flatten the image.
  2. Layer > Duplicate or Control/Command-J
  3. Re-name new layer 'Luminosity'
  4. Keep the newly created layer selected and from the drop down change 'Normal' to 'Luminosity'
  5. Once that layer has been changed click back on the original layer to select it
  6. Affinity does not have an 'Auto Colour' command. From what I can see from using Photoshop many years ago, this seems to be a Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Levels Adjustment (or Control/Command-L) applied to each of the three R, G and B channels. You  just have to apply the Levels Adjustment to the composite image. Bring the Black Point slider right, to the minimum value on the histogram and bring the White Point slider left, to the maximum value on the histogram.
  7. Layer > New Adjustment Layer > HSL Adjustment (or Control/Command-U).
  8. Adjust Saturation
  9. Repeat the increase in saturation until the colour is revealed. Note that because you have live adjustment layers, you can come back to this adjustment layer (double-click on the icon in the Layers panel) and re-adjust any time before you finally flatten the image.
  10. Document > Flatten.
  11. File > Save as or File > Export if you want to use a different file format.

John

Windows 10, Affinity Photo 1.10.5 Designer 1.10.5 and Publisher 1.10.5 (mainly Photo), now ex-Adobe CC

CPU: AMD A6-3670. RAM: 16 GB DDR3 @ 666MHz, Graphics: 2047MB NVIDIA GeForce GT 630

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The padlock does not prevent you from applying an adjustment. It does prevent you from moving or deleting the layer.

John

Windows 10, Affinity Photo 1.10.5 Designer 1.10.5 and Publisher 1.10.5 (mainly Photo), now ex-Adobe CC

CPU: AMD A6-3670. RAM: 16 GB DDR3 @ 666MHz, Graphics: 2047MB NVIDIA GeForce GT 630

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So I have got to here but not sure if Unsharp mask should be in both layers ? I added Unsharp mask and adjusted to my liking before duplicating the layer which seems to have added it to the new layer ?

Also when I add levels it's putting it under the luminosity layer, think it should below the 'Background' layer but can't seem to put it there ? So when adjusting the levels it has no effect on the image ?

Affinity.JPG

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I gave you a translation of the procedure into Affinity-speak without looking too hard at what it was doing. Once you have added the top later, then this is the visible later and you won't be able to see what is below except through the Luminosity blending mode. I cannot predict what effect this would have unless I could see your image. Changes to the lower layers would be filtered by this blending. 

I have a rather crude image of the moon I took some years ago. I will have a go with this procedure on that image and report back.

John

Windows 10, Affinity Photo 1.10.5 Designer 1.10.5 and Publisher 1.10.5 (mainly Photo), now ex-Adobe CC

CPU: AMD A6-3670. RAM: 16 GB DDR3 @ 666MHz, Graphics: 2047MB NVIDIA GeForce GT 630

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I tried the procedure with an image similar to yours. Remember the Luminosity Blending Mode "Keeps the luminance of the selected layer and gives it the hue and saturation of the layers below." (The Eager Learner).  You can see the effect by switching the visibility of the Luminosity layer on or off (use the tick-box at the right of the layer in the panel). In my case The 'on' image was generally darker then the 'off' image, but still retained the colours introduced by the saturation adjustments.

Was this procedure one designed for astronomical images?  I ask because moonscapes always seem rather monochrome to me (that is lacking in colour variation rather than being black-and-white).  Perhaps you could upload your original image that I could look at.

I attach here part of the image and the Layer Panel. I pumped up the saturation quite a lot and it looks too much.

With the Luminosity Layer visible:

MoonscapeOn.png.89ce45fdcb356a786d65f437df7c3d3c.png

With the Luminosity Layer off:

Moonscape.png.468b5732ff3d6e3a2952da17ee381565.png

John

Windows 10, Affinity Photo 1.10.5 Designer 1.10.5 and Publisher 1.10.5 (mainly Photo), now ex-Adobe CC

CPU: AMD A6-3670. RAM: 16 GB DDR3 @ 666MHz, Graphics: 2047MB NVIDIA GeForce GT 630

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53 minutes ago, SAW said:

All your adjustments (hsl, levels etc) are below the background layer, mine are above or below my luminosity layer ? This is where I am getting confused :-( 

I do not think that this actually affects the execution of the image presentation. You can drag each adjustment/filter layer onto the target layer (just to the right of the icon and to the left of the layer name) and it will become part of a group with the adjustment/filter nested within it. It does make it easier to see what is going on and to move the layers if needs be.

Here is an image with a Black-and-White Adjustment layer in the default position, on top:

Non-Nested.png.9739eb775244c84bf0cb49d278cca3f6.png

And here it is dragged onto the Background layer:

Nested.png.f249ab77b26addd27d03591c39f050a3.png

The image loks just the same.

John

 

Windows 10, Affinity Photo 1.10.5 Designer 1.10.5 and Publisher 1.10.5 (mainly Photo), now ex-Adobe CC

CPU: AMD A6-3670. RAM: 16 GB DDR3 @ 666MHz, Graphics: 2047MB NVIDIA GeForce GT 630

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Your Photoshop procedure is for astronomical images, but  I thought it might be interesting to apply it to a terrestrial image. I have posted the result in the Share your work forum

John

Windows 10, Affinity Photo 1.10.5 Designer 1.10.5 and Publisher 1.10.5 (mainly Photo), now ex-Adobe CC

CPU: AMD A6-3670. RAM: 16 GB DDR3 @ 666MHz, Graphics: 2047MB NVIDIA GeForce GT 630

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