================================================================================ Astronomy Tools Actions Set for Adobe Photoshop version v1_6_2 ================================================================================ Contents -------- 1. Introduction and How To 2. What's New in Version v1_6_2 3. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) 4. Policies and Legal Stuff ================================================================================ 1. Introduction and How To --------------------------- Thanks for your purchase of my actions! You're in for a treat. Actions are predefined image processing steps for Adobe Photoshop that can be loaded and executed on any open image. You can even assign your favorite actions to function keys. More can be done with actions than you might imagine! Astronomy Tools actions are specifically designed to help you get the most out of your astroimages and create works of fine art. There are 31 different main actions in Astronomy Tools. Their names describe what they do: Construct RGB Image from Channel Files - Create RGB from mono filtered files Synthesize Green Channel from Red and Blue - Create synthetic green channel Soft Color Gradient Removal - Remove a color gradient across the image Hard Color Gradient Removal - Remove a more severe color gradient Light Pollution Removal - Remove light pollution gradient Light Pollution Removal Enhanced Flatten - Remove light pollution gradient Select Brighter Stars - Select stars in your image for further processing Make Stars Smaller - Make bloated stars smaller, bring out DSOs Less Crunchy More Fuzzy - smooth oversharpened images, bring out star color Space Noise Reduction - Noise reduction for the darker areas of the image Deep Space Noise Reduction - Noise reduction only in the darkest parts Color Blotch Reduction - Remove only color noise, leaving fine detail intact Horizontal Banding Noise Reduction - Removes horizontal pattern noise Vertical Banding Noise Reduction - Removes vertical pattern noise Fade Sharpen to Mostly Lighten - Get rid of dark circles around stars Reduce Small Blue/Violet Halos - Desaturate and darken halos around stars Reduce Large Blue/Violet Halos - Desaturate and darken halos around stars Increase Star Color - Brings edge color into whited-out stars Local Contrast Enhancement - Increase contrast between dark and light Lighten Only DSO and Dimmer Stars - Lighten while keeping bright stars tight Enhance DSO and Reduce Stars - Make hard stars softer and lighten dim stuff B&W -> Ha False Color - Convert to color as through Hydrogen Alpha filter B&W -> Ha False Color Black Space - As above but with blacker deep space B&W -> OIII False Color - Convert to color as through Oxygen III filter B&W -> OIII False Color Black Space - As above but with blacker deep space Star Diffraction Spikes Tiny Stars - Put diffraction spikes on most stars Star Diffraction Spikes Small Stars - Put diffraction spikes on many stars Star Diffraction Spikes Medium Stars - Put diffraction spikes on larger stars Star Diffraction Spikes Fat Stars - Put diffraction spikes on largest stars Negative B&W - Inverts the image for easy viewing of dim galaxies Astro Frame - Add a background color border with room for caption The following 3 additional actions can be applied after a main action above has been run: ...As Layer On Top - Make 2 layers, action results above the original ...As Layer Underneath - Make 2 layers, action results below the original ...Per Selection Only - Restricts results to the area selected before To make the Actions panel visible in Adobe Photoshop: Click on the Window menu in Photoshop and check the Actions entry. You should now see the Photoshop Actions panel. Find the little icon near in the upper-right corner of this panel - in modern versions of Photoshop it is made of 4 tiny horizontal lines and is your key to Actions panel functions. Click on this icon to see a pull-down menu with functions like "Load Actions". If you have plenty of screen space, you may want to make the Actions panel a completely separate window from the History, so you can see them both at the same time. To do this, grab the Actions tab and drag it out of the panel. A separate Actions panel window will be created. To install the Astronomy Tools actions into your copy of Adobe Photoshop: Save the Astronomy Tools xxxxx.atn files to your hard drive. Note: I recommend creating a special folder just for your collection of actions, separate from those in the Program Files\Adobe Photoshop... area. This will avoid loss of the actions files in the future if you upgrade your Adobe Photoshop version. Next, click on the menu button at the upper-right of the Actions panel, then load the actions from the .atn file via the "Load Actions" menu. Older versions of the actions are provided for compatibility with very old versions of Photoshop. We recommend using the latest released version. Depending on which version of Adobe Photoshop you have, load this specific actions file: If you have: Load this file: ----------------- ------------------------------- Any modern version, e.g., Astronomy Tools v1_6_2.atn Photoshop CS2, CS3, CS4, CS5, CS5.5, CS6, CC, 2020, 2021, and newer. Photoshop CS1 (old): Astronomy Tools v1_6 PS CS.atn Photoshop 6 or 7 (ancient): Astronomy Tools v1_6_1 PS 6-7.atn FOR ALL RECENT VERSIONS OF PHOTOSHOP SINCE THE YEAR 2005 PLEASE LOAD THE FILE: Astronomy Tools v1_6_2.atn Note: Newly loaded actions will appear at the bottom of the Actions panel. To execute an action: Make the image you want to change the current window, click once on the desired action, then click on the play button. Actions can be assigned to function keys - double click the action to see the menu to set that up. Some of my actions take quite a few steps, so please be patient and don't click anything while they're running (this can confuse things). The activity will cease and the display will update when all the steps are done. Details of how to use Construct RGB Image from Channel Files: This action will prompt you to open 3 separate files, containing the red, green, and blue data (e.g., monochrome images shot through filters) respectively: 1. When the action first prompts, select and open the file (or plane within the file) containing the RED image data. 2. When the action prompts again, select and open the file (or plane within the file) containing the GREEN image data. 3. When the action prompts the third time, select the file (or plane within the file) containing BLUE image data. 4. When the action prompts at the Exposure prompt (Adobe Photoshop CS2 and newer only), you can stretch the levels a bit further using the Gamma function, and lower the black point using the Offset function. This preserves the most data accuracy if you've opened 32 bit data files with FITS Liberator. 5. When the action prompts at the Levels prompt, select each of the color channels in succession and normalize the black point. One easy method is to find out the value where the data on the histogram rises above the baseline, then move the slider down to a value 10% lower. Do this for all three channels to get the background and color looking about right. After the above you will be left with an RGB color image constructed from the individual filtered captures. At this point you may need to select each channel and move them around with the "Move" tool (four sided arrow) to get the channels to line up perfectly. Note: The image may be flipped vertically. This is done to compensate for the fact that FITS Liberator v2 flips images. Details of how to use Synthesize Green Channel from Red and Blue: This action creates a Green channel in your current RGB image from the Red and Blue channels. This can be useful for creating a full color image from Ha (hydrogen alpha) and OII (Oxygen III) filtered images, for example. It will replace any existing green channel data in the image. 1. Open or create your RGB image, with the data you want in the Red and Blue channels. It doesn't matter what's in the Green channel. 2. Run the Synthesize Green Channel from Red and Blue action. It will prompt you once, after the green channel has been created, with a Levels dialog. 3. Select the Green channel, and move the left and center sliders around until you like the overall look of the color. Details of how to use Light Pollution Removal: This action will allow you to remove light pollution and most gradients, resulting in a flat image with a neutral background. IMPORTANT: In order to preserve dim DSO (deep sky object) data, you may need to use the Dodge tool set to Shadows to lighten dark areas of the image that contain DSO info BEFORE running this action. Try to be conservative, but know that the action will flatten the image. 1. When the action stops at the Dust and Scratches dialog, move the sliders as follows: Move the top slider (radius) to the right until the largest stars are blocked out. If you have a big star or DSO in the image, you may still have a light blob - that's okay. Generally speaking, it's okay to pull the radius slider all the way to the right, though the action will be better at removing any gradient if you don't go too far. Larger radius values also take much longer to process. Move the bottom slider (levels) right (to a non-zero value) ONLY if you'd like background noise smoothed out - this is usually only good for star cluster shots, and it's generally not good to go too much above 7 levels for any shot. If you have a clean stacked image, keep the levels slider at 0 - that way it won't remove any faint stars or DSO detail. Press [Ok]. 2. When the action stops at the Curves dialog, you'll see a blurred version of your image. This is a facsimile of the color balance in the image that will be the result after the action image. First, click on the little black point (leftmost) eyedropper, then choose an area of your image that's got the brightest actual light pollution level. You'll see the light pollution darken. If you have a DSO in your image, you will want to leave a light blob. Remember that this is roughly how bright and what color your DSO will be in your final image, though it will have more detail. You can click in different places until it looks as though you've found the one that's gotten all of the LP out, but left all of the dim DSO luminosity intact. Press [Ok]. When the action finishes, you should be left with an image with flat background luminance and a neutral background color. If it doesn't come out the way you like, use the History panel, go back to the step before the last "Paste" command, and try the action again with different parameters. After a while you'll get a feel for what the action does. How to use the 3 "additional" actions in the set: Here's how to use my "...As Layer On Top", "...As Layer Underneath", and "...Per Selection Only" actions - you know, those three at the bottom that you have been wondering about? They're very handy indeed! 1. ...As Layer On Top After you've run one of the main actions, you can cause the image to be split into two layers, the resultant "after" image in the layer above and the original "before" image (before the run of the prior action) in the lower layer. 2. ...As Layer Underneath Similar to the above, but flipped - this one leaves the "before" image on top, and the "after" image underneath. 3. ...Per Selection Only If you have part of an image selected, then run an action to change the image, this action causes the result of the prior action to be rolled back and restricted only to the part(s) of the image that were selected. Please consider the following examples to further illustrate how you might use these three actions: A. You have just run an action on an image and want to toggle back and forth between the original image and result to see which you like better. Run "...As Layer On Top", then just click the little "eye" (layer visibility) symbol on the top layer on and off to toggle quickly between "before" and "after". B. You have just run an action but want to apply the effect to only a small part of the image. Run "...As Layer Underneath", select the Eraser tool, and cut through the top layer to expose parts of the processed image underneath. It's a bit like painting on the main action effect. Layer-Merge Down when you're done. C. You have just run an action but want to apply the effect less strongly overall. Run "...As Layer On Top" and set the Opacity of the top layer to something less than 100%. You are mixing the before and after images together to your preference. D. You have selected part of an image and would like to run an action only on that part. Run the action, which will change the whole image, then run "...Per Selection Only", which will restrict the results of the main action only to the area that was selected before it was run, leaving unselected areas as they were before. Generally speaking: Experiment a bit to get to know these actions. After a time you'll get a feel for what actions to run and in what order to get the look and feel you want. If an action doesn't seem to be effective or something unexpected shows up in your image, use the history to go back and start again, adding operations or changing the order of your steps. Make sure, if you use layers, that you select an image layer (not an adjustment layer) before running an action. Due to a Adobe Photoshop quirk, sometimes to make your latest layer selection "stick", you need to change the opacity (e.g., from 100% to 100%). Occasionally, depending on your image, a dialog may pop up stating "no pixels were more than 50% selected". This is okay - just press the [OK] button. One last thing: Your payment gets you updates from me whenever I add new functions, refine the actions, fix bugs, or have a tip/trick or announcement to send you. I won't disclose your eMail address to anyone else. I hate spam. Good luck, have fun, and let me know how these actions work for you! Thanks again! -Noel Carboni ================================================================================ 2. What's New in Version v1_6_2 -------------------------------- March, 2019 Version v1_6 had an inherent size limitation in the Enhance DSO and Reduce Stars action. This has been eliminated in v1_6_2, as well as providing a significant decrease inthe speed at which the action runs. ================================================================================ 3. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) ------------------------------------ Q: Do the Astronomy Tools actions work on a Macintosh? Yes, they work great with the full copy of Adobe Photoshop 6.0, 7.0, CS, CS2, CS3, CS4, CS5, CS5.1/CS5.5, CS6, and CC on both Mac and PC platforms. Q: Do the Astronomy Tools actions work with Adobe Photoshop Elements? No. Q: Can I apply an action to only some parts of an image? Yes. If you select the part you want the action to run on, run the action (which will affect the entire image), then run the ...Per Selection Only action the result will then be limited to the prior selection. As an alternative, apply the action to the entire image, then run ...As Layer On Top or ...As Layer Underneath and use the Eraser tool to expose parts of the lower layer. In some cases (e.g., sky) the magic wand can make selecting part of the image to delete easier. Q: Can I apply an action less aggressively to an entire image? Yes. Use the ...As Layer on Top action, then make the upper layer partially transparent to mix the two layers together at any percentage you like. Finish with Layer - Merge Down. Q: Why are Astronomy Tools provided in a zip file? I package the actions in a zip file to ensure the download proceeds as quickly as possible, and also to provide assurance that the file has not been corrupted or truncated. I will be happy to eMail you an unzipped copy on your request. Simply eMail me at: NCarboni@ProDigitalSoftware.com Q: Can I use Astronomy Tools actions in 16 bit-per-color mode? Yes. Operations on a 16 bit-per-color image are performed in the highly accurate 16 bit mode. Q: How do I know which action to use and when? The action names are descriptive of what they do. If you have, for example, an image that's sharpened to the point of becoming "crunchy" looking, try "Less Crunchy More Fuzzy". Generally speaking, consider using multiple actions in the order they appear in the set. Sometimes you just have to try an action, and if it doesn't do what you expected or wanted, go back in the History and try again. I could write volumes here, but rather than do that I encourage you to experiment running these actions on your images to see which actions give you the look and feel you like. Q: How do I get updated versions? Once you've purchased the actions license, any updates we make will be free. If you see a newer version online, either visit your customer account page or eMail us at updates@ProDigitalSoftware.com and we'll provide you with a fresh download. Q: The Diffraction Spikes action leaves me with fat spikes, and they should be thin. What do I do? This can happen if your stars are simply too large and beyond the limits of the actions to reduce to a point light source. What you can do as a workaround is this: 1. Duplicate the image as a second layer. 2. Choose Filter - Other - Minimum, a few pixels. Don't worry about how it looks, we're not going to keep this layer. Note that the star cores get smaller. 3. Choose Filter - Sharpen - Unsharp Mask, 20%, 16 pixels, 0 levels. This ensures the star centers are bright white. 4. Run the "Star Diffraction Spikes Fat Stars" action. 5. Run the "...As Layer On Top" action. 6. Select the duplicate image layer you made in step 1 and delete it. At this point you should have nice sharp spikes over the original image. Select the spikes ("After Action") layer and choose Layer - Merge Down if you like. I often prefer to leave the spikes in a separate layer. Q: How can I get the diffraction spikes on an angle instead of straight up and down, left and right? Do this: 1. Set the background color to black. 2. Rotate the image, e.g., 20 degrees. 3. Run the appropriate diffraction spikes action. 4. Run the "...As Layer on Top" action. This leaves the spikes in their own layer. 5. Rotate the image the other way the same number of degrees as in step 2. 6. Select all and Edit - Copy. 7. Click on the history entry just before the first rotation in step 2. 8. Paste the spikes over the image. 9. Set the spikes layer to mixing mode "Screen". 10. Move the spikes layer so they line up with the proper stars. Q: I got spikes on things I didn't want (e.g., galaxy cores). How do I fix this? The most effective way is take the ones you don't want out after the fact. Do this: 1. Run the "...As Layer on Top" action immediately after the spikes action has been run. This leaves the spikes in their own layer. 2. Select the Eraser tool. 3. Carefully erase the spikes you don't want. 4. Choose Layer - Merge Down from the menu. ================================================================================ 4. Policies and Legal Stuff ---------------------------- Licensing Policy Only one person per copy of Astronomy Tools may use these actions at one time. You may install and use Astronomy Tools on all the machines you use, but if more than one person will be using these actions at the same time, please purchase a separate license for each person. Updates I may be adding handy new features to Astronomy Tools from time to time. Your purchase entitles you to free updates. Check http://www.prodigitalsoftware.com to see our current offerings. Questions and Feedback If you'd like to eMail me to let me know how Astronomy Tools are working for you, or to ask me a question, please feel free to do so. Here's my eMail address: NCarboni@ProDigitalSoftware.com Privacy Policy I will not disclose your eMail address to anyone else. I hate spam. Please let me know if you'd rather not receive eMail from me, and I'll be happy to remove you from my lists. Guarantee If these actions don't work for you or you are unhappy with them, please let me know. If I can't make you happy I'll give you your money back. ================================================================================