STRETCHING Astrophotography in Photoshop Using Curves and Levels

[@harrykessler9219]

You just took my processing a degree of magnitude better. Thanks!

[@Johatsu]

Do you know the "Astrophotography Image Processing Guide" of Trevor Jones ?

[@confidentwreck]

Thanks! One question. At 5:50: Did you create a *new* (empty) layer or duplicate the background layer? That keyboard shortcut is platform specific - what menu item did you use? Thanks!

[@Kcb_creations]

My new layer stays transparent it wont turn into the picture like yours

[@microreniassance2929]

I am just getting into astrophotography and came across your video channel. Well, now I'm a subscriber and plan to go through all your videos to date. Your information is top notch. Well thought out and I can see you have been through a lot of the problems I am experiencing! So, your videos are even more helpful because of that. Great work and I'll be looking for new content when you have it. .

[@philipthompson6591]

Great video easy to understand nice and short and well presented iv have learnt a lot from you videos. 😀

[@aaronsippy2171]

Holy crap thank you for this man! I could not for the life of me in the last month find a good video breaking this down and it felt like this isn’t something you can progress with your processing skills until you understand levels and curves so this is just what I needed! Love watching your channel grow and it’s coming along very nicely so keep up the awesome help!

[@AstroExploring]

Thanks Aaron, really appreciate it!

[@esakuvatus]

Excellent tutorial 👌🏻 Very well explained , so simple people like me understand whats going on 👍🏻 Thank you very much 🙏🏻

[@francescad4054]

I just found your channel and subscribed. I am a complete beginner and was looking for a tutorial which explained why we need to do certain steps and not only told me what I have to do and left it to me to work out the reasons. Thank you! I’ll catch up on your other videos.

[@AstroExploring]

So glad you liked the video! Hope you find others useful too 🙂

[@ronrotunno522]

Wow Nick, that’s what we call here in the States a “Game Changer”. Excellent job, very well done Sir.

[@AstroExploring]

You’re too kind, Ron! Thanks very much.

[@ronrotunno522]

And while my T3i is out being modified I’m binge watching all of your videos 😂

[@tomgriffinphotographyakiwi6150]

Brilliant intro to curves and levels. Well explained and demonstrated. Excellent job. 💯

[@AstroExploring]

Thanks Thomas!

[@astronebulee578]

Great job thank you for an easy explanation into curves and levels, just to show where I've always gone wrong with those adjustments, great channel 👍, clear skies

[@rajsastrophotography]

I am sorry, may I know how to add layer?

[@astrohops7183]

Thanks for another helpful video Nick. Keep them coming.

[@peterlaubscher3989]

Very helpful - thanks you for keeping it simple. Great image.

[@AstroExploring]

Thanks!

[@astroheartuk4623]

New subber and I gotta admit I'm guilty of stretching the whole image as opposed to a per channel basis. Going to have to go back over all my images now! 🤣 Seriously, thanks tho 😁😁

[@nancyricigliano19]

This is really great information. Thank you

[@AstroExploring]

Thanks Nancy!

[@mikeissharp]

Okay ... what am I doing wrong with the longest shortcut in the world (shift-control-alt-N+e) @5:53 I can't get it to work? All I get is a empty layer 2 which I can't adjust the levels on?

[@AstroExploring]

It might sound stupid but you can let go of the N key before pressing the E key. N will create a new layer but the E will include all existing modifications from the layers below it so they’re actually 2 separate actions. Give that a go, hopefully it works for you

[@leonidtalas696]

What is the difference between doing Curves adjustment vs sliding the midpoint on the Levels adjustment to the left (towards the data)?

[@alextang3746]

When I created a new layer, which is it blank? What's the keyboard shortcut for creating a new layer like yours? What is that thing called?

[@khq3253]

thanks for these steps. It would be great to do a video like this for Affinity Photo (AP). I no longer use Photoshop, and have switched to AP and really enjoying using it.

[@brettmissick4888]

Great video. I have been using levels adjustment layer instead of adjustment->levels. I do ask though at the end of the video you mention a link on how to use the Carboni Astro actions tools but there is no link anyplace in the video. I've been DYING to try and find some videos on how to use some of these actions. Some are straight forward but most are head scratchers and with little to no info from the website on "how to" , this would be a GREAT video. Awesome info and so simple. thanks a bunch!

[@yashbodas7264]

Can you share the stacked image so we can follow along?

[@timolangemeyer5591]

Hi .. looks good. But in Photoshop 2023, my new Layers ( CMD + J or SHIFT + OPT + CMD + N) are empty at every time (on macOS) - so I have to stop very early and cant do all steps from this tutorial. Any idea??

[@rednutrage]

Nice one Nick! I found using levels adjustment layers as well to create a fully non-destructive workflow (i.e. you could in theory go back, make adjustments and re-flatten and apply the same levels and curves as previously).

[@OlliesSpace]

Nice one Nick I go thru very similar steps sometimes using a threshold layer at the beggining too to find the extreme white and black point. Like you say amazing what you begin with and where you can end. 👍🙏Clear skies.

[@AstroExploring]

Thanks Ollie!

[@jesuschrist2284]

Did you run a background extraction before doing this process?

[@mikemills7206]

Hi Nick, Great image and nice tutorial, can I ask how you have all those actions in the box on the right of photoshop, are they all pluggins?

[@mikemills7206]

I should of waited till the end 🤣🤣👌

[@kristofnemeth4714]

Hy! If I want to strech a stacked picture taken with a 50mm camera lens is your tutorial recomended or your tutoriol is only good for deep sky objects?

[@phutchis]

Where do you adjust for noise in this process?

[@AstroExploring]

I adjust the noise after doing the stretching using a couple of the astronomy tools actions

[@astrocarone9671]

Thank you Nick!

[@Peter-fz1zk]

Hi, why are you changing from 32 to 16 bits/channel? Im a beginner and I could not find a reason why should I do it.

[@bushcraftandastronomer.3775]

Hi Nick. I must first that image looked very good and thanks for the tutorial which I enjoyed. I do find these tutorials very useful and enjoyable to learn! How much is the software? Weather up here in scotland hasn't been that good but I did take my astrophotography setup recently and got shots of the Moon. Still learning about setup but that night it was so cold. Just ordered a really good red dot finderscopes for my 72ed to make it alot easier to find deep sky objects. I bought it at first light optics. Thanks for video tutorial and stay safe!

[@AstroExploring]

I’m paying about £8.50 per month for Photoshop and Lightroom. It does put people off but I use it for KZbin as well. Good luck with the red dot finder and fingers crossed for some decent weather for you in Scotland soon!!

[@marra2]

Do you do custom white balance on your astro modified canon ?

[@AstroExploring]

I leave the balance on daytime on the camera and don’t adjust it when in Photoshop

[@DinoMineDesigns]

Congratulations on winning #WITNS with this photo :)

[@AstroExploring]

Thank you 😃

[@johnray854]

Does this work for milky way/landscape images as well as galaxies? Sorry I'm new to post processing . . _

[@AstroExploring]

It will certainly work for galaxies. For MW shots with a foreground you’ll need to isolate the sky so that you don’t blow out the foreground though

[@ronrotunno522]

Hi Nick, I noticed that you didn’t adjust the midpoint slider to the left when doing your per channel levels adjustment. Is this something you typically don’t do or something you didn’t do for just this particular image? I sometimes do make a midpoint adjustment and am wondering if I’m doing more harm than good. Thanks!

[@AstroExploring]

Hi Ron. Moving the middle slider is not something I do in general. I prefer to use the curves adjustment and then bring the slider in to make sure the background isn’t blown out but there’s certainly no harm in using it if it works for you

[@ronrotunno522]

@@AstroExploring Thanks Nick, I’ve been experimenting with both the midpoint adjustment and curves adjustment. It does seem like adjusting curves is the way to go. Clear Skies. Ron

[@astrodad656]

Did you go to a dark sky site for this image? Or did you use a light pollution filter!? Thanks. New subcriber.

[@AstroExploring]

Thanks for subscribing! I took this from my garden but I had the Optolong L-eNhance narrowband filter

[@astrodad656]

@@AstroExploring i have the same filter but my red channel on my histogram is slammed far left. Longer subs, higher iso?? Curious what your settings were on your subs. I assume you used calibration frames. Such a nice image you got ...mine is a red mess!

[@AstroExploring]

Are you using a DSLR and is it modified? If it’s not modified then your camera will ignore approx 85% of the red light given off by emission nebulae. So unfortunately you end up in a position where you’re isolating a wavelength your camera mostly ignores. You’ll need to expose for longer to capture more detail, or modify your camera 🙂

[@astrodad656]

@@AstroExploring thanks. I have a modded t3i and a non-modded t3i (I know, right!). I'm trying to use the unmodded since I was concerned that the aberrations were from the mod. It's a journey... I'll get there. Painful stuff astro imaging! Not as easy as I imagined🤯 Sure appreciate your approach and advice. Cheers.

[@jeremytucker1680]

I've just started to watch and after 3 minutes I have a question :) When you were adjusting the RGB channels in the beginning why did you clip the highlights of the red channel but you didn't clip the highlight on the green or blue channels? kzbin.info/www/bejne/pYXSdmqclsqhY8k

[@AstroExploring]

Usually I do it in all 3 channels but obviously missed it out on the video, apologies!

[@jeremytucker1680]

Ah OK, I was just wondering :). What I have learnt is that there are many way to process astro pics and it's just yout own personal prference in the end.

[@Xerkies]

Still don't get any of it 😢

[@seesiedler1]

I suck at stretching, which is why I am using PixInsight. :D

[@AstroExploring]

I hear good things about PI and people’s results using it are incredible!