![]() If all this seems overwhelming that’s because it is - at first. Astrophotography is Frustrating but Rewarding Then, in processing, I used iterative stretching, masks, and the HDR multiscale transform tool in Pixinsight to ensure that as I brought out the fainter outer regions of the galaxy, the core remained properly dynamic. I wanted the galactic core to be as small and clear as possible in my unstretched subs. I approached this by shooting shorter subs, 120 seconds vs the 300 seconds or even 600 seconds I usually expose for deep sky targets. While Andromeda is one of the brightest targets in the night sky, its brightness can be challenging in that it is easy to overexpose the galactic core (see the center of my early attempt). My own workflow for the Andromeda photo was primarily in Pixinsight with some final global touches in Lightroom and Photoshop. Instead, I’d recommend a careful, deliberate approach to a processing workflow that will improve your end results. with level sliders in Lightroom, can seem helpful but can easily compound processing errors down the road. I also learned that shortcuts like global adjustments, e.g. Adam’s emphasis is on “being careful with your data,” and this mantra guides my approach. I found renowned astrophotographer Adam Block’s approach to teaching most useful, and patiently walked through his many tutorials until I was comfortable with the powerful tools available with today’s processing software, notably Pixinsight. There is a wealth of information out there and you could spend countless hours studying the post-processing techniques available in books, online tutorials, and community forums. There is no shortcut around this step as post-processing for astrophotography is equally or more important than your equipment or your capture. Post-processing of astrophotographs is time-consuming and the methods can be hard to learn. ![]() I was left with only the best shots to stack, and when quickly looking through my final selects, the shots were nearly indistinguishable in star shape and size which helps ensure a better final image. If a sub had a tracking error, clouds, or focus problems it went straight into the delete folder. Throwing away any subs that weren’t of the highest quality was essential to getting the result I did. I shot Andromeda over several nights and had hundreds of subs (individual two-minute exposures) to cull through. I matched my Esprit100 with a ZWO ASI2600MM-Pro which with a 3.76µm pixel size is right in the sweet spot of resolution for the 550mm focal length. I also learned that it was critical to ensure that your camera, whether starting with a DSLR/mirrorless or using a specialized cooled astro camera, is matched with your lens/telescope to prevent over- or under-sampling of stars. However, the optics in my Skywatcher Esprit100ED telescope are tailor-made for the stars, whereas a camera lens is made to serve many photography purposes and is not specialized to astrophotography. Sony a7 III mirrorless camera and Sony 200-600mm lens. My early deep sky efforts were with a mirrorless Sony a7 III and Sony 200-600mm zoom lens, which together cost more than my current telescope and astro camera. The most dramatic advances in the quality of my images came largely due to equipment upgrades. To find dark skies near you, check out a light pollution map. ![]() The Bortle scale is a measure of sky darkness, with 1 being darkest and 9 being inner-city sky.
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