Hello all, I've just released version 13 of my astrophotography macros.

Version 12 introduced bandpass sharpening which I think was a really useful addition (essentially it's Absolute Point of Focus sharpening that people were keen to see), so I had my work cut out trying to match that with version 13!

You can download the new version directly on Gumroad (https://jamesritson.gumroad.com/l/jr_astrophotography_macros) or from my website (https://jamesritson.co.uk/resources.html). You can also find your previous email from Gumroad which will contain the download link.

Based on feedback from users, I've re-introduced and improved the non-destructive versions of the Logarithmic and Colour Preserving tone stretch macros. You can now perform these transforms and tailor the final tone stretch with manual Curves/Levels adjustments, which ultimately gives you more fine control over the process and is much better for tricky objects that have bright areas.

There is an additional bandpass sharpening option called Repetitive Bandpass Sharpening, which provides a really nice option for fine detail sharpening. I'm now using it, sometimes in combination with the standard Multi-Bandpass Sharpening, to accentuate fine detail without any artefacting around high contrast edges. I recommend trying it out!

I've also changed all the data setup composition macros from using linear additive blending to Screen blending—this produces a smoother highlight rolloff for incredibly bright areas. Combined with the non-destructive tone stretching options, this should really help users struggling with overexposure of areas like the Orion Nebula core.

Also a first is a 16-bit exclusive option to remove salt and pepper noise. This uses median filtering which is currently unavailable in 32-bit: if it ever does become available, I will of course add it to the 32-bit category as well.

You will also find an experimental star inpainting method that uses a structural mask to define the star regions. I have found this works quite nicely on images with many smaller stars. The full change list is below.

v13 change list:

Repetitive Bandpass Sharpening: uses multiple bandpass filters all set to the same value, which gradually enhances detail and sharpness in a very subtle and refined way. The value can easily be changed to suit different imagery, as the filters are all linked.
Re-introduced and improved live, non-destructive versions of Logarithmic Tone Stretch and Colour Preserving Tone Stretch. These are useful for images with difficult highlight areas that can clip quickly, but require more manual intervention from the user to determine the best settings that work well for each individual data set.
Reduce Magenta Star Colour: creates a masked adjustment that selectively desaturates magenta star detail.
Remove Salt and Pepper Noise (16-bit only): uses median filtering with a custom blending range to reduce the visibility of harsh salt and pepper noise.
Structure Mask Star Inpainting (32-bit only): creates a structural mask and uses it to inpaint (content aware fill) bright star detail. This does not produce starless images but is good for removing the brighter stars if they are too overpowering and making it difficult to pull out nebula detail.
Soft Rendering: creates an interesting and pleasing rendering effect that softens and reduces star detail as well as diminishing background noise.
Changed all monochrome composition setup macros to use Screen blending rather than Add (linear addition). This results in a subtle but smooth highlight roll-off that is very helpful for objects that have a very high dynamic range (e.g. the Orion Nebula core). This is now especially useful when combined with the non-destructive tone stretching macros.

If you have any questions please feel free to email me: james@jamesritson.co.uk

All the best,
James

Download v13 of the Astrophotography Macros

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