Photoshop for Astrophotographers

[Carl]

Hi folks
Is the book "Photoshop for Astrophotographers" worth getting.

Carl

[rogerg]

Depends what you current level of knowledge is in photoshop.

I have it, and have to admit I shelved it before I should have. I think it has a lot of info in there I should read more and use more, but I wouldn't call it comprehensive. But then my level of photoshop understanding is pretty high anyway.

I learned things like doing proper unsharp masks from it. And then extended that knowledge to now have an easy way to remove light pollution from photo's. So it did definitely give me something.

I think there are better image processing books out there, but I can't think of them right now, I've just heard them mentioned now and then.

[[1ponders]]

Photoshop for Astrophotograpy comes on a CD. Which turned me off intially. Then I read through it, and as I was learning how to use PS for Astrophotography it had some great techniques in there. I then bought Photoshop Astronomy by R. Scott Ireland and I haven't looked at PS for Astrophotography since.

IF you want a primer to upper intermediate photoshop then R. Scott Irelands book is the one to get.

JMHO

[g__day]

I'm still working my way through the Zone System for Astrophotography and its seems pretty advanced, well thought thru and comes with a complementary DVD (upon e-mail request with attached receipt). I haven't read the other to compare sorry!

[Geoff45]

I think it's worth getting. Also, if you have a DSLR, then you should consider "A guide to astrophotography with digital SLR cameras" by the same author.
Geoff

[[1ponders]]

I have half of the books on this page and I wouldn't get rid of any of them

http://www.willbell.com/ccd/index.htm

If you are into a bit of math and the nuts and bolt of how it all works then this is the book for you. http://www.willbell.com/aip/index.htm

And this is the Ireland book I was talking about http://www.willbell.com/ccd/photoshop_astronomy.htm

[Geoff45]

Both great books.
Geoff

[montewilson]

Hi Guys - I'm not familiar with the API book but I know Scott's one quite well and would recommend it to anyone who can use PS already but only in a basic way.

I have an interest to declare. Scott is a good friend of mine. When I lived in Brazil I would come up to Miami and stay with him for a little while.

He was working on the book for a couple of years and it was great to see how it developed and evolved. He has a black cat who sat next to the mousepad all the way through the writing of the book and if she's not in the credits she should be. Writing such a complicated book would be a lonely experience.

There are a couple of my images on the DVD. They must be the examples of how to rescue bad photos and turn them into masterpieces!

The book is not light reading but the steps are easy to follow and all the effort he went to to use screen shots paid off.

Also let me comment on the fact that the book is not in colour. Scott told me the printers couldn't guarantee the colours would come out exactly as desired and he decided that it wasn't worth the risk as the subtle differences in some techniques of colour management are beyond the normal tonal range of the prinitng industry. The DVD of course has colour images.