Editing Milky Way Help Needed

[jamessveta]

Hello,
I have done much searching but I am unable to find anything on this subject. I'm trying to edit photos I took of the Milky Way but I'm not having much success. The image is a RAW file and I'm using Paint Shop Pro X9. If there is anyone here with experience doing this or could point me in the direction of where I could find the information I would very much appreciate it. Thank you in advance for your help.

[Kathy_9]

I don't work with raw myself but maybe if you were a little more specific about what you are trying to do you might get some replies. Saying you want to edit the file could mean many different things.

[flagpole]

What specifically are the problems you're facing?

I'm not sure of the significance of the fact that it's the milky way that you're editing?

Maybe you could upload them somewhere and we could have a go?

[jamessveta]

Hello,
Thank you for your reply's. I'm sorry I was not more specific in my question. What I'm trying to do is make the milky way really stand out in the photo. What I'm looking to do is something similar to this...
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/429319776967862215/ I have tried different settings in Paint Shop but not really getting good results. I tried to put a link here to my original photo with a link to it but it will not let me do it here. If you have any suggestions about how to edit a photo like this I would be very grateful. Thank You

[jamessveta]

Hmmmm.... I tried to put a reply here but does not seem to be working.

[lata]

Hmmmm.... I tried to put a reply here but does not seem to be working.

The forum has a size limit for attachments.
You will have to upload to a sharing site, Dropbox, Google Drive, One Drive etc.
then provide a share link in your post.

Do you have the single image or a series of images (500 or so) to create timelapse?

[jamessveta]

It was a link I was trying to add to the post but for some reason it would not take the link.

[brucet]

Your may find that simply experimenting with Curve will give you the results you are after.

regards

[diente]

Here is a place to get started. A lot of information available.

http://www.clarkvision.com/articles/nig ... rocessing/

[jamessveta]

I'm very sorry for the delay in my response. Thank you diente for the information. When I went to that page they are showing post processing using photoshop not paintshop so I'm still lost in the woods with this thing. I have tried experimenting with curve and still not getting results. I'm willing to send the file to anyone who might be able to help. I have asked a lot of people and I usually get the same result, they say they use lightroom or photoshop and could not offer any help. I'm at a point that I'm wondering if I should just give in and go with those programs or try to keep working with paintshop. Thank You.

[LeviFiction]

Doesn't matter if it's for Adobe. Technically once you know what you're looking to do and how you want to do it most software can get you there. You just need to learn how the software performs those steps. Curves, for example, there are differences between Photoshop and PSP but for the most part, they work exactly the same. And they will for most software packages.

You'll find many of the tools talked about in that website are available inside PSP as well. Increasing saturation, simple with Hue/Saturation/Lightness commands. Unsharp Mask, found under the sharpening options. Histogram palette will let you see the colors and know what you're aiming for. We have color balance as well. And the biggest tool they use, curves. Yup we got that.

The only real difference I can see is the instructions for using Adobe's Camera RAW plugin (which is the same thing that Lightroom uses) to process the raw data. Which, if the file is not raw can be ignored. If it is RAW you're looking to simulate the requirements offered by the tutorial, not the exact values given in the tutorial. I think the built-in RAW for PSP might be good enough for the suggested requirements in that tutorial. Assuming PSP has your lens profile in it. Otherwise, a dedicated third-party converter may be all you need. Most are free, and if one comes with your camera that's going to be the best of all options usually as it's geared for your camera. You just need to export as a 16-bit TIFF once you're done in order to import it into PSP.

There is no step by step process that's going to give you excellent results 100% of the time. What you should be looking for a process "if you see this, then do an adjustment that does this to correct for it" This kind of process can be used in any software so long as you know the tool exists.

So, my suggestion would be to start following the tutorial. Then when you reach something you don't know how to do in PSP bring it up here and ask for a very specific requirement. That's when we'll be at our best to support you. But something vague like this...it's going to be hard for anyone to offer really great support.

[hartpaul]

Can you provide small jpg images (700 pixels longest side) showing what the image looks loke and then another showing what your best efforts were.

That link you provided was to a whole series of tutorials and images without specifying which one you were trying to emulate.

Much of what can be done in Lightroom can also be done in Paintshop Pro.

One mention in the tutorials is to work with a raw image. So you could use the basic Raw operations in PSP or use Aftershot Pro which comes as an extra with many of the Ultimate PSP Packs and has more features to use.
I will see if I can do a couple of milky way photos and work on it from this end.

[diente]

Hi, jamessveta.

A big factor in getting the look you want is the darkness of the sky. If you have a lot of light pollution, it will be tough to get a great result. Also important is the light gathering capability of your lens. Basic info, I know....but sometime the best processing still can't wring all the color and contrast you'd like from a bright sky. I think we all would like to see the capture you are starting with.

[jamessveta]

Hello,
Thank you to everyone for your reply. I will go back again and try. Here is a link to the photo. http://s1060.photobucket.com/user/james ... 9.jpg.html

[JoeB]

Does this give you the kind of contrast you're looking for?