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Dark Art or Magic Bullet - New book by Steve Richards

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FLO

FLO

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A new book by 'Making Every Photon Count' author Steve Richards: 

Dark Art or Magic Bullet? A Beginner's Guide to Deep Sky Image Processing

dark_art_or_magic_bullet_1.jpg

 

'Making Every Photon Count' has been an incredibly popular book and helped lots of people start their astro-imaging journey. 'Dark Art or Magic Bullet' continues that journey and focuses on image processing, mainly using PhotoShop.

We're really excited about the new book and expect it to be a big hit this Christmas - congratulations to Steve on it's launch and hopefully he will pop along shortly to add his own thoughts :)

Pre-orders are being taken now but we don't expect this to ship until late-November.

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steppenwolf

steppenwolf

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Well there you go folks, the new book has taken a while and some cajoling from some good friends but it is finally finished and on the press as I write this post.

Making Every Photon Count exceeded my expectations in popularity and continues as a solid introduction to deep sky astrophotography, concentrating mainly on the equipment and procedures required to capture great images but with just a couple of chapters on image processing. However, I have always said that astrophotography is a two-part process and capturing the data is just the start - the real work is in the image processing that follows. Even the very best captured data requires processing to release the detail and, where applicable, the colour within.

Dark Art or Magic Bullet? is all about part two of the astrophotography process and I hope that it will help its readers to get the best from their hard-won data. Unlike many books on the subject, Dark Art starts at the beginning and doesn't assume any prior knowledge but as the book progresses there should be plenty for intermediate imagers to enjoy as well. Dark Art has been designed to lie flat on your desk so that you can easily follow the procedures while manipulating your own data on-screen.

I am very grateful to the members here on SGL who continue to inspire me to improve my own imaging and to the astrophotography community at large for their generosity in sharing techniques and I hope that my reciprocal sharing has maintained some balance.

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steppenwolf

steppenwolf

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4 hours ago, DaveS said:

I might put this on my shopping list, but I don't use PS. Are the procedures generally applicable, eg to the latest 16bit GIMP?

@DaveS, The Gimp is 'layer based' so many of the procedures in the book will be applicable, albeit using different dialogue box styles. There are some omissions in the version of The Gimp that I have just had a quick look at though, namely there is no 'Dust and Scratches' filter (although to be fair, it may have a different name!) and no 'Clipping Mask' feature for example. Other typical differences that a quick glance has shown up is in terminology - 'Value' blend mode in The Gimp replaces 'Luminosity' in PhotoShop for example although they work in exactly the same manner. However, layer masks are supported in The Gimp and these work in the same manner as for PhotoShop so they do have much in common.

The Calibration chapter doesn't involve either PhotoShop or The Gimp but majors on MaxIm DL and the free Deep Sky Stacker (DSS).

I hope that helps although I am unable to give you a definitive answer as I don't use The Gimp myself.

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steppenwolf

steppenwolf

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21 minutes ago, tooth_dr said:

Out of curiosity, at what level is the first book aimed at? 

Making Every Photon Count is aimed at the absolute beginner who has just decided that they want to try astrophotography but haven't a clue where to start.

Dark Art or Magic Bullet? is aimed at those who have started imaging but want to get the best out of the image data that they have captured.

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steppenwolf

steppenwolf

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5 minutes ago, DaveS said:

Thanks Steve, I will put this on my list.

Up to now I've only used AA5 for my processing so with your book I'll be getting to grips with layers.

AA5 sets the scene for the main event so hopefully the new book will give you some good ideas within a layer-based processing environment.

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