How to Stack Astrophotography Images in Photoshop?

Stacking astrophotography images in Photoshop involves combining multiple exposures of the same subject to reduce noise, enhance details, and reveal faint structures. Here’s a simplified guide on how to stack astrophotography images in Photoshop:

1. Organize Your Images

• Transfer your astrophotography images (typically in RAW or TIFF format) to your computer.
• Create a dedicated folder to keep your images organized.

2. Open Photoshop

• Launch Adobe Photoshop on your computer.

3. Load Images as Layers

• Go to File > Scripts > Load Files into Stack.
• Click “Browse” and select all the astrophotography images you want to stack.
• Choose the option “Attempt to Automatically Align Source Images” to align the images in case of slight misalignments.

4. Align Layers (if necessary)

• If your images were not aligned automatically or if you want to further refine the alignment, select all the layers in the Layers panel.
• Go to Edit > Auto-Align Layers. Choose the appropriate alignment method based on the alignment issues present in your images.

5. Create a Smart Object

• With all the layers selected, right-click and choose “Convert to Smart Object.”
• This step allows you to apply adjustments and filters to the entire stack as a single object.

6. Median Stack

• With the Smart Object layer selected, go to Layer > Smart Objects > Stack Mode > Median.
• The Median stack mode helps to reduce noise and eliminate any outliers or artifacts present in individual frames.

7. Refine the Image

• If desired, make adjustments to the stacked image to enhance the details and overall appearance.
• Use tools like Levels, Curves, or selective adjustments to adjust brightness, contrast, and color balance.

8. Save and Export

• Save the stacked and processed image as a new file to preserve the original files and adjustments.
• Choose the appropriate file format (e.g., TIFF) for high-quality storage or further editing.

Remember, stacking images in Photoshop is just one method, and there are specialized software programs like DeepSkyStacker, Sequator, or PixInsight that offer more advanced stacking and processing features specifically tailored for astrophotography.

Experiment with different techniques and software tools to find the approach that suits your workflow and produces the best results for your astrophotography images.