90 BBC Sky at Night Magazine August 2021
FIRST LIGHT
Our experts review the latest kit
Streamlined stacking
One-shot colour, monochrome RAW and FITS camera
images can be stacked using Affinity Photo.
Calibration frames such as bias, dark, dark flats and
flat frames can be included to help improve the
results. Different stacking methods can be used,
depending on the results you require, or the data you
have. There is also the ability to select different types
of mono or colour Bayer patterns, depending on your
camera. The images we stacked from both one-shot
colour DSLR and monochrome astronomy camera
sub-exposures were superb. These displayed great
contrast and colour, and fine definition once
processed within Affinity’s ‘Photo Persona’.
By adding dark frames, we removed the normal
amp glow visible in the sub-exposures from our
mono camera. A slight niggle is that there is no comet
stacking setting and if this could be included in a
later edition, it would be a most welcome feature.
The ‘Astrophotography Stack Persona’ (below)
opens the door to opening and editing single FITS
files from within the software, which is something
that cannot be done with most other up-to-date
versions of photo-processing software.
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WORDS: DAVE EAGLE
image-processing software
A user-friendly astrophotography program with updated adjustment tools
Serif Affinity Photo
- Price £48.99
- Core program
Photo editing
and processing - Features^
Astro imaging
‘Personas’ (for
desktop only),
combining
RGB images,
background
removal tool,
star alignment
tool, star
reduction tool
and ‘Astro
photography
Stacking
Persona’ - Updates Free,
until a major
update is
released - System
Windows 7 SP1,
8.1 & 10, Apple
Mac 10.9
and up and
iPad iOS 12
and above - Requirements
2GB RAM, 1280
x 768 display
or better
for desktop - Developer Serif
- Email affinity@
serif.com - https://
affinity.serif.
com/en-gb/
photo/
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