FITS in Photoshop? Adobe Photoshop · Alien_Enthusiast · ... · 20 · 808 · 0

Alien_Enthusiast 2.86
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Usually, I use Siril for processing, therefore fits are my main file type.

Buuut

Photoshop cannot open them 

So I have to use PNGs

Yet PNGs lack quality 

Is there any way to preserve the 32bitness while using Photoshop?
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Reactor 1.81
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Tiff floating point...
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Marcelof 4.52
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No, PS cannot open .fits. But what are you trying to achieve?

The usual procedure is to do the processing with some astro software like Siril, PI or APP and then export a tiff to PS. Usually 16 bit is enough, but it can also be 32 bit (at least PI allows it).
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noon 2.15
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I always use TIFF in photoshop when transferring an image from another program. Recommend 16 bits maximum when you save the TIFF otherwise it may not display correctly/predictably.
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AstroBillUK 1.51
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I get from Pixinsight to Photoshop using 16 bit tif. No problems or apparent quality loss. 32 bit doesn’t seem to work.
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AstroGinger 2.11
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SIRIL to photoshop in both way TIF 16 bits.
Better move to Affinity Photo !
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Gary.JONES 6.76
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My suggestion is to use Affinity Photo instead of Photoshop.

AP is very similar to PS, but handles FITS natively, and includes lots of very useful astrophotography tools.
It stacks, handles calibration frames, and lets you edit the end result with features very similar to PS.

You get a perpetual license, which is a TENTH the price of a 1 year PS license - so it is very good value.

One of the engineers there is a keen astrophotographer - so I expect the AP tools to get even better as time goes on.

I switched from PS to AP years ago and have never looked back.

I have no affiliation to Affinity - other than realising it is great software and good value for money.
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messierman3000 5.00
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???

you can't save Fits in Siril as TIFFs? then move the TIFFs to PS?

why can't you just put the file in Siril, then just save it to TIFF?

If you can't do that, then just use Graxpert as a format converter; it's free and it works, and you don't have to do any background extraction to convert your images.

There is no way to directly open FITS in PS, as far as I know

And, BTW, I wouldn't try moving 32 bit images to PS, because PS does some weird things, like increasing brightness automatically.

When I transfer any TIFF to PS, I always use 16 bit; just saying...
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CAPastrophotography 0.90
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fits files are really not opened with an editor like Photoshop etc as they are raw image files. If you want to just view them then I'd suggest FitsLiberator or Tenmon.
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astrojoe 5.57
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I always use FITSLiberator from NASA to convert and/or develop my fits files. I save them in 32 or 16 bit Tif for opening in Photoshop.
PS handle 32Bit and 16Bit tif files to work on.

This is the link to FITSLiberator: https://noirlab.edu/public/products/applications/app001/
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Drothgeb 0.00
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I use Siril exclusively for stacking and pre-processing. Then I use Affinity and/or PS for post processing.

If you use Siril for stacking. It’s better to do some stretching in Siril while it’s still 32 bits. After it’s been stretched enough that nebula is showing, there’s minimal quality loss when converted to a 16 bit tiff file and moved to PS. The alternate is to use Affinity Photo which can handle 32 bit fits.

I prefer the feel of Photoshop, but still use Affinity some because of handling 32 bit fits. The Ritson macros for Affinity work well sometimes too.
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jarvimf12020 0.90
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You can also use other free registering and stacking software like Deep Sky Stacker or ASI Studio to convert FITs to TIFFs - then on to Photoshop.
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jrista 11.42
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Alien_Enthusiast:
Usually, I use Siril for processing, therefore fits are my main file type.

Buuut

Photoshop cannot open them 

So I have to use PNGs

Yet PNGs lack quality 

Is there any way to preserve the 32bitness while using Photoshop?

Convert your FITS to 32-bit TIFF images. TIFF or Tagged Image File Format, has been around for a long time, is broadly compatible, and capable of storing high precision data if necessary, as well as supporting a lot of header data (tags) like FITS.
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jhanson 0.00
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get the fitsplug2 plugin. It will allow you to open fits files in Photoshop. Regards
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messierman3000 5.00
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oh yeah, pfffft, idk why I forgot this. FitsLiberator is a good one

also try the plugin that jhanson is talking about
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Gary.JONES 6.76
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Just a thought based on my own experience ...

I used Photoshop for many years - I still have the box for version 4, which was released in 1996, and has spent almost 20 years on my bookshelf.

When I started doing Astrophotography, I used SiriL for stacking - I found that very capable, particularly for free software.
After stacking, I wanted to use Photoshop for post-editing, but I became frustrated by Photoshop's inability to read FITS files.

I tried FITSLiberator, and all the other plugins I could find.
They sort-of worked - but I found them clunky and unreliable - and they didn't keep pace with PS updates.

I researched every alternative solution I could find, and eventually stumbled across Affinity Photo.
I downloaded the trial, and after an hour or so converted that to a perpetual license.
Affinity cost me $80 - which was a tenth what I was paying for an annual PS licence.

Not only does Affinity read FITS files, it has all the features of PS that I used in my daily workflow - not just for astrophotography.

Affinity stacks FITS, with full support for calibration frames, then lets you edit the image afterwards, all in a single workflow. It also supports PSD files - so you can open all your old Photoshop files, and even save edited images as PSD. Affinity also supports various stacking methods, and a great set of *free* macros designed specifically for astrophotography, so you can implement functions such as noise reduction very effectively.

It's cross-platform, so you can use it on Mac or PC - and even on iPad.

I've since progressed to PixInsight for stacking and noise/gradient correction, but I still use Affinity for final editing.

Switching to Affinity made a **huge** difference in helping me climb up the AP learning curve.
IMHO - the best thing you can do is give Affinity a try - you will not be sorry.
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jheppell 3.21
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If you purchase and install FITSPlug, you'll be able to open FITS files in Photoshop. I've been doing it for ages now.
https://astroshed.com/fitsplug/fitsplug.htm
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jrista 11.42
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get the fitsplug2 plugin. It will allow you to open fits files in Photoshop. Regards

This is a plugin for Photoshop itself?
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jheppell 3.21
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Jon Rista:
get the fitsplug2 plugin. It will allow you to open fits files in Photoshop. Regards

This is a plugin for Photoshop itself?

Been a while since I installed, but if you install it in the PS plugin folder (like every other plugin) then PS will be able to open fits just like a tiff, jpeg, etc.
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Nicla.Camerin_Maurizio.Camerin 6.89
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Alien_Enthusiast:
Usually, I use Siril for processing, therefore fits are my main file type.

Buuut

Photoshop cannot open them 

So I have to use PNGs

Yet PNGs lack quality 

Is there any way to preserve the 32bitness while using Photoshop?

*** Hi, the stack output in Siril are .fit but you can save in Siril the 'resul.fit' in .tif at 32 or 16 bit files.  Open the image result, then go in the upper right side, beside 'Save' there is a icon with arrow, click it, a new tab is open and then in the down right side click 'Supported Image Files' and will open a window with all the files included .tif.  You can save at 32 or 16 bit.  Photoshop can open 32 bit and some tool work at that bit but for all the rest you need the image at 16 bit so is better just save at 16 bit.  As other commented, 16 bit preserve the integrity of the data without any loose.  Gimp also has the same post processing tools as Ps and Afinity and is free.  Also I think some Astronomy tools plugs in are adapted for Gimp.

DSS also can save the stacked result in .fit or in .tif at 32 or 16 bit. ***
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Gary.JONES 6.76
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There are many good tips in the comments above ...

I've used all those tools - SiriL, PS, GIMP, FITS Liberator, APP and many others, but the standout for ease of use, power and simplicity is Affinity Photo.

You can do everything in a single app with a single workflow : Stack > Process > Adjust, with lots of built-in tools and macros designed specifically for astrophotography.

I know that the other tools are very capable and some of them are free, but being able to do everything in a single app easily pays for itself many times over, in terms of saved time, consistency and reduced frustration. The online help is great and addressed 99% of issues I came across while learning how to use the app, and their tech support is amazing, with a very active user community.

To be fair, Affinity does have some limitations - for example you can eliminate the worst X% of subs, but you can't eliminate subs on the basis of FWHM - which means the X% of images you discard might be the worst, but they might be perfectly OK otherwise.

I originally resisted switching to Affinity because I had many years of experience with PS, and didn't see the value in learning how to use yet another app. But I soon found that Affinity is very much like PS, and where Affinity does differ, it was actually better.
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