Sky & Telescope - July 2024 - 65

first convert the grayscale image to RGB by selecting Image
> Mode > RGB from the dropdown menu. Next, open the
Curves tool (Image > Adjustments > Curves), select Red in
the Channel section, and pull up on the center of the curve,
but don't hit OK yet. Select Blue in the Channel section and
pull down from the center point about the same amount.
The green channel can be adjusted slightly if necessary to get
more of an orange shade. You'll need to experiment here, but
once you're satisfied with the coloration, the curve can be
saved on disk for future use on other images by clicking the
gear icon and selecting Save Preset.
An alternate method for colorizing your picture is to
open the Hue/Saturation tool (Image > Adjustments > Hue/
Saturation) and select the Colorize checkbox. Move the Hue
slider to the desired color shade and increase the Saturation
slightly. Although you can tint your image any way you'd like,
I personally prefer my images to resemble the wavelengths
captured. So, I typically colorize my Hα as orange and my
Ca-K pictures with a blue hue.
An additional method for colorizing your image in Photoshop
is to use the Color Picker tool located at the bottom of
the tools palette (the overlapping squares). Click on the top
(foreground) box and select the color you want to colorize
your image with. Next, open the Layers window (Window
> Layers) and add a new, blank layer to the image (Layer >
New > Layer). Click on this new layer and select everything
in the window (Select > All) and then click on the paint
bucket tool in the tool palette and click on your image. The
new layer will be filled with that color, hiding your image.
Now simply change the Layer Blending Mode in the Layer
window from Normal to Darken. Instantly your image is
colorized with your chosen hue. Each of these methods
produces a view very similar to observing the Sun through a
colored filter.
Final Considerations
With your processed Sun images at hand, the last step is to
prepare for submission, distribution, or posting. Typically,
you can save your images in JPEG format with the quality set
to maximum. Some publications and websites might prefer
other formats such as PNG, which incorporates lossless compression.
However, such files are much larger than JPGs and
can take a long time to upload. Magazines and book publishers
may also require that you send a full-resolution version
of the image. If you're posting your image to social media or
other online forums, it's best to shrink your photos to around
1,200 to 1,600 pixels wide, which shows plenty of detail
without overspilling the screens of most of your audience.
The Sun is an immensely rewarding target for imaging.
Capturing the ephemeral beauty of the solar atmosphere
presents unique challenges, but if you put some of these tips
to use, you'll be able to make this solar maximum the most
memorable you've experienced yet!
¢ CHRIS SCHUR images the Sun in multiple wavelengths from
the high mountain Ponderosa pine forests of northern Arizona.
Before
After
COLORING WITH
LAYERS There are several
easy methods for
colorizing black-and-white
images in Photoshop. This
technique requires adding
a new layer, filling it with
the desired color, then
changing the Blending to
Darken to get the proper
effect.
INSTANT MOSAICING
The Photomerge action in
Photoshop makes quick
work of assembling panels
into a seamless result. Simply
open the tool, browse
to the desired segments to
stitch, select Reposition,
and click OK.
sk yand tele scope .o r g * JULY 2024 65
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Sky & Telescope - July 2024

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