For many years, I have followed the software products of Italian astrophysicist Angele Perrone. He actively updates his Photoshop extensions and he adds a lot of very simple functions that would be difficult to do in Photoshop without spending a lot of time and hassle. So here’s a look at Astro Pro 6 . Dashboard for Photoshop.
Astro Panel Pro 6 is not a plug-in, but an extension. Photoshop extensions are basically a set of macros where complex edits can take place with a single click. Extensions can also add functionality to Photoshop. They seem similar to plug-ins, but they are installed differently.
For Mac users, there are some caveats with extensions. They don’t run natively on an M1 or M2 Mac at this time, but if you launch Photoshop in Rosetta compatibility mode, they should run fine. Such is the case with Astro Panel Pro. However, an M1- (or M2-) friendly version will be available later this year.
So, what exactly does Astro Panel Pro do? First of all, Astro Panel Pro 6 is an extension found in the windows menu of Photoshop. Adobe currently considers these extensions to be legacy extensions, and they are not guaranteed to work on future hardware and future versions of Photoshop. On the Mac side, Astro Panel doesn’t work on Apple Silicon computers at all unless you launch Photoshop running Rosetta for compatibility.
At any rate, once running, Astro Panel Pro behaves pretty much like a normal Photoshop plug-in and it automates and speeds up editing. Although designed primarily for astrophotography, it can also color correct, de-noise, and remove gradients from landscape images.
However, I think the plugin will mainly be of interest to astrophysicists. I’m using it on Milky Way images, but it’s really useful on deep sky photos like nebulae and galaxies. There are also tools for overlaying and aligning star trail images. It also supports HDR creation, which can be stunning with night sky shots.
Trying it out
I used the Astro Dashboard on some images of the Milky Way that I took recently with Sony a7 III and a Sony 20mm f/1.8 . Lens. Before going to Photoshop and Astro Panel, I used the Deep Sky stacker to combine 65 17-second exposures that I shot in Arizona desert North of Tucson.
While in Photoshop, I adjusted the exposure slightly in the Camera Raw editor.
Then I jumped into the Astro Dashboard and tweaked the colors. It only takes one click, instead of juggling controls in Photoshop, where it would take some time.
As you can see, the image is still not perfect, so I enhanced the Milky Way sharpness. The Astro Panel will create a mask and you can choose a sharpness control to paint over where you want to enhance the image.
This has really improved my image clarity, but I still have pretty obvious gradients from some nearby city lights.
Two clicks and it’s mostly fixed. The sky colors are even, but there is still some light pollution at the bottom of the image. However, for a few clicks and swipes of the brush tool that is quick and not too difficult, Astro Panel Pro has done this image well. You can compare it with my unprocessed image above. I would probably fix the remaining light pollution at the bottom with a linear gradient back in Photoshop.
Astro Panel Pro 6 is a solid improvement of the previous Astro Panel software. There is an improved “green removal engine” to remove blue light caused by artificial light. There are several Orton effects added, best suited for landscape work, and for deep-sky photographers, there’s an H-Alpha simulation to provide red-toned mists when captured through H-Alpha filter. This version also improves noise reduction and provides stronger control over clarity.
Conclusion: Pros and cons
Astro Panel Pro is a quality software. Much of what it does can be done manually, but it is time consuming. With unlimited undo, it’s pretty easy to experiment and revert.
Perrone also offers an excellent e-book called “How to Photograph the Night Sky.” It’s a pretty complete guide for photographers getting started with the hobby, and it’s packed with great tips and specific gear recommendations.
The only real drawback I see is that Mac users don’t have a native version of Apple Silicon to use. The show’s creator, Angelo Perrone, said to expect it later this year. Apple users with the latest hardware likely won’t want to lose the technical and speed benefits of a new Mac and run Photoshop in compatibility mode.
Also, there is no upgrade price for users of version 5 or earlier, which I think is quite burdensome. There should be some incentive for existing customers.
Astro Panel Pro 6 sells for $55 or in a bundle with an e-book for $66. You can take it here.
