Astro Tools | Photoshop Plugin for astrophotography

Astro Tools – Photoshop Plugin for Astrophotography

Astro Tools brings the most important steps of astrophotography processing into one clean and fast Photoshop panel.

Instead of searching through actions or clicking through complex layer setups, you can control your look directly through buttons, sliders and presets. Selected tools include a live preview on a chosen area, so you can test effects quickly without processing the entire image every time.

Why Astro Tools?

• Faster workflow: frequently used astrophotography tools in one central place.
• Presets and fine-tuning: start with Low, Medium and High presets, then adjust the result precisely.
• Live preview on selection: ideal for large files and clean before/after comparisons.
• Mask-based workflows: edit selectively, for example sky areas or specific regions, without rebuilding everything manually.
• Consistent look: repeatable results and a clear, structured Photoshop output.

Who is Astro Tools made for?

Astro Tools is made for astrophotographers who want to get more out of Photoshop — from first deep-sky edits to advanced processing workflows.

It is especially useful if you want to save time while keeping a clean layer structure and controllable, editable results.

Included tools

Astro Tools includes a growing set of practical tools for astrophotography processing:

• Star Mask: quickly select stars and use them as a mask for selective editing.
• Star Glow: add controlled glow to brighter stars.
• Star Reduction: reduce stars for cleaner and calmer star fields.
• Starless Workflow: create a starless layer, optionally with a separate star layer.
• Milky Way Details: enhance structure and detail with multiple detail levels.
• Contrast + Color Boost: add contrast and optional color intensity in a controlled way.
• Arcsinh Stretch: apply a color-preserving stretch with contrast and boost control.
• Orton Effect: create a soft glow and finishing effect for a more atmospheric look.
• Basic Adjustments: adjust exposure, contrast, saturation, shadows and highlights.
• Noise Reduction: apply selective noise reduction with masking support.
• Settings: language selection, slider memory, debug logs and reset options.

Existing tools receive ongoing updates to fix bugs, improve stability and add new features where useful.

Updates and future development

Astro Tools is actively developed and improved over time. The plugin checks for new versions when Photoshop starts, so you can stay up to date with the latest available release.

Compatibility and notes

• Adobe Photoshop UXP Plugin: the latest version of Photoshop is recommended. Backward compatibility is planned down to Adobe Photoshop 2023.
• Non-destructive workflow: Astro Tools is designed to keep your processing structured and editable where possible.
• Plugin language: English and German are supported.
• Results may vary: the final result depends on your source material, processing choices and tool settings.
• Two activations per license: use Astro Tools on your main workstation and on a laptop when working on the go.