- Quick list
- Best photo editing app for astro
- Best editing app overall
- Best for large projects
- Best for powerful editing tools
- Best for speedy editing
- Best for amateurs
- Best for noise reduction
- Best for beginners
- Best for learning techniques
- Best for all skill levels
- Frequently Asked Questions
- How we test
1. The list in brief ↴
2. Best photo editing app for astro
3. Best editing app overall
4. Best for large projects
5. Best for powerful editing tools
6. Best for speedy editing
7. Best for amateurs
8. Best for noise reduction
9. Best for beginners
10. Best for learning techniques
11. Best for all skill levels
12. Best photo editing apps FAQs
13. How we test
The best photo editing apps for astrophotography can enhance your shots of the night sky and transform them into stunning images.
Editing your images can take them from dull, flat RAW files to beautiful works of art, and editing is especially important in astrophotography due to the difficulties of shooting in low-light conditions. Even NASA edits the astronomical images it produces using image editing software.
As celestial objects are very distant, they often appear faint in the image, so editing can bring out little details that might not otherwise be visible. And while the best cameras for astrophotography can deliver incredible results, they have their limitations in terms of zoom. As such, astrophotographers often reach for photo editing software to reduce image distortion on their astro shots, such as vignetting and barrelling.
Even the best telescopes and best binoculars can't reveal all the subtle colors and intricate patterns that post-shoot editing using photo editing apps can. RAW images might not appear very vibrant or exciting when first captured, but with the help of the best photo editing apps, astrophotographers can enhance and improve their astro images significantly.
Photo editing software offers a wide range of possibilities, from making colors pop to highlighting intricate details. Keep reading to discover the ideal software for your specific needs.
The quick list
Best photo editing app for astro
This app enables you to stack various types of calibration frames and comes with a powerful AI editing tool — but it does lack a library.
Best editing app overall
With extensive image editing and organization features, everyone you know uses Lightroom.
Best for large projects
A powerful image editor that can handle almost anything you throw at it — but it has a very steep learning curve.
Best for powerful editing tools
An app aimed primarily at professionals, its specialty is tethering — although the mobile app is a more accessible option.
Best for speedy editing
For quick edits, this reasonably-priced software will do the job nicely. It has many one-click editing features to simplify your workflow and a clean interface combined with AI tools to make your experience seamless.
Best for amateurs
For an introduction to Photoshop with just the basic features, this is a good option — but there's no subscription option.
Load the next 4 products ↴
Best for noise reduction
The DeepPrime XD was the best noise-removal tool we've tested — but other apps are hot on their heels and offer other features too.
Best for beginners
This user-friendly software packs in lots of social media-friendly features, but not much for seasoned pros.
Best for learning techniques
Corel PaintShop Pro 2022 is a great app for beginners working at a slower pace. It has powerful AI tools that allow for easy, one-click edits and it's good for astro stacking — but the downside is it's only available on Windows.
Best for all skill levels
It has fast processing times and offers all-in-one editing for batch and layer edits, but it's let down by the interface and price.
Best photo editing apps for astrophotography 2024
Why you can trust Space.com Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test and review products.
Best photo editing app for astro
✅ You specialize in astrophotography: Overall we were really impressed with the extensive astrophotography stacking persona, and there are a ton of astro macros to speed up your workflow.
✅ You like to own the software: There's no option to subscribe to Affinity Photo, so once you buy the software, you own it.
❌ You want in-built organization: We'd love to see them adopt some kind of library system, as currently it relies on the folders on your computer.
🔎 Affinity Photo 2 The best app for astrophotography, its astrophotography stack persona is like no other, although it has a way to go in other areas to live up to Adobe. That said, it's affordable and fairly user-friendly, and has a bunch of useful features once you delve in. ★★★★½
In late 2022, 7 years after the original software was released, Serif launched the latest version of Affinity Photo, packed with fantastic new tools for editing and manipulating your photos. We particularly love the masks, which now work as well as those you'd find in Lightroom and Photoshop. They also added non-destructive RAW development, meaning your original photos remain untouched no matter how much you edit them. The live mesh warping feature and layers panel also make the software even more powerful than before.
While these updates may not be specifically designed for astrophotography, they significantly enhance Affinity Photo's overall capabilities and user-friendliness.
Affinity Photo 2 is divided into five different 'personas' — the personas are essentially different workspaces within the software. Each persona serves a unique purpose in the editing process — there's Photo, Liquify, Develop, Tone Mapping and Export.
The Develop and Photo personas are where you make your initial edits, much like in Lightroom or in Photoshop's Camera RAW. The Liquify persona is to warp or distort your images, Tone Mapping is most typically used for 32-bit HDR files and the Export persona is self-explanatory. During our Affinity Photo 2 review, we spent most of our time in the Develop and Photo Personas.
There is a dedicated 'Astrophotography Stack' function and we were very intrigued to see how it compared to Photoshop, which we found wanting in that department. To put it simply, astrophotography stacking in Affinity Photo 2 is an easy way to combine your calibration and light frames.
With just a few clicks, you can import these frames and let the software stack them automatically. In our testing, we were very impressed with its performance, especially in aligning the stars — they came out perfectly. However, when we tried to stack an image that included a foreground, it struggled and only aligned the stars, which is the opposite of what we found in Photoshop. It's a non-issue if your focus is solely on capturing images of the sky without any foreground, such as the Milky Way, nebulas or constellations, and many astrophotographers often replace the foreground entirely anyway. In terms of stacking capabilities, we think Affinity Photo 2 is the one to beat.
Another Astro-friendly function we enjoyed is the 'Remove Background' filter. AI helps to restore the dark sky around the stars back to its original dark color and removes color casts that may have crept into your images — particularly useful if you live in an urban area.
Affinity Photo 2 is now available as part of their universal license — you pay a one-off fee of $164.99 for Affinity Photo, Affinity Publisher and Affinity Designer. If you don't need these, you can still purchase Affinity Photo 2 individually for a one-off payment of $69.99, or $18.49 for the iPad version.
- Read our full Affinity Photo 2 review
| Attributes | Notes |
|---|---|
| Pricing | Subscription free. |
| User interface | Split into five different personas. |
| Key features | Non destructive RAW editing. |
| Astro features | Impressive astrophotography stacking tools. |
Best editing app overall
✅ You want an all-in-one image editor and catalog: Lightroom excels in both image editing and organization, making it hard for many other editing apps to beat.
✅ You want excellent noise reduction: Lightroom introduced an AI noise reduction tool in 2023, which we think is very impressive, albeit a bit slow.
❌ You want to stack or create composites: One feature lacking is the ability to blend layers and create composites which are often used in astrophotography.
🔎 Adobe Lightroom If you're looking for image editing software to rule them all, you won't be disappointed with Lightroom. It has unrivaled catalog organization and all the editing tools you need to create stunning images. ★★★★★
Lightroom is mostly used by professionals, but as time goes on, more hobbyists, content creators and amateur photographers have also taken to it. It's a robust piece of software packed with many features that can streamline your workflow and simplify your post-processing. It's no wonder it's considered the most popular and highly rated image-processing software out there.
It's versatile and comprehensive, and one of its major selling points is its organizing and cataloging features as well as being able to edit your images. Lightroom also excels with RAW images, so it's suited to a wide range of users from beginners to professionals. You don't necessarily have to work with RAW files in Lightroom, but we do recommend shooting your images (in particular, your astro images) in RAW because of the increased detail and color depth that RAW provides.
It's quick and easy to import your images to Lightroom after a photo session, and you can create a database of all the shots from that day, including geotags and facial recognition. Then, you can use flags, stars and colors to organize and rate the files, keeping the best photos and getting rid of the ones you don't want in your library.
The organization tools in Lightroom make it stand out from other editing apps, although some apps are starting to offer similar features, especially since the recent advancements of AI. Photographers who shoot events and weddings will find these tools especially helpful, as they often have to wade through thousands of images from each shoot.
The editing toolkit is also very extensive and, in our opinion, the best out there in terms of capabilities and layout. When you're editing in Lightroom, you have complete creative control over many aspects of the image, including contrast, brightness, texture, clarity, color hue and saturation. You also have the option to smooth out any distortion and lens idiosyncrasies.
You can create and save presets, edit with masks and heal any unwanted dust spots or distractions in your images. Then, once you've finished editing, a high-quality JPEG image can be watermarked, exported and shared, all while keeping your original RAW file intact. And as Lightroom's workflow is completely non-destructive, you can go back and make edits whenever you like, as often as you like, without touching the original file. It's only when you choose to export an edited image that any changes become permanent, and even in that case, the edited file is saved separately.
Shortly after we published our Adobe Lightroom review, an AI denoise tool was introduced, which is great news for astrophotographers. With just a click of a button, it'll intelligently remove unwanted noise from your image based on the percentage you set. We've found that it works incredibly well and rivals DxO's deepPrime tool, but the bigger the file and more noise reduction you do on a particular image, the longer it takes — sometimes it can take up to 5 or 6 minutes per image, and again, it'll depend on the speed of your computer.
Lightroom also excels at batch processing photos so you can import all of your images at once, batch edit (essentially copying and pasting the same editing settings onto each image), and then export them to another app for stacking. If there was one photo editing app to rule them all, it's Lightroom.
- Read our full Adobe Lightroom 2023 review
| Attributes | Notes |
|---|---|
| Pricing | Subscription only, but included in good value Photography bundle. |
| User interface | Not a very exciting layout, but simple to understand. |
| Key features | Unrivalled cataloging and organization. |
| Astro features | New AI-based denoise proves a hit with astrophotography. |
Best for large projects
✅ You want one app that can do it all: Photoshop can do pretty much anything you want, so you won't need multiple different apps that all do different things.
❌ You need good organization: Organization and cataloging aren't what Photoshop is known for — for that, you'll want Lightroom.
❌ You're a purist: If you don't believe in manipulating images or creating composites, you likely won't make use of the majority of Photoshop's features.
🔎 Adobe Photoshop Photoshop has been the industry standard for a long time, and with the introduction of AI, we don't see that changing any time soon. Available on subscription only, but it's included in a good value Photography bundle along with Lightroom. ★★★★★
Like Lightroom, Photoshop is an image-editing app that has inspired the design of many other image-editing tools. Although Photoshop can be intimidating to get to grips with at first, it's an incredible tool for astrophotographers and is considered the go-to photo editing app used by professionals worldwide — even NASA uses Photoshop to enhance the detail in their images.
We looked at all the pros and cons of this powerful software in our Adobe Photoshop 2023 review. It can be pretty daunting to figure out how to use Photoshop if you're a complete beginner as it has such an extensive toolset, but there are plenty of online tutorials on how to do pretty much anything and everything, so if you have the time and patience to put into it, having a Photoshop skillset is very desirable.
Photoshop employs selections and layers in its editing process — a feature that Lightroom, among other apps, has also since adopted. With layers, you can edit specific parts of a photo (like just a fire hydrant or the color of someone's sweater) without changing the rest of the image. This is handy for complex edits because if you mess up, you can simply adjust or remove that particular layer instead of starting over with the entire image. You can also label your layers to keep things organized while you edit.
Layers are especially useful for astrophotographers because you can use them when you edit the sky and foreground separately in your astro images. For example, you can bring back the details of rocks or buildings in the foreground while keeping the stunning dark sky intact. Adobe Sensei, a cloud AI technology, can even automatically identify selections for you, making the process even easier. However, you can also make your own selections manually if you prefer.
Layers are an essential tool that lets you stack different elements on top of each other. This flexibility allows you to move, merge, paint, hide or even cut holes in these layers, enabling you to create complex effects. Astrophotographers can utilize layers to enhance the soft glow of nebulas or produce stunning star trail images by combining multiple photos. These features in Lightroom make it a powerful and convenient tool for astrophotography editing.
In our previous review of Adobe Photoshop 2021, we mentioned that it would be great to have the option to automatically stack and align astro images instead of doing it all manually. This newer version does offer this capability with Auto-Align and Auto-Blend, however, when we attempted to stack a series of astro images, we encountered difficulties in reliably and consistently aligning them regardless of the method we used. We found that it could easily stack the foreground in the images, but it struggled with the stars. If Adobe addressed this feature and put some work into improving it, this would be a game-changer for astrophotographers.
Plans from Adobe are decently priced considering the variety of tools you have access to. For $19.99 a month, you can purchase a Photoshop and Lightroom subscription together, which is an excellent deal if you regularly use both apps — especially considering Photoshop is $20.99 on its own. If you don't want the full-fat version of Photoshop, you may find Photoshop Elements a bit easier to navigate — it's a little further down in this buying guide and might be more suited to your needs.
- Read our full Adobe Photoshop 2023 review
| Attributes | Notes |
|---|---|
| Pricing | Subscription only, but included in good value Photography bundle. |
| User interface | Substantial learning curve, but fine once you know it. |
| Key features | Great features for all skill levels. |
| Astro features | Auto-align and auto-blend for astro images. |
Best for powerful editing tools
✅ You're a studio professional: Capture One Pro is definitely aimed more at professional photographers who will make use of its tethering capabilities.
✅ You want to tether to a tablet/smartphone: The mobile version is actually quite affordable, so if you want to do on-location portrait photography and want to tether straight to a tablet and edit on the go, this would be a great option.
❌ You don't want to spend loads: No matter whether you pay monthly or for a one-off subscription, it's expensive software.
🔎 Capture One Pro 23 A professional-level editing app that specializes in color and tethering, this software is not for beginners, nor is it priced as such. The mobile app, however, is very reasonably priced and could prove useful for on-the-go shooting. Sadly, it doesn't offer any dedicated astro features. ★★★★½
Capture One Pro is another photo editing app that follows Lightroom's approach rather than Photoshop's. It's particularly popular among professionals for tethering and studio photography due to its outstanding performance in those areas. Known for its exceptional RAW image decoding, Capture One Pro guarantees top-notch results. Additionally, it supports various image formats, including the HEIC files produced by newer iPhones, making it even more versatile and valuable for photographers.
Capture One Pro excels in almost every aspect, particularly in fine-tuning colors, offering a wide array of editing and color-grading tools. It could be an excellent option for enhancing colors in deep sky images of nebulas and cosmic dust clouds, bringing out vibrant pinks and blues to create stunning visuals. In our Capture One Pro 23 review, we loved its ability to accurately color grade images and how well it manipulated colors in the image, as well as maintaining accurate skin tones.
Capture One Pro is a remarkably robust software that combines the best aspects of Lightroom and Photoshop, although it has been designed with professionals in mind. It does include a useful 'learn' feature with in-camera tutorials, which can make it more beginner-friendly for those just getting started with the software. However, if you're new to photo editing altogether, we wouldn't necessarily recommend starting with Capture One Pro unless you're ready to delve into its full range of capabilities.
Once you become familiar with the basics, the software provides a unique and robust set of tools that will elevate your editing skills to new heights. It's a fantastic choice for experienced photographers who need advanced editing capabilities and a comprehensive all-in-one solution.
Although Capture One Pro is a fantastic tool for improving workflow, many of its most recent changes appear to be more focused on photo organization than editing, making it better for photographers who photograph people or events and need to sort through a high number of images quickly — taking a leaf out of Lightroom's book.
The downside? Capture One Pro is expensive whichever way you slice it. Monthly subscriptions are $24/m, annual is $179/y and a one-off payment for the license is $299. You could get two or more of the other apps for the same price so it's probably not worth it unless you are a studio pro and use tethering as a regular part of your workflow.
- Read our Capture One Pro 23 review
| Attributes | Notes |
|---|---|
| Pricing | Expensive, but multiple ways to pay. |
| User interface | Clean, customizable layout. |
| Key features | Specializes in tethering. |
| Astro features | No dedicated astro features. |
Best for speedy editing
✅ You want to edit quickly: Neo features a lot of one-click editing tools that speed up workflow, especially with the use of AI tools.
❌ You want decent cataloging: Organization and cataloging aren't Luminar's strong suit, so you'd be better off opting for another editing app.
🔎 Luminar Neo This software uses a lot of AI-based tools to help create polished and professional-looking images, although it's not the best for astrophotography alone. It excels in speedy editing, although some users have reported that it can be buggy and slow. ★★★★
We've previously recommended Luminar AI in this guide until it was discontinued in 2022. In our Luminar AI review, we found it to be great for applying Instagram-friendly filters and creative edits to images. However, it may not be the best choice solely for astrophotography, as each astro image typically has unique needs that vary significantly from other types of general photography. If you're an astrophotographer looking for conventional image-editing tools, we recommend considering their newer software — Luminar Neo.
Neo is different from Luminar AI, and takes center stage as Luminar's flagship product, bringing a new editing engine and the ability to create more polished and professional-looking images. Luminar built Neo from the ground up rather than modifying the previous AI software, although Neo still offers powerful one-click AI adjustments to boost the speed of your workflow.
Like Photoshop, Luminar Neo lets you use layers in your editing process, and it includes a developer module similar to Lightroom's features. However, we found Luminar Neo's cataloging abilities to be quite basic. You can only flag the images, so it might not be the best option if you need a robust system for organizing and managing your images, like professionals who may need comprehensive catalogs of all their shoots.
We've yet to do a full review of Luminar Neo, but keep your eyes peeled as we'll do one soon. Some users have reported the software being a little buggy, but hopefully, these will continue to be ironed out over time.
- Check out the Best cameras for astrophotography
| Attributes | Notes |
|---|---|
| Pricing | You pay a one-off fee. |
| User interface | Clean interface. |
| Key features | Limited cataloging features. |
| Astro features | Some helpful AI tools for astro editing. |
Best for amateurs
✅ You're a novice: If you find the full version of Photoshop overwhelming, this could be a good introduction to all the basic tools in the software.
❌ You want the most affordable option: With the full version of Photoshop being available in the Adobe Photography bundle for a good price, you'd need a good reason to just go for Elements instead.
🔎 Adobe Photoshop Elements A good choice for beginners and enthusiasts who don't want the monthly subscription to the full version of Photoshop, but have all the essentials. It doesn't cater specifically to astrophotography, but you can do basic astro editing. ★★★★
Adobe Photoshop Elements is a great option for beginners and photography enthusiasts, providing a simplified and easy-to-use version of Photoshop if the full version seems a bit too daunting. While it's not tailored specifically for astrophotographers, Elements does a wonderful job of mirroring the essential 'elements' of Photoshop, such as layers and selection tools. Additionally, they've incorporated some impressive Sensei AI features that bring innovation to your editing process.
With Photoshop Elements, you can adjust tones and colors, swap backgrounds and enhance your photos using automatic adjustments. The included guide helps you learn and enhance your editing skills over time. It's perfect for fast and simple edits.
If you're a professional photographer or want to perfect your Photoshop skills, we recommend looking into the full version of Photoshop. The full version ensures you have access to all the advanced features without any potential limitations in the future as they update the software. The complete Photoshop package provides a wider array of tools and functionalities for tackling complex editing tasks at a professional level. Simply put, you can do pretty much anything in Photoshop.
The differences between Photoshop and Elements are stark, not only in how many features they include but also in the way you pay for them. Adobe's Creative Cloud apps (Photoshop and Lightroom) are subscription software, which means you pay a fixed amount each month (currently $19.99 per month in the Photography plan, which is pretty reasonable for what you get). The benefit of a monthly subscription is that you always have access to the most recent version of the software, which is regularly updated to include various bug fixes and new features.
With Photoshop Elements, however, you just pay a one-off fee (it also has a video-editing sibling called Premiere Elements). The downside of this is that you pay for that specific version. Naturally, it's only a matter of time before there will be a new version available, so if you want to make use of any newer features you'll have to shell out for the new version. As Lightroom and Photoshop are available in the good-value Photographer's Bundle, we think you'd need a pretty good reason to purchase Elements instead. If you do think Photoshop Elements may be more suited to you, check out our Photoshop Elements review.
- Read our full Photoshop Elements review
| Attributes | Notes |
|---|---|
| Pricing | You pay a one-off fee. |
| User interface | Simplified version, could do with updating. |
| Key features | Includes basic Photoshop features. |
| Astro features | Good for astro stacking. |
Best for noise reduction
✅ You want good denoise features: We were very impressed by the DeepPrime XD noise removal — at the time of our review, we actually thought it was better than Lightroom's AI denoise tool.
❌ You want to stack images: There aren't any image stacking capabilities in PhotoLab, so users will need a separate app to be able to do that.
🔎 DxO PhotoLab 6 Astrophotographers will love its impressive AI noise removal features, but many other programs are hot on their heels when it comes to AI. We thought it was brilliant for organization, with a customizable layout and the ability to create projects. ★★★★
DxO PhotoLab offers a remarkable feature that has previously made it stand out for astrophotographers. The DeepPRIME XD noise reduction, powered by AI, can unveil tiny details in your photos that weren't noticeable before, and they describe it as being "like nothing you've seen before."
Additionally, the ClearView tool can enhance the contrast and color saturation in deep-sky images, which is particularly useful for astrophotography, where high ISO sensitivities often introduce unwanted noise. This software is excellent news for astrophotographers because it enables them to effectively reduce noise and enhance the quality of their images, even under challenging light conditions.
We tested both of these features out in our DxO PhotoLab 6 review and we were very impressed — we even thought the DeepPRIME XD noise reduction tool outperformed Lightroom's AI noise reduction. We'd love to see them add some kind of image-stacking functionality in the future to really make the software a big player for astrophotographers.
Although it can process compressed files like JPEG, you will need to shoot in RAW if you want the additional detail and color depth — which you'll always want when editing night-sky images.
You even have the option to install Photolab as a Lightroom plugin, so you can do the majority of your editing in Lightroom, and then switch over to Photolab to make use of its impressive AI tools without having to import the image into two different editing apps.
They've since released version 7, which we are yet to review. This new version includes improvements to their color tools, user interface and some local adjustment tools. Version 7 is also said to be a lot faster than version 6.
- Read our full DxO PhotoLab 6 review
| Attributes | Notes |
|---|---|
| Pricing | No subscription, but you can spread the cost. |
| User interface | Customizable layout. |
| Key features | ClearView Plus to boost clarity and contrast. |
| Astro features | Brilliant AI denoise feature, but no stacking options. |
Best for beginners
✅ You want AI editing tools: This app makes use of a lot of AI-based editing tools, from portrait editing to sky replacements.
✅ You're a beginner: While it does feature more advanced AI tools, we thought it was good for beginners due to its simplicity and ease of use.
❌ You specifically want astro tools: We found this app to be particularly lacking in this area, so astrophotographers will want to look elsewhere.
🔎 CyberLink PhotoDirector 365 A decent editing app overall, beginners would get on well with its simplicity and ease of use, but there's little to offer astrophotographers and serious photography. ★★★½
When we reviewed PhotoDirector 13, we thought it didn't offer much for specific astrophotography editing, and while we discovered the same in our PhotoDirector 365 review, we think of it as a jack of all trades, master of none — making it a good option for beginner photo editors.
Many of the editing tools are designed for social media users, offering fun stickers and enhancements for online images. However, these particular tools may not appeal to serious or professional photographers who need more advanced features. Thankfully, there are cheaper image editing apps available that provide advanced capabilities and are perhaps more suitable for photographers who want to edit their photos at a higher level.
The software has a simple interface with just two main sections — there's Organise & Adjust, where you can import your images and organize them to create your own library, and Edit, where you can make edits to your images and add effects and animations. It utilizes layer-based editing like Photoshop, and all editing is entirely non-destructive. It certainly has the potential to be a great image editing app, we just wish they put a few more professional features in there.
We liked the AI Denoise tool, but it's not vastly different from the Denoise tools in Lightroom or DxO, and that feature alone wouldn't be enough to entice dedicated astrophotographers to use it over the other two programs.
PhotoDirector 365 and PhotoDirector 14 Ultra offer the same features but are just packaged differently: PhotoDirector 365 is on a yearly subscription basis, while PhotoDirector 14 Ultra is a one-off lifetime license — but it's worth noting that PhotoDirector 14 Ultra is only available for Windows computers.
- Read our full CyberLink PhotoDirector 365 review
| Attributes | Notes |
|---|---|
| Pricing | Expensive for what it is. |
| User interface | Basic but easy to navigate, good in-built library. |
| Key features | Lots of AI tools. |
| Astro features | Minimal astro features. |
Best for learning techniques
✅ You want to own the software: This app operates on a one-time purchase basis, so once you buy it, you own the software.
❌ You want future updates: As there's no subscription option, you need to pay for future updates when they become available.
❌ You have an Apple device: This app is Windows only, so Mac users need not apply.
🔎 Corel PaintShop Pro Great for beginners working at a slower pace, it has AI tools that allow for easy, one-click edits, saving time and effort — although it's only available on Windows ★★★½
Although Corel Paintshop Pro is geared towards beginners and hobbyists, its editing capabilities are not to be underestimated. It uses a layer-based approach, similar to Photoshop, providing flexibility in your edits. It also supports RAW images and is beginning to incorporate AI and content-aware technologies that can enhance your astrophotos significantly.
In our Corel Paintshop Pro review, we found that although it's a good tool for beginners, experienced users and anyone with a lot of photos to edit would probably get quickly frustrated with its performance, as it can be slow and sluggish even on faster machines — not ideal for anyone who shoots events or weddings and has a lot of images to wade through.
Paintshop Pro is separated into three different workspaces: there's Photography, which uses a full-screen environment and includes basic editing tools; Essentials, which is a stripped-back version still with good editing capabilities, and, finally, Complete; which is a more professional and comprehensive setup.
While Paintshop Pro isn't tailored specifically towards astrophotography, it does provide a range of tools to enhance your astro images. However, the software focuses more on specialized workspaces and custom editing tools for drone and underwater photos rather than night-sky images.
We also thought the noise reduction capabilities for astrophotography may not be as good as they need to be. Astrophotographers need to use high ISO to capture images of the night sky, which, depending on the camera you're using, can result in unwanted noise. To address this issue effectively, an editing app needs to have a good noise-reduction function to remove noise while preserving the sharpness of the stars. While Paintshop Pro has useful features, it may not be the best choice for handling the specific needs of astrophotography in terms of noise reduction.
Corel has added focus stacking into their most recent version; Paintshop Pro 23, which is great for focus stacking astro shots with different exposures for the sky and foreground. The performance and useability have allegedly also been improved. We look forward to trying it.
- Read our full Corel PaintShop Pro 2022 review
| Attributes | Notes |
|---|---|
| Pricing | One-time purchase only, and future upgrades come at a cost. |
| User interface | Separated into three different workspaces. |
| Key features | Good list of standard photo editing tools. |
| Astro features | Can stack images, but not the best for noise reduction. |
Best for all skill levels
✅ You find it on offer: We thought that its competitors brought more to the table overall, but if you find it on offer it's worth giving it a go.
❌ You get overwhelmed by busy interfaces: We found the interface to be rather busy and a bit dull, so if you don't know what you're doing it may be an unpleasant experience.
🔎 ACDSee Photo Studio It has fast processing times and offers all-in-one editing for batch and layer edits, but it's let down by the interface and price ★★★
ACDSee is a great choice if you're looking for a general-purpose image editor as it's a very versatile editing app — see how the 2022 version fared in our ACDSee Photo Studio review. It's organized into several modules (much like Affinity Photo's personas) and features a catalog management interface that's largely similar to Lightroom's. There are several tools available to help you enhance your night sky photographs between the develop module, which decodes your RAW images, and the main edit module, which operates more like Photoshop.
There are different versions of ACDSee available depending on your skill level: Home, Professional and Ultimate. Home is the base model which is best suited to beginners, while Professional is for, well, professionals. Ultimate is the full-fat, beefy version that does everything. We'd recommend going for the Ultimate version to really get the most out of your astro images, as it's designed to be an all-in-one solution for non-destructive editing, organizing, storing and sharing your images.
ACDSee has you covered with its RAW image processing feature, which is good news for those of you who shoot in RAW. In the Ultimate version, you'll find layers similar to Photoshop, making it simple to stack your night sky images seamlessly. ACDSee also includes an Advanced Lighting EQ tool that you can use selectively to enhance the subtle glow of the night sky or intensify darker night skies. The editing process in ACDSee is non-destructive, so your original images remain safe and untouched throughout.
There's enhanced AI editing in the most recent 2023 version, like with many of the software updates in this guide, allowing you to do a lot more (such as replacing the sky in an image while maintaining the foreground image) with a single click.
- Read our ACDSee Photo Studio review
| Attributes | Notes |
|---|---|
| Pricing | Subscription and one-time purchase available. |
| User interface | Organized into modules, but interface is quite busy. |
| Key features | Enhanced AI editing. |
| Astro features | Ultimate version enables you to stack your night sky images. |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best free photo editing app?
Cyberlink PhotoDirector 365 is the best budget photo editing app and, while not free, it's only $54.99 for an annual subscription license and is regularly discounted to around $39.99 which works out around $3.33 per month, about the price of a cup of coffee.
PhotoDirector 365 is an AI-heavy photo editing software with an in-built library and non-destructive workflow but it's not particularly suited to astrophotography.
What is the best photo editing app for Mac?
What is the best photo editing app for PC?
Affinity Photo 2 is the best photo editing app for astrophotography on Mac and on PC/Windows machines. We've rated it the best astrophotography editing software overall. That's because it has some powerful astrophotography editing features, is reasonably priced and processes quickly and efficiently. Plus, its user interface is straightforward, even for beginners.
What photo editor do most photographers use?
Adobe Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop are the photo editors of choice for many photographers around the globe. Reliable, available on multiple operating systems and mobile devices and with over 35 years of experience and development Adobe's software has become industry standard.
What is the best beginner photo editing software?
Cyberlink PhotoDirector 365 is the best beginner image editing app thanks to its affordability, strong AI-features and a good range of basic editing features.
How we test the best photo editing apps for astrophotography
To guarantee you're getting honest, up-to-date recommendations on the best photo editing apps to buy here at Space.com we make sure to put every photo editing app through a rigorous review to fully test each software. Each photo editing app is reviewed based on a multitude of aspects, from its layout and design, to how well it functions as an image editing software and its performance when processing still photos, especially astrophotography.
Each photo editing app is carefully tested by either our expert staff or knowledgeable freelance contributors who know their subject areas in depth. This ensures fair reviewing is backed by personal, hands-on experience with each editing app and is judged based on its price point, class and destined use. For example, comparing the image editing behemoth of Adobe Photoshop to a freeware image editing software wouldn’t be appropriate.
We look at how easy each image editing app is to operate, whether it contains the latest up-to-date imaging technology and file format compatibility. We'll also make suggestions if a particular image editor would benefit from any additional plug-ins to give you the best editing experience possible.
With complete editorial independence, Space.com is here to ensure you get the best buying advice on photo editing apps, whether you should purchase one or not, making our buying guides and reviews reliable and transparent.
Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community@space.com.
