Photoshop is usually associated with fashion models being turned into otherworldly creatures in magazines, but NASA is utilizing the Adobe software to a very different end. How does the Space Agency use Photoshop? In short, NASA takes photographs of outer space and tweaks them so they are presentable to the public.
In a recent blog post, Adobe explains exactly how the process works and what needs to be done for the post-processing to be a success. The task is assigned to a Photoshop specialist who is also an astronomer — an average graphic designer wouldn't know how to interpret the raw data and could mistake image artifacts that can be erased with vague planets, cloudy nebulae or a myriad of different celestial objects.
Robert Hurt from Caltech is one lucky expert who happens to be both an astronomer and a Photoshop virtuoso.
"Raw grayscale data from different parts of the infrared spectrum," he says, is the foundation on which his pictures stand. The main features are differentiated by maxing out the contrast. While doing that, many artifacts are lost in the "image burn." He then takes a peek at the infrared colors, which are on a frequency that the naked eye does not perceive.
Corroborating the information, Hurt starts coloring the pieces so the image gets more information and depth. He relies on data from multiple telescopes, such as the Spitzer and Hubble. This helps increase the accuracy and awe effect of an image. A good example of his work is the depiction of the Orion Nebula, shown below.
"I always save my layers, generating massive multi-gigabyte files, because I want to be able to backtrack in case I accidentally delete something real," he says.
Even though Hurt states that his work is no different than that of photoshoppers elsewhere – say, at Vogue – far greater responsibility weighs on his shoulders. Airbrushing out real scientific data is a risk he faces every day, but this is where it helps to be a visualization scientist.
"Telling the difference between a digital blemish and an astrophysical object is where being an astronomer comes in."
