Last month at the annual Avenza User Conference, we had the pleasure of hearing from Robert Simmon, a renowned cartographer and science communicator who specializes in visualizing imagery from satellites. Robert is currently approaching a decade working for Planet Labs, where he helps create near-daily medium-resolution imagery of the Earth, maps Planetary Variables and designs bespoke graphics for media. Prior to his work at Planet Labs, he co-created the NASA Earth Observatory, a website dedicated to communicating Earth and remote sensing science. His work has appeared in newspapers, magazines, and websites, including the front page of the New York Times and the cover of National Geographic. He is also known for crafting the Blue Marble featured on the original Apple iPhone.
In this presentation, Robert demonstrates his workflow to import high-bit-depth scientific data into Adobe Photoshop and transform it into accessible & readily displayable imagery. These techniques rely on Geographic Imager‘s unique capabilities to exploit the georeferencing embedded in common data formats. This unlocks Photoshop’s powerful image processing tools which can produce higher-quality output than typical GIS and image processing software, all while maintaining the precise location of every pixel. The presentation touches on processes such as reordering bands, blending scenes, color correction with curves, vibrance enhancement, and sharpening.
Check out the video of Robert’s full presentation at the Avenza UC 2023!
About Avenza UC
The Avenza User Conference is an annual free virtual conference for map makers, GIS enthusiasts, and geospatial professionals worldwide who share a common interest in Avenza mapping technology. The conference includes a combination of virtual sessions led by experts who will share their experiences with Avenza mapping products.
The Avenza User Conference is an annual event that grows each year with incredible speakers and participants. Get inspired by mapping and industry professionals by joining us for #AvenzaUC2024. Register here for next year’s conference taking place on May 9th, 2024.