“Criticize my photo” option?

AstroBin
AstroBin Platform open discussions community forum •14 replies•281 views
Support requests are handled via the support form so they can be tracked and resolved properly. This section is for community discussions about the AstroBin platform.
Rabeea Alkuwari avatar
Rabeea Alkuwari avatar
Hi,

not sure if this idea was suggested before, but I have noticed that theres a gap on people seeking real criticism on their photos to the point of creating posts asking “why my photo didnt get an X award.”

I think if there is an option for photo submitters to toggle that shows something like “click here to critique my photo” It then takes you to a DM like chat box with the submitter where you can communicate your feedback regarding their image. With the submitters declaring their intent of wanting to be critiqued i believe more viewers would be inclined to give real feedback on what they think of the image. Ofc its not for everyone, it should a toggle-able option that u can choose to enable during image submission if you feel like you can improve on your final result.

in addition this feature can be utilized by the IOTD volunteers if they choose to
Helpful Engaging Supportive
Todd Charlson avatar
Todd Charlson avatar
The simple thing to do is ask for a critique or feedback on the image with its description. That’s what I do. It’s very helpful to receive feedback.
AstroRBA avatar
AstroRBA avatar
Hi Rabeea,

Your images are outstanding and I don't think that you would see much criticism if this feature were to exist BUT I also think that this approach might open up a box of worms if anyone and everyone could add their two cents; it could cause added grief to an already difficult learning curve. I'm of the opinion that a private request to those who's images you admire might provide better feedback.

Just my two cents !

Pete
Respectful Supportive
John Hayes avatar
John Hayes avatar
Todd Charlson:
The simple thing to do is ask for a critique or feedback on the image with its description. That’s what I do. It’s very helpful to receive feedback.

That's exactly right.  If you ask for C&C, there are plenty of folks who aren't shy about providing feedback and specific suggestions.   I've had numerous folks point out errors in my processing and even though it's sometimes hard to hear, it is always greatly appreciated.  You don't need a checkbox.  Just ask!

John
Well Written Respectful Concise Supportive
Rabeea Alkuwari avatar
Rabeea Alkuwari avatar
Todd Charlson:
The simple thing to do is ask for a critique or feedback on the image with its description. That’s what I do. It’s very helpful to receive feedback.

Exactly that but its a setting that can be turned on that has an icon that is shown somewhere in the image page that incentives giving feedback
Rabeea Alkuwari avatar
Rabeea Alkuwari avatar
John Hayes:
Todd Charlson:
The simple thing to do is ask for a critique or feedback on the image with its description. That’s what I do. It’s very helpful to receive feedback.

That's exactly right.  If you ask for C&C, there are plenty of folks who aren't shy about providing feedback and specific suggestions.   I've had numerous folks point out errors in my processing and even though it's sometimes hard to hear, it is always greatly appreciated.  You don't need a checkbox.  Just ask!

John

Hi John

I was thinking about it from how to improve astrobin platform aspect in general rather than my personal use - though id love to recieve feedback from you someday 💪🏼
Daniel Cimbora avatar
Daniel Cimbora avatar
I would LOVE to receive feedback from the IOTD reviewers on what they did or did not like about my submissions, NOT in an effort to garner awards, but to improve my imaging and processing skills.  

I like this suggestion of optional feedback from the reviewers, as well as the AB community.
Well Written Supportive
Rabeea Alkuwari avatar
Rabeea Alkuwari avatar
Hi Rabeea,

Your images are outstanding and I don't think that you would see much criticism if this feature were to exist BUT I also think that this approach might open up a box of worms if anyone and everyone could add their two cents; it could cause added grief to an already difficult learning curve. I'm of the opinion that a private request to those who's images you admire might provide better feedback.

Just my two cents !

Pete

Hello,

Thank you! The option should be turned off by default - those who seek feedback shall turn it on
Rabeea Alkuwari avatar
Rabeea Alkuwari avatar
Daniel Cimbora:
I would LOVE to receive feedback from the IOTD reviewers on what they did or did not like about my submissions, NOT in an effort to garner awards, but to improve my imaging and processing skills.  

I like this suggestion of optional feedback from the reviewers, as well as the AB community.

Since reviewer/submitter panel of IOTD votes on the images annoymously I dont think they currently have the option to give feedback if they wanted to - I think implementing the option might be useful
Observatório Astrográfico do Boqueirão avatar
Observatório Astrográfico do Boqueirão avatar
Been honest of all about this situation, I think the are loosing the objective here regarding what Astrobin is. To me it's like a record of the astrophotos that I'll be doing with the all necessary tools to keep me organized, a place also that works like a tool for searching new targets to shoot, equipment to check like cameras, filters, scopes etc. and ocasionally a place where I can take my doubts and help others like others help me. This is my relationship with this website.

Seeking more than that is like looking for a thing that I'll never achive and I took that as a lesson. And I'm more certainly now than ever and after reading the last couple of weeks posts regarding that matter. This is an hobby for most of us, an expensive one, but never the less an hobby that we should take pleasure of doing it and not "working" for a beauty contest or fame. That for most of the world, never ended well.

If anyone is not ok with the rules applied, in my home we use to say: "You know the rules, if you're not ok, take your money back and leave!" - It's simple as that.

I personally have my opinion regarding that situation and my doubts also, but things are what they are and we should't take that too seriously. At the end of the day it's just an image that will never give any type of financial gain and for some only fills the ego for 24h. The world is much bigger than that.

Do you want to help make the IOTD more transparent and usefull? The solution is simple: Ask the owner of the website to blind all of the system to the people who vote it, from the earlier stages to the final choose by the judges and take it out the watermark option when you publish the astrophoto. It's not perfect, I know, because there's always a catch and usually the people who votes are not stupid! At some point and dealing with the same characters all year, they start do see the signature in the processed images. At least for the most trained eye. But it's a simple solution and easly to apply. If that brings some closure or peace about it!

But honest: we shouldn't take that so seriously! Having an IOTD in your wall or in all of your photos of your gallery as some of us have, won't make you a better astrophotographer.

Clear skies (those are the important thing),

Cesar
Rabeea Alkuwari avatar
Rabeea Alkuwari avatar
Observatório Astrográfico do Boqueirão:
Been honest of all about this situation, I think the are loosing the objective here regarding what Astrobin is. To me it's like a record of the astrophotos that I'll be doing with the all necessary tools to keep me organized, a place also that works like a tool for searching new targets to shoot, equipment to check like cameras, filters, scopes etc. and ocasionally a place where I can take my doubts and help others like others help me. This is my relationship with this website.

Seeking more than that is like looking for a thing that I'll never achive and I took that as a lesson. And I'm more certainly now than ever and after reading the last couple of weeks regarding that matter. This is an hobby for most of us, an expensive one, but never the less an hobby that we should take pleasure of doing it and not "working" for a beauty contest or fame. That for most of the world, never ended well.

If anyone is not ok with the rules applied, in my home we use to say: "You know the rules, if you're not ok, take your money back and leave!" - It's simple as that.

I personally have my opinion regarding that situation and my doubts also, but things are what they are and we should't take that too seriously. At the end of the day it's just an image that will never give any type of financial gain and for some only fills the ego for 24h. The world is much bigger than that.

Do you want to help make the IOTD more transparent and usefull? The solution is simple: Ask the owner of the website to blind all of the system to the people who vote it, from the earlier stages to the final choose by the judges and take it out the watermark option when you publish the astrophoto. It's not perfect, I know, because there's always a catch and usually the people who votes are not stupid! At some point and dealing with the same characters all year, they start do see the signature in the processed images. At least for the most trained eye. But it's a simple solution and easly to apply. If that brings some closure or peace about it!

But honest: we shouldn't take that so seriously! Having an IOTD in your wall or in all of your photos of your gallery as some of us have, won't make you a better astrophotographer.

Clear skies (those are the important thing),

Cesar

Hi Cesar,

not sure if you are replying to a different post by mistake - but this post is about suggesting a toggle-able feature that incentivises giving feedback (if thats what the submitters want) which will in turn help make them perfect their craft more

that doesnt mean that they are taking this hobby too seriously or they are dying to have an IOTD 😅
Observatório Astrográfico do Boqueirão avatar
Observatório Astrográfico do Boqueirão avatar
i Cesar,

not sure if you are replying to a different post by mistake - but this post is about suggesting a toggle-able feature that incentivises giving feedback (if thats what the submitters want) which will in turn help make them perfect their craft more

that doesnt mean that they are taking this hobby too seriously or they are dying to have an IOTD 😅


No Rabeea, I'm not responding by mistake your post, but I've seen his "origins" and I'm deducing the outcome of it. And I'm sure that's not what you mean by sugestion that "improvement". 
I understand that you would like some feedback at some point, but allow me to be blunt. What they will give you, to you, me and others it will not be sufficient. 
I've seen some people of the Astrobin IOTD who came forward, picking some minor flaws in some great images with the whys and hows they didin't awarded and IOTD, but then you see the same team letting pass those same flaws and other things in others. It doens't make much sense at some point. So you'll never ever have an actual answer to the who's and the why's.. And like I said above: having one or multiples IOTD in our wall, won't make us a better astrophotographers.
I say this with the best of intentions: don't need to pook the bear more. That IOTD thing is taking all the fun and causing more problems than good things theese days.

CS,

Cesar
C.Sand avatar
C.Sand avatar
Daniel Cimbora:
I would LOVE to receive feedback from the IOTD reviewers on what they did or did not like about my submissions, NOT in an effort to garner awards, but to improve my imaging and processing skills.  

I like this suggestion of optional feedback from the reviewers, as well as the AB community.

 
Rabeea Alkuwari:
Since reviewer/submitter panel of IOTD votes on the images annoymously I dont think they currently have the option to give feedback if they wanted to - I think implementing the option might be useful


I wrote to Salvatore about this recently and the (summarized) response after going back and forth for a bit was: Simply due to the volume of images submitted a day (quoted to be 200+/day) it's unreasonable to expect the IOTD team to bear the burden of critiques. Salvatore said it may be able to be streamlined if there was a checkbox system for common issues, but I can't imagine that would be expansive enough to cover enough images. I still lean towards adding some way for the IOTD team to provide feedback, but realize that there are a number of issues that are associated with the suggested feedback methods right now. Most notably in my opinion, outrage from users when their image doesn't get feedback despite obvious flaws, or outrage due to feedback they disagree with.

With the existence of the constructive criticism forum or putting it in your image description, I believe that for the moment there are enough avenues of feedback that this doesn't need to be implemented for the IOTD team at least. Perhaps an option to tag your photo when uploading to Astrobin (not when submitting for award consideration, similar to assigning equipment to an image) as open to feedback, thus letting a user sort by images requesting/open to feedback. This way the burden of feedback doesn't fall exclusively on the IOTD team, rather the user base. As I said however, I think there are enough options for the moment that this isn't urgent. I don't mean to shut down conversation however, please do come up with something better!

Quick edit for clarification.
Helpful Respectful
Die Launische Diva avatar
Die Launische Diva avatar
You can ask for feedback in the comment section of your posted images, or even better, in the Request for constructive critique forum. There you will definitely attract more feedback than anonymously waiting from a volunteer to spend more time on your submission. I agree with Salvatore that implementing such a feature will add more burden to the volunteers employed in the IOTD process and eventually discourage them to participate.

The first step towards improvement is to step up and ask for constructive criticism. This little moment of being fragile in front of your peers when asking for critique is essential. Automated and anonymous procedures have not much of an effect in my personal opinion smile
Salvatore Iovene avatar
Salvatore Iovene avatar
Hey people, site owner here.

I do have a "Feedback" module on my roadmap, to organize, incentivize and classify such requests, facilitate knowledge transfer from more experienced imagers to newer ones asking for guidance.

I plan this for 2026 but I'm still unclear on priority compared to other big new features I have on my list!

For now, as others mentioned, the best bet is the Request for constructive critique forum.
Helpful Engaging
Related discussions
IC 63 Critique
Give me your brutal critiques, In other photo disciplines I learned a lot from criticism. I enjoy it. I thought this was a good image of IC 63. Most really diminish or even crop out the star. I attempted to make it prominent and as natural as possibl...
Author seeks photo critique platform; this post offers brutal critiques of astronomical images.
Oct 24, 2025
Seeking advice on next steps in my astrophotography journey
I’d really appreciate your views on the next steps on my Astrophotography journey. Having been doing this amazing and absorbing hobby now for just under two years, I know that my journey has progressed from bafflement with how to use the equipment an...
Author wants feedback mechanism; this post seeks advice on astrophotography progression journey.
Feb 5, 2026