diff --git a/Project.toml b/Project.toml
index 67d63f8d..2f2f5f1f 100644
--- a/Project.toml
+++ b/Project.toml
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ version = "0.40.2"
 CSV = "336ed68f-0bac-5ca0-87d4-7b16caf5d00b"
 Compat = "34da2185-b29b-5c13-b0c7-acf172513d20"
 DSP = "717857b8-e6f2-59f4-9121-6e50c889abd2"
+DelimitedFiles = "8bb1440f-4735-579b-a4ab-409b98df4dab"
 DiffResults = "163ba53b-c6d8-5494-b064-1a9d43ac40c5"
 FastGaussQuadrature = "442a2c76-b920-505d-bb47-c5924d526838"
 ForwardDiff = "f6369f11-7733-5829-9624-2563aa707210"
@@ -29,6 +30,7 @@ Trapz = "592b5752-818d-11e9-1e9a-2b8ca4a44cd1"
 CSV = "0.8, 0.9, 0.10"
 Compat = "4.10 - 4"
 DSP = "0.7"
+DelimitedFiles = "1.9.1"
 DiffResults = "1"
 FastGaussQuadrature = "0.4, 0.5, 1"
 ForwardDiff = "0.10"
diff --git a/src/Korg.jl b/src/Korg.jl
index c411f636..05f6d655 100644
--- a/src/Korg.jl
+++ b/src/Korg.jl
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ include("synthesize.jl")               # top-level API
 include("prune_linelist.jl")           # select strong lines from a linelist
 include("fit.jl")                      # routines to infer stellar params from data
 include("qfactors.jl")                 # formalism to compute theoretical RV precision
+include("photometry.jl")               # synthetic photometry
 
 @compat public get_APOGEE_DR17_linelist, get_GALAH_DR3_linelist, get_GES_linelist, Fit, apply_LSF,
                compute_LSF_matrix, air_to_vacuum, vacuum_to_air, line_profile, blackbody,
diff --git a/src/photo_mags.jl b/src/photo_mags.jl
deleted file mode 100644
index a118d815..00000000
--- a/src/photo_mags.jl
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,56 +0,0 @@
-
-import Interpolations: linear_interpolation
-using Trapz, DelimitedFiles
-
-# add atmospheric transmission separately later
-# maybe I should pass a default resolution on which to compute the integral?
-# adapted from Eddie Schlafly
-function compute_magnitude(spec_flux, spec_wave, filter_trans, filter_wave)
-    # check spec_wave extends beyond filter_wave
-    if minimum(filter_wave) < minimum(spec_wave) || maximum(filter_wave) > maximum(spec_wave)
-        error("Spectrum does not cover the filter range")
-    end
-    # check spec_wave is longer than filter_wave
-    if length(spec_wave) < length(filter_wave)
-        error("Spectrum is lower resolution than the filter")
-    end
-
-    # interpolate filter_wave to spec_wave
-    interp_linear_extrap = linear_interpolation(filter_wave, filter_trans; extrapolation_bc=0)
-    filter_trans_interp = interp_linear_extrap(spec_wave)
-
-    # it is not clear to me that the units work out correctly here even if
-    # one uses erg/s/cm^2/Å (which requires using get_radius)
-    h = 6.62606957e-27  # erg * s
-    c = 2.99792458e10  # cm/s
-    flux_to_number = h * c ./ (spec_wave * 1e-8)  # erg
-
-    spec_ref = 3631e-23 * c ./ (spec_wave * 1e-8) ./ spec_wave # working Mgy
-    Iref = trapz(spec_wave, spec_ref .* filter_trans_interp .* flux_to_number)
-    Ispec = trapz(spec_wave, spec_flux .* filter_trans_interp .* flux_to_number)
-
-    return -2.5 * log10(Ispec / Iref) # AB magnitudes
-end
-
-# returns radius in cm given logg base 10 of cm/s^2
-# assumes 1 solar mass
-function get_radius(logg)
-    # Constants
-    G = 6.67430e-8  # gravitational constant in cgs
-    M_sun = 1.989e33  # solar mass in g
-    # Surface gravity in cgs from log(g)
-    g = 10^logg # cm/s^2
-    # Using g = GM/R², solve for R
-    # R = sqrt(GM/g)
-    radius = sqrt((G * M_sun) / g)  # in cm
-    return radius
-end
-
-# takes filter name and returns lambda and throughput (including atm transparancy)
-function parse_DECam_filter(filter_name)
-    base = "/uufs/chpc.utah.edu/common/home/u6039752/scratch1/working/2024_11_18/Korg.jl/data/filter_curves/DECam/DECam_"
-    data = readdlm(base * filter_name * ".txt"; comments=true)
-    # msk rows where data[:,2] is zero (no transmission)
-    msk = data[:, 2] .!= 0
-    return data[msk, 1], data[msk, 2]
-end
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/photometry.jl b/src/photometry.jl
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..ef413d3e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/photometry.jl
@@ -0,0 +1,103 @@
+module Photometry
+
+public compute_magnitude
+
+using ...Korg: _data_dir
+
+import Interpolations: linear_interpolation
+using Trapz, DelimitedFiles
+
+"""
+    compute_magnitude(spec, filter_name)
+    compute_magnitude(flux, wavelengths, filter_name, filter_wave)
+
+Compute a photometric magnitude from a synthetic spectrum.
+
+# Arguments
+- `spec`, an object returned by `Korg.synthesize`. You can pass `flux` and `wavelengths` directly instead.
+- `filter_name`: the name of the filter to use. Currently the supported filters are
+  `"DECam_g"`, `"DECam_i"`, `"DECam_r"`, `"DECcam_Y"`, and `"DECcam_z"`.
+
+Adapted from Eddie Schlafly.
+"""
+function compute_magnitude(sol, filter_name)
+    compute_magnitude(sol.flux, sol.wavelengths, filter_name)
+end
+function compute_magnitude(spec_flux, spec_wave, filter_name)
+    filter_trans, filter_wave = get_filter(filter_name)
+end
+
+"""
+Compute a magnitude in a given filter from a spectrum and filter transmission curve.
+"""
+function compute_magnitude_core(spec_flux, spec_wave, filter_trans, filter_wave)
+    # add atmospheric transmission separately later
+    # maybe I should pass a default resolution on which to compute the integral?
+    @assert length(spec_wave) == length(spec_flux)
+
+    # check spec_wave extends beyond filter_wave
+    if minimum(filter_wave) < minimum(spec_wave) || maximum(filter_wave) > maximum(spec_wave)
+        error("Spectrum does not cover the filter range")
+    end
+    # check spec_wave is longer than filter_wave
+    if length(spec_wave) < length(filter_wave)
+        throw(ArgumentError("Spectrum (length = $(length(spec_wave))) is lower resolution than the filter (length "*
+            "= $(length(filter_wave)). Please use a higher resolution spectrum."))
+    end
+
+    # interpolate filter_wave to spec_wave
+    interp_linear_extrap = linear_interpolation(filter_wave, filter_trans; extrapolation_bc=0)
+    filter_trans_interp = interp_linear_extrap(spec_wave)
+
+    # it is not clear to me that the units work out correctly here even if
+    # one uses erg/s/cm^2/Å (which requires using get_radius)
+    h = 6.62606957e-27  # erg * s
+    c = 2.99792458e10  # cm/s
+    flux_to_number = h * c ./ (spec_wave * 1e-8)  # erg
+
+    spec_ref = 3631e-23 * c ./ (spec_wave * 1e-8) ./ spec_wave # working Mgy
+    Iref = trapz(spec_wave, spec_ref .* filter_trans_interp .* flux_to_number)
+    Ispec = trapz(spec_wave, spec_flux .* filter_trans_interp .* flux_to_number)
+
+    return -2.5 * log10(Ispec / Iref) # AB magnitudes
+end
+
+# returns radius in cm given logg base 10 of cm/s^2
+# assumes 1 solar mass
+function get_radius(logg)
+    # Constants
+    G = 6.67430e-8  # gravitational constant in cgs
+    M_sun = 1.989e33  # solar mass in g
+    # Surface gravity in cgs from log(g)
+    g = 10^logg # cm/s^2
+    # Using g = GM/R², solve for R
+    # R = sqrt(GM/g)
+    radius = sqrt((G * M_sun) / g)  # in cm
+    return radius
+end
+
+"""
+Returns a filter transmission curve and wavelength array given a filter name.
+"""
+function get_filter(filter_name)
+    if filter_name in ["DECam_g", "DECam_i", "DECam_r", "DECcam_Y", "DECcam_z"]
+        parse_DECam_filter(filter_name)
+    else
+        throw(ArgumentError("Filter $(filter_name) is not a supported filter." *
+            " Please open an issue if you would like it to be supported."))
+
+    end
+end
+
+"""
+parse DECam filter file.
+"""
+function parse_DECam_filter(filter_name)
+    path = joinpath(_data_dir, "filter_curves", "DECam", filter_name*".txt")
+    data = readdlm(path; comments=true)
+    # msk rows where data[:,2] is zero (no transmission)
+    msk = data[:, 2] .!= 0
+    return data[msk, 1], data[msk, 2]
+end
+
+end # module