Which m42 is better?

[Nikolas]

Same image, slightly different processing
Which is more preferable?
6 minutes in total with the 183mc pro along with 20 darks stacked into a master dark.

[RyanJones]

I'm going with number 2 Nik

I pefrer softer colours and not a completely black space. I think the contrast is better on the dark cloud near the core too. There appears to be a greater variety of colours in the stars too.

[Gavin1234]

Yeah I’d go number 2 as well. I like the blue around the edges, the really faint detail on top up better too.

[Karlzburg]

Door 2

[Atmos]

#2 here as well, it shows the colour separation better :)

[nsavage]

I too prefer #2 and also having seen these pictures can't wait to get my 183MC Pro up and running.

[xelasnave]

Two very respectable image ...good work.
Alex

[iborg]

2 4 me 2!

[JA]

I prefer the subtlety of #1

Best
JA

[Nikolas]

Seems the majority is 2, I'm really torn, I love the colour delineation of 2 but the subtlety of 1, next decent observing night I'll have another go with more subs, now I have found the ir/cut filter as well that should help the blobby stars, thanks folks.

[silv]

2 here, too. Stars look more alive in it. And the fact that there ARE different colours in the nebula comes out clearly.
Apart form the dead stars and from the aesthetic perspective, No. 1 has a lot of appeal, as well, though.

[AlexD]

I'll add my vote to the growing support for #2.

[CalvinKlein]

I think both are very nice and equally as good - just different. Here's my tip - ask your non-astro friends and family. They are the better indicator of "what looks nice" and if you ever end up printing them then they are typically your target market. As astro-photographers we get caught up in what it should look like according to our peers (small & colour corrected stars / nebulosity colour correctness /are the orion trapezium stars visible or not blah blah ... ).