Your data is good Carlton. That raw sub looks great. It's just processing from there on. Practice makes perfect. Don't try to push harder than the data allows. Collect more.
Carlton
You probably already know this but in order for Startools to effectively interpret your data and process it using its sophisticated tracking engine you must provide clean untouched linear data out of your stacker ( like DSS ) unstretched, not colour balanced or white balanced etc....
Startools is a very powerful processing tool which requires plenty of RAM. My lappy has 32 GB of RAM and has never crashed in 3 years
Well, tonight was supposed to be a test run of Stellarmate & guiding...
Stellarmate, well that generally worked out quite well.. the guiding on the other hand did not happen. I've subsequently learned you cannot configure guiding from the Stellarmate App rather, you need to be using a VNC window to configure guiding & initiate...
Oh well, learned some stuff.. Anyways, whilst I was kicking around in Stellarmate & decided to have a crack at Running Chicken.... it's not too bad but, it's not great either... first time I've imaged something a little dimmer.. learned that 90 second subs probably aren't quite enough.. nevermind...
Please, comment freely... I have much to learn...
80mm f6 triplet, EOS70d, 39 x 90 sec subs @ ISO 800. Stacked in DSS, processed in Startools & tweaked (alot) in Affinity Photo
Thanks for looking...
PS: It was nice & sharp, I just denoised it a fair bit to try & make it a bit more presentable...
It's a start, looks a bit like Tandoori chicken to me.
I would collect more data and reduce the colour a bit.
Hey Calton...I can't understand why you are having any problems..I mean the rest of us got it right the first time
More subs and practice practice practice..you are doing wonderful if you think about it.
Good luck you are almost there.
I bet that a few more goes at re processing will surprise you.
I find the key is just keep banging away and each image you learn a little and all of a sudden one day it all works..mind you I am still waiting for it to all come together.
Alex
Carlton
You probably already know this but in order for Startools to effectively interpret your data and process it using its sophisticated tracking engine you must provide clean untouched linear data out of your stacker ( like DSS ) unstretched, not colour balanced or white balanced etc....
Startools is a very powerful processing tool which requires plenty of RAM. My lappy has 32 GB of RAM and has never crashed in 3 years
Cheers
Martin
Hi Martin,
I do next to nothing in DSS other than assess the subs, chuck some out & stack... I don't do any tweaking at all.. I learned that from Ivo when I started out with Star Tools...
I think I'm just pushing the data I have too aggressively...
Hey Calton...I can't understand why you are having any problems..I mean the rest of us got it right the first time
More subs and practice practice practice..you are doing wonderful if you think about it.
Good luck you are almost there.
I bet that a few more goes at re processing will surprise you.
I find the key is just keep banging away and each image you learn a little and all of a sudden one day it all works..mind you I am still waiting for it to all come together.
Alex
Thanks Alex,
I'm just a wee bit impatient... it's my nature.. I like to be good at stuff out of the box... learning curves are the bain of my existence...
Of course, I was born knowing how to do all that I know now... LOL... but, I have always been a bit impatient & demanding of my own abilities...
You are correct, I will get there with a little patience & persistence... just not quick enough for my liking...
Your data is good Carlton. That raw sub looks great. It's just processing from there on. Practice makes perfect. Don't try to push harder than the data allows. Collect more.
Yep, thanks Marc...
I've come to that conclusion too...
Gonna reprocess what I have & not be so aggressive... learn to accept good outcomes for the data I have rather than trying to push it...
I'm just a wee bit impatient... it's my nature.. I like to be good at stuff out of the box... learning curves are the bain of my existence...
Of course, I was born knowing how to do all that I know now... LOL... but, I have always been a bit impatient & demanding of my own abilities...
You are correct, I will get there with a little patience & persistence... just not quick enough for my liking...
Me too.
I had read about Moto Cross in a magazine, so on the Tuesday I ordered a race bike, Husky 250cc CR, took delivery on the Thursday, ran it in on the Saturday, and went in my first competition on the Sunday ...I had never actually seen a MX race but I thought yeh why not.
Is that impatient enough?
So I have my rig running taking more HA of NGC 6188 ..the Moon should be up any minute but I heard you can do HA in Moonlight...I think I will go for three hours worth, and similar in other channels over the next week clouds permitting.
I've tried to be very conservative in my approach this time, pretty much used Startools with little to no adjustment of settings... very conservative on the final denoising...
This is straight out of Startools.. other than obviously reducing the resolution to fit on the forum...
I'm gonna run this through Affinity Photo but, take a more gentle, more respectful approach to the data...
Carlton
The default settings in Startools usually give you a reasonable result even with poor to average data.Tweaking doesn’t hurt either on the conservative side
Wow so much detail in there now and star field is so much tighter
Like everyone has suggested, try and chase as many subs as you can through a nights imaging on an object
I’m currently imaging NGC 4594 Sombrero galaxy ( magnitude 8.5 ) with my 6”f6 newt in Bortle 8 Sydney with an 84% waning Moon staring at me. I’m running 90 sec subs at ISO 800 ( histogram just under a 3rd from left )
Just clicked over sub no 70 and pushing for 100 subs or more if the moon doesn’t get up to high overhead
My guiding error numbers are rubbish due to poor seeing 1.80 to 2.30 arc sec error but I’ve switched from the Hysterisis algorithm across to the Predictive algorithm ( PEC ) in PHD2 and my guiding is holding steady at 1.70 to 1.80 arc sec error with stars across the field still round and fairly tight
Carlton
The default settings in Startools usually give you a reasonable result even with poor to average data.Tweaking doesn’t hurt either on the conservative side
Wow so much detail in there now and star field is so much tighter
Like everyone has suggested, try and chase as many subs as you can through a nights imaging on an object
I’m currently imaging NGC 4594 Sombrero galaxy ( magnitude 8.5 ) with my 6”f6 newt in Bortle 8 Sydney with an 84% waning Moon staring at me. I’m running 90 sec subs at ISO 800 ( histogram just under a 3rd from left )
Just clicked over sub no 70 and pushing for 100 subs or more if the moon doesn’t get up to high overhead
My guiding error numbers are rubbish due to poor seeing 1.80 to 2.30 arc sec error but I’ve switched from the Hysterisis algorithm across to the Predictive algorithm ( PEC ) in PHD2 and my guiding is holding steady at 1.70 to 1.80 arc sec error with stars across the field still round and fairly tight
Cheers
Cheers Martin...
Guiding is my next challenge... I set out the other night to get Stellarmate up & running to control my mount, my DSLR & get guiding. What I didn't know is you can't configure guiding from the Stellarmate app yet, you need to run a virtual window on the tablet to do that... everything else worked though & tonight, despite the fact it's raining outside, I managed to setup my artificial star & at least go through the basics of configuring PHD2 for guiding...
It sort of worked... an artificial star at 6m doesn't exactly resolve into a pin point star, even when focus is good... PHD2 preferred little reflections off my tripod, oven door, etc... in preference to the nice big fat light I gave it.. LOL
Anyways, I think I gained some knowledge out of the exercise so, hopefully in about a week when this rain is supposed to clear, I'll get back out & capture some more data & get guiding running to boot...
Very good. Much better image. The data was good as you could see in your subs. The first run through is often a little ott.
Thanks Ray,
I am learning (albeit slowly & somewhat reluctantly) to be a little less aggressive in my approach & somewhat more respectful of the data I have captured... it's probably a good lesson to learn & I'm sure I will benefit in the long run....
Patience may be virtue... it's just not a virtue I have lots of...
I've had a little play in Affinity Photo, I've tried to be conservative but, the goal was to just darken (adjust the black) background to remove some of the blue gradient in the Startools product...
I think I have been respectful of the data & not gone too far... Although, there might just be a touch of 'redness' to the background & some of the smaller stars...
I would like the nebulosity to pop just a little more but, I don't think it's possible to get to pop more with the data I have collected so far...
I'd be interested to hear peoples thoughts, suggestions, etc... all part of the learning experience, the curve of which, I am at pretty close to the bottom when it comes to post processing...
Hi Carlton
I prefered the version of the 11th.
From that I would have tried upping the colour saturation, using curves on the red channel and increasing the contrast. Then the Multi point flattening for the background all in ImagesPlus. And a final high pass filter either in IP or in Photoshop2...
Can I get an original stacked version as a Tiff?
I've had a little play in Affinity Photo, I've tried to be conservative but, the goal was to just darken (adjust the black) background to remove some of the blue gradient in the Startools product...
I think I have been respectful of the data & not gone too far... Although, there might just be a touch of 'redness' to the background & some of the smaller stars...
I would like the nebulosity to pop just a little more but, I don't think it's possible to get to pop more with the data I have collected so far...
I'd be interested to hear peoples thoughts, suggestions, etc... all part of the learning experience, the curve of which, I am at pretty close to the bottom when it comes to post processing...
Cheers
First I congratulate you for keeping at it ... save yourself further heartbreak and go narrow band It will only cost a bass guitar or two
I still suggest you get photo shop and play with the dodge tool, the burn tool, the rubber tool and benefit from using layers.
It is Photo Shop after all and it enables you to build an image to Hubble level if you really decide to do that...but I will bet you can squeeze more out without "cheating"...one thing I will do using the layer function, say with your images here..is to layer two up and merge them in varying proportions and get something in between that is just a little better...then do copies of that adjust the copies differently and then merge them...until you go damn it no more
But the dodge tool used sparingly will bring out more nebulosity, the burn tool you can darken specifics for contrast without affecting the whole image..the rubber tool and layer..if you want a little more colour you create a solid colour layer put your image over it and using the rubber let a little colour in...that recent Dragon image I did, the last one was just a black and white HA and all colour as weird as it is was produced by layering over a solid colour and using the rubber to let a hint of colour into the main image... not entirely proper but it can be satisfying.
However take the time to look at what you have done...you have captured very good subs and I am sure with more of the same you will not find any difficulty nailing a superior image. You are already finding your way around Star Tools and realising being subtle is key and as anyone can see I still can not be subtle...you are doing extremely well so be very happy it took me years to get to where you find yourself..another month I expect you to be leaving us for the big boys section.
Alex
