I wasn’t totally happy with the initial post of this image at the beginning of June so decided to spend some time on a re process
Same data ,same stack and still used Startools V1.5 Linear Data Set but tweaked a few things -
Stretched a bit more with Autodev but reduced shadow linearity
Bumped up Deconvolution and grew the mask a bit bigger
Increased Sharpening from 120 to 150
Increased Multiply 2 x gamma Correct to 20% in the Life Module increase detail in the Nebula and tone down the star field
Grew the inverted star mask a bit bigger in the Colour module to reduce the Orange Tinge halo affect around the star fields, particularly the smaller stars
Bumped up RGB bias in Colour module and Dark Saturation
Increased Noise Reduction Grain size from 4.5 pixels to 5.5 pixels and used 15% non linear response
Use Shrink module to soften the star field by 1 pixel
Anyway here it is after throwing another 3 hours processing at it
Don’t know if it’s ended up any better but it seems a bit cleaner and more defined than the original version
Martin, I was just comparing it to your earlier post and it looks like the star intensity was reduced. Was this a result of a star reduction or a contrast enhancement? Either way they look better and tighter IMO. I think the boost in saturation is also an improvement. Sorry but I'm viewing on my laptop which isn't calibrated and not my main screen so I have difficulty seeing the finer details. I could be missing a few things but overall, I think the tweaks have improved what was already a great image. Well done again.
Thanks LIS
I used the Life module in Startools to enhance the Nebula and reduce the background brightness in the interstellar star field
I also used the Shrink module to reduce the stars in the interstellar regions by 1 pixel ( created a star mask around the Nebula )
The Nebula itself does look brighter now without sacrificing detail and the interstellar regions are darker , but not too dark
Thanks for taking the time to comment
I always process my star field ( in part ) separately from the main object, otherwise you cannot achieve the correct star colours , size , tightness and sharpness. This is more apparent when imaging with newts as you have diffraction spikes to contend across the image.I'm a big fan of diffraction spikes as it adds a bit of character to the image , some folk cringe at the sight of them which is fine
Thanks again
Looking forward to upgrading to my new ZWOASI2600MC when it arrives late July , after nearly 4 years using my Canon 600D DSLR . Its going to be a whole new learning curve with imaging but looking for the challenge and the trial and error process ( I could be busy sending posts for advice ?? )
Had a look at this again on the main machine. The subtle adjustments to colour saturation and contrast are definitely better. The blacks are perfect. Not too dark, not too light, but just right. You've produced another classic!
Looks good and beautiful, full of details. I just moved from a uncooled DSLR to a cooled OSC, ZWO071 MC Pro. It is a huge improvement over the DSLR. My understanding is that with the ZWO2600 MC Pro will be even more!!!
A little more detail there especially in the dark nebula section as well as a little more colour. That dark nebula part is very interesting and a bit of a surprise.
Thanks LIS, Fernando and Ray
The Canon 600D is a great camera to get started into the hobby, but sometimes it surprises me how good it really is when you start capturing some serious data
Hopefully the new 2600MC will exceed my expectations but lots of learning to do along the way which is all part of the fun and challenge of this amazing hobby
