#1  
Old 22-01-2019, 09:45 PM
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Zubenel (Wes)
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UHC Orion Neb x 283 Stack

Hi there ,
I've struggled with this image to a point of giving up.., . Star tools may bring me back. I'm unsure what I expected but it didn't make the cut IMHO!! Stacked in Sequator with Post Ed. curves in Gimp... Using Sequator & the loose setting in Best pixels brought the trapezium from completely over exposed however comparing this image from my first last year without the UHc filter I'm unsure if I have gained any further detail in the nebula??? I definately lost stars though as the UHC filter will do so over all I see a net loss.... 283 x3.2sec lights total intergration of 15 min . 10 darks. Camera Olympus E-PM2 Mini at Newtonian focus. Scope 'Zamar' 20" F5. Tracking by ServoCat Unguided From Bortle 5 skies...
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Old 24-01-2019, 07:27 AM
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mynameiscd (Andy)
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Hi Wes,
Great pic you have here. No blown out core and trap is clear.
15 minutes for M42 is ok but more time is better. Ive done a couple of 2 hour ones and you start to get the dust around M42 and the running man.
Im only a beginer too but im starting to work out processing a bit more.
Hope you dont mind but I stretched your image a little and tried HDR and its pretty grainy but brought out a fair bit of detail. I didn't do any colour balancing or any sharpening but you can get an idea what data you already have. With the original you should be able to do the same but not so grainy.
Theres also a technique that you mask the core and stretch the rest and then blend both back together so you preserve the core without blowing it right out.
This is my basic workflow and it works for me.
Stack in deep sky stacker
Curves, levels, maybe a colour balance, sharpen a little, then crop all in Photoshop.
I was at a point of giving up a while ago but when the weather is bad ive been going back and playing with old data and squeezing more out of my images but there is a point where noise overtakes signal.
Anyway you seem to getting good data so keep what you're doing.
Cheers
Andy
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Old 24-01-2019, 04:13 PM
gb44 (Glenn)
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IMHO the star size you present here is excellent. How often do we see the Trapezium with 6 stars visible. Usually they are blown out.


Cheers
GlennB
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Old 25-01-2019, 03:10 PM
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Zubenel (Wes)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mynameiscd View Post
Hi Wes,
Great pic you have here. No blown out core and trap is clear.
15 minutes for M42 is ok but more time is better. Ive done a couple of 2 hour ones and you start to get the dust around M42 and the running man.
Im only a beginer too but im starting to work out processing a bit more.
Hope you dont mind but I stretched your image a little and tried HDR and its pretty grainy but brought out a fair bit of detail. I didn't do any colour balancing or any sharpening but you can get an idea what data you already have. With the original you should be able to do the same but not so grainy.
Theres also a technique that you mask the core and stretch the rest and then blend both back together so you preserve the core without blowing it right out.
This is my basic workflow and it works for me.
Stack in deep sky stacker
Curves, levels, maybe a colour balance, sharpen a little, then crop all in Photoshop.
I was at a point of giving up a while ago but when the weather is bad ive been going back and playing with old data and squeezing more out of my images but there is a point where noise overtakes signal.
Anyway you seem to getting good data so keep what you're doing.
Cheers
Andy

I'm honored Andy. Thanks so much for showing what is possible... Getting new stuff into the head is a really good thing. As such I have just set up a drop box so here is the original JPEG. But I'm not expecting you to spend more time on it!!!. https://www.dropbox.com/s/7u673nnyk3...inal.jpeg?dl=0 Cheers
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Old 25-01-2019, 06:34 PM
Cimitar (Evan)
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Hi Wes, the detail you've captured in the trapezium/core of Orion is fantastic!
Andy's hdr stretch was good, especially to see anything hiding in the background. Hope you don't mind, I merged Andy's stretch image and your original, then ran a couple tweaks to blend the core/faint nebulosity.

Great job! Look forward to seeing more of your images.
Cheers, Evan
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Old 25-01-2019, 07:15 PM
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Zubenel (Wes)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gb44 View Post
IMHO the star size you present here is excellent. How often do we see the Trapezium with 6 stars visible. Usually they are blown out.


Cheers
GlennB
Hi Glenn , THX man. I have many iterations that are totally blown out when not using the UHC filter so I have not posted those as I haven't been able to stack successfully subs with the full spectrum... Here's what 1 x 5sec Sub at ISO1600 with UHC. Still Blown out !! https://www.dropbox.com/s/c46nxgze07...11623.ORF?dl=0
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Old 26-01-2019, 05:10 PM
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mynameiscd (Andy)
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Hi Wes,
After trawling the net and all I've read on imaging M42 its probably the most imaged object in the sky other than the moon.
It's also one of the hardest to get right.
Like Glen said your stars are perfect. Most times I see pics of orion (myself included), and the core is blown out and you can't see the trapezium but you see lots of dust and colour.
I've had a go blending short exposures to get the core and longer ones to get the dust and then use the mask function in photoshop to blend the two.
Its pretty tricky to get it right without looking a bit fake.
Im sure all the really good images have this process applied to them as its such a dynamic area really faint areas and bright stars so close to each other.
Even has done a really good job in blending the both together.
I did that HDR thing on my tablet with an app called snapseed.
Its got a buton called HDR scape and one press and the background just jumps out. A few tweaks and its not too bad.
Ive tried the same thing in photoshop and i just cant get it.
Anyway you are well on the way so don't give up.

I recon proceessing is so much harder than getting the image to start with and then the finished product is so subjective anyway i normally end up with about 10 versions of each image.
Cheers
Andy
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Old 29-01-2019, 07:12 PM
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Zubenel (Wes)
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Thankyou all for your comments and advice . It's a black art !!! And after all my scope excels at visual and what I can image with it is only bonus ...I'm currently looking for a "bought " edition of Photoshop. Cheers
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Old 30-01-2019, 12:22 PM
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xelasnave
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I have been after M42 and the HH as probably my main goal.Sure I will take a lot of other stuff but I would really like to great a really good image putting together all that I have learnt.
I am setting up to produce an image with the best data gathered over years with the cream coming from nights where seeing is perfect and focus is spot on. ... the further you get into this the more you realise that you get so little time if you are hunting perfect conditions...I am going to confine my captures to say 15 degrees either side of zeneth ...and be crazy about elliminating stray light, ....etc you need a list...I am making one...starting with preparing the lawn and setting the pavers in place..making the mount as rigid as possible, spirit level next. ..a list with the simple things you can overlook...you can trust your memory but the times I sortta was slack only to pay the price...like getting a perfect pa but finding the grass under the pavers is still compressing causing just a tiny movement but has you capturing with what you believe is a perfect PA but its now not...I plane to do a polar align check when I change a filter maybe even at each focus ... as I up the game☺
And then go for more scopes luke Dragon Fly...as I see its advantage in being able to get more data when it is rarely perfect.
I am thinking even two additional scopes...but heck thats $10k just for another two 80mm and zwo...
I am thinking of doing a multi dslr with wide field lens 50 to whatever...like you could buy Six old canons ...be good if they were all moded...but it would be relatively cheap...must do some sums☺

I hope to get a proper group of captures with darks flats and each and every filter...until I get M42 near perfect I am happy to perhaps concentrate on it ... it is like the Moon I guess in that everyone is capturing it...but to get a really great photo is not at all simple.
With what you have achieved here it will be interesting if you can improve...I would suggest keep at it and when you perhaps get around to shorter fl you will have brilliant core data.
Great effort.
Alex
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Old 19-02-2019, 12:10 AM
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Zubenel (Wes)
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Thx Alex, you certainly have a grand plan there. Looking forward to seeing the reward from your labour 👍🏻
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