Quote:
Originally Posted by AlexN
I've posted this data set 3 times now with varying levels of processing applied..
This time I think its as good as its going to get without a more experienced image processor having a stab at it... I cant do any more to it without making it worse...
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Looking good Alex!
Colour is more "natural" and the stars tighter. Have you tried Rob Gendler's Ha blending technique?
http://www.robgendlerastropics.com/HARGB.html
I agree with Mike - no apologies required for perfectionism
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AlexN
Im actually pretty impressed... I personally like the coloring, the red in the background is a problem, however I didnt know how to boost the red in the Ha areas without making the sky background too red... that being said.. HaRGB might be half the reason. Any input? ?
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Is the background too red? There's a lot of nebulosity in this area - be careful not to remove real information from your image. In any case, assuming you're using Photoshop, there are a few ways you can fix a red background. A curves adjustment layer can work (working mostly at the black end of the red channel). A colour balance layer or even a levels layer (or some combination of these) will also work. Always use
layer masks though when you want to selectively alter an image. If you want to work on darker areas only, use an inverse layer mask (ie using a negative image in the mask). If you want to work on the brighter areas, use a positive layer mask (a positive image in the mask). Another trickier way to create a mask on the area you want to adjust is to use the colour selection tool (adjusting the fuzziness appropriately) and then create an adjustment layer. The seleced areas become the white areas in the mask (the areas that will be affected by the adjustment). If you want to NOT affect the selected areas, simply invert the mask. Careful though, you can wreck the colour balance if not done carefully.
BTW, I won't tell you how many times I have to tweak an image before I get it just right. Even after I post an image, I usually have to do a bunch of subtle changes. I guess it's part of the artist in every astro-imager!
Cheers, Marcus