Dear all,
Thanks a lot for all your inputs !
I don't mind if anyone on this forum plays with my images (unless and until I put a note to the contrary, not at this stage).
I usually process an image late at night and even though I do not find a satisfactory processing I may still post up the image (and call it a day before I go to sleep). As a result, some of my images are poorly processed. I therefore welcome comments and even criticism as to how to improve. I think this is one of the most valuable attributes in all astro forums.
Some people comment that this M42 is too blue. Some confirm my view that the image is noisy. I browse similar M42s in other forums/webpages and they all show up something that I have missed.
I use Image Plus to darken the background and PS to touch up, leaving Neat Image to reduce the noise near the end. I say the noise here is hard to remove, as my present workhorse is 350D with IDAS LPS filter. The noises usually are more easy to remove even at low settings in Neat Image.
With these images taken by my astro friend (my TEC140 and EM200 mount are now being placed in his roof) with his 300D without any LPS filter, the noises are more grainly and almost stuck. Very hard to remove, unless I use very aggressive settings in Neat Image, which I am not too comfortable. I agree that Tony's re-processing is a midway between David's and mine.
I would certainly re-capture M42 again using my 350D and LPS filter, definitely with more total exposure time, to see if the noises could be removed in a more satisfactory manner.
My short term goal is to improve the autoguiding accuracy with ST402 XME. That would allow me to capture more meaningful images in the range of 5-10 min each.
The medium target to build a permanent setup, thereby dispensing with the trouble of setting up and tearing down equipments each night.
The long term target is to run robotic operation remotely.
Clear skies to all.
Raymond, Hong Kong
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