Hi Mike
Quote:
Originally Posted by iceman
Another nice result, Gordon. Lovely image. Satellite trail too 
What sort of processing do you do on your images? |
Thanks for the comments, the processing I do for the Ha images is actually very basic but I will go through it in stages
1 I combine raw fits files using autocombine using the sum value in Maxim DL
2 I then save to tiff 16 bit using the default settings in the stretch dialogue box
3 I open the tiff file in Photoshop CS2 and do about 2 or 3 itterations of curves using slight adjustment of the central part of the curve
4 In between each itteration of curves I may make a very slight alteration in levels but I find this is not always necessary
5 I then use one itteration of enhance local area contrast using Noel's tools (plugin available for photoshop
6 This is sometimes followed by lighten DSO again in Noel's tools
7 I then zoom into the image to check for any nasties like cosmic flares or "satellite trails" and remove them using the clone stamp tool, I forgot to do it for this image as it was already faint, it takes a bit of time and patience using this technique to get rid of a satellite trail but with practice it easier than you think
8 Finally if necessary I crop the image to reduce any vignetting or effects from stacking
9The last thing I do before posting to my site or the forums is to save as a jpeg
This routine takes me about an hour or two maximum and it is something that I find seems to suit the Ha images, I also find that the longer your subframes the less need there is to use curves and levels to bring the detail out as you will see when I post another image which is of part of the California nebula made up of 4 x 15 minutes unguided where I didn't use levels or curves at all. My current processing skills are very basic to say the least at the moment and I tend to look at all the forums and pick up tips from other people.
Kind Regards
Gordon
