Sagittarius Trio of Nebula

[multiweb (Marc)]

Wow! Great picture. SUch a huge field but the contrast, colors and details are spot on. What program do you stack with?

[EddieT (Eddie)]

Thanks Phil! and Multi

I image capture with CCDSoft, calibrate, register, align, noise reduction and combine with CCDStack, some minor wavelet and background processing with PixInsight and final tweaking of levels and curves with Photoshop CS2, using Fitsplug of course

[multiweb (Marc)]

Originally Posted by EddieT

... and final tweaking of levels and curves with Photoshop CS2, using Fitsplug of course

I'm not familiar with FitsPlug. What's the features/difference with the NASA FITS Liberator importer?

[EddieT (Eddie)]

I'm not familiar with FitsPlug. What's the features/difference with the NASA FITS Liberator importer?

Fitsplug was written by me and was around long before Liberator. For 7 years it was only the Fits plugin for Photoshop that was available.

Liberator is a strict FITS importer whereas Fitsplug does things that are more tailored to amateurs that dont strictly adhere to the FITS spec.

The main differences are:
- It's completely transparent. Images are loaded as-is with no intermediate interface, so bulk loading FITS images is easy.
- loads 3-plane RGB FITS files as RGB colour images, Liberator requires a seperate PS Action to recombine the colour planes into an RGB image.
- Fitsplug is also a FITS exporter allowing any loaded image to be saved as FITS.
- Fitsplug is a commercial product that sells for USD$30

Fitsplug is also recognised by the FITS committee as a valid FITS reader and is listed alongside Liberator as an available FITS reader for Photoshop on all the official supported FITS application listings.

That's the story of Fitsplug!

[multiweb (Marc)]

Originally Posted by EddieT

Fitsplug was written by me and was around long before Liberator. For 7 years it was only the Fits plugin for Photoshop that was available.

Liberator is a strict FITS importer whereas Fitsplug does things that are more tailored to amateurs that dont strictly adhere to the FITS spec.

The main differences are:
- It's completely transparent. Images are loaded as-is with no intermediate interface, so bulk loading FITS images is easy.
- loads 3-plane RGB FITS files as RGB colour images, Liberator requires a seperate PS Action to recombine the colour planes into an RGB image.
- Fitsplug is also a FITS exporter allowing any loaded image to be saved as FITS.
- Fitsplug is a commercial product that sells for USD$30

Fitsplug is also recognised by the FITS committee as a valid FITS reader and is listed alongside Liberator as an available FITS reader for Photoshop on all the official supported FITS application listings.

That's the story of Fitsplug!

Cool. Is there a download version to trial anywhere? Love your site btw. Stacks of material and galleries in there

[EddieT (Eddie)]

Cool. Is there a download version to trial anywhere? Love your site btw. Stacks of material and galleries in there

Thanks! 11 years of accumulated stuff there! Getting a bit behind on the updates lately though!

There is shareware version of the plugin, but it includes nags and doesn't support 32-bit or RGB fits, only mono 8 and 16-bit images.

http://fitsplug.com

Scroll down to the bottom of the page for the shareware download link.

[marc4darkskies (Marcus)]

Exquisite image there Eddie!

Originally Posted by EddieT

Fitsplug was written by me ...
- loads 3-plane RGB FITS files as RGB colour images, ....
...

You've sold me!! You'll be getting my $30 very soon!

Cheers, Marcus

[EddieT (Eddie)]

Originally Posted by marc4darkskies

Exquisite image there Eddie!

Many thanks !

You've sold me!! You'll be getting my $30 very soon!

Cheers, Marcus

Ha ha, well I hope it didn't sound too much like an advertisement! I was only answering a question! Honest

Thanks again Marcus.

[winensky]

Re FITS Liberator:

Originally Posted by EddieT

- loads 3-plane RGB FITS files as RGB colour images, Liberator requires a seperate PS Action to recombine the colour planes into an RGB image.

I was wondering why I couldn't load my LRGB FITS from Maxim into PS. I have been combining and aligning my separate converted L,R,G and B images as layers manually in PS. Thanks for the info.

[EddieT (Eddie)]

I was wondering why I couldn't load my LRGB FITS from Maxim into PS. I have been combining and aligning my separate converted L,R,G and B images as layers manually in PS. Thanks for the info.

No problem at all!

The reason for this is that there is no formal specification for RGB images (no header keyword exists) in the FITS spec. To interpret 3-plane images as RGB, requires an assumption to be made about the data when it is read. The FITS spec does not provide well for assumptions, aiming at determining the file contents and format as determined by data in the header. Therefore it is not possible to determine if a file contains an RGB image purely from specified keywords.

The ESA Liberator guys were asked about this when Liberator 1 came out and they flattly refused to support it directly, for the reasons above. It is a strict FITS implementation.

One of the benefits of writing your own software, is that it doesn't have to go through a committee

[multiweb (Marc)]

Originally Posted by EddieT

Thanks! 11 years of accumulated stuff there! Getting a bit behind on the updates lately though!

Yeah I figured given the amount of stuff you must have been at it for a few years

It's freaky though. I was looking at your interactive milkyway map and I'm thinking this is EXACTLY what I planned to do. Was weird to actually see it done. Anyway I'm buying the plugin too. I'm sold.

[allan gould]

Anything very well done draws admiration. Great photo Eddie - always a new perspective on an old favorite, the mark of someone creative

[EddieT (Eddie)]

Hi Allan,
Many thanks for the kind words! I'm really glad this image has been so well received by so many!

All the best

Eddie

[Peter Ward]

Eddie! (the magnificent)

Cool.

Peter

[EddieT (Eddie)]

Shucks Peter, I'm blushing ....not enough for a blushing emoticon however!
Thanks mate!

[atalas]

Wonderful work Eddie ! lots of depth dude.

[gregbradley]

A wonderful image Eddie.

Greg.

[bluescope]

Haven't seen this wide a fov of this region before, the dark lanes look great Eddie.

[Jen]

very nice pic there Eddie there is some nice pics on your site too