I am going back through old data and using my new processing techniques. This is my image of
This is my version of
Crescent Nebula by James wainwright, on Flickr
Oiii: 300sec x 43 lights (after excluding bad frames)
Here is my pre-processing:
(1) WBPP to calibrate (only, at first) with flats, dark flats, and darks (I did each night and filter separately).
(2) CosmeticCorrection process separately.
(3) Blink and SubframeSelector processes to exclude bad lights.
(4) WBPP to register (only) calibrated and cosmetically corrected light frames, using weights and making sure 'Generate Drizzle Data' was selected.
(5) Created a Reference Image by stacking the best 10% of lights (as determined by SubframeSelector)
(6) LocalNormalization Process, with Reference Image selected
(7) WBPP to integrate all lights frames.
(8) Drizzle to Master Lights (using LocalNormalization files)
Here is post-processing:
(1) Register master
on each master (
(2) Dynamic Crop
(3) ABE Process(too much nebula for DBE)
(4) Applied RGBWorkingSpace
(5) For each master: Rendered PSF image using PSFImage Script, created star mask to cover big stars, created a ranged mask with EZ Processing Suite's EZ Decon script, and then ran Deconvolution process with mask apples, and PSF image and Star Mask selected.
(6) MLT noise reduction
(7) Delinearized with Histogram Transformation, then used range mask on Oiii to brighten and bring out the nebula
(8) combined
R =
G = (Oiii * 0.9) + (
B = Oiii.
(usually at this point, with Sii data, I would create a synthetic luminance, which I spent a whole day doing but ended up not using because it didn't work that well this time, maybe because I didn't use my Sii data).
After combining master
(9) Used StarNet process to create a starless image and isolate stars.
(10) CurvesTransformation on Starless image.
(11) CloneStamp to improve a dust mote (you can still kind of see it, middle of upper-left quadrant in the red nebula)
(12) Reduced red color in isolated stars, creating better colors for the stars.
(13) combined Starless and stars.
(14) Created a star mask to capture the halo's around stars to reduce red channel
(15) LocalHistogramEqualization with a ranged mask applied.
(16) CurvesTransformation with ranged mask applied.
(17) EZ Processing Suite's Noise Reduction script (this was AMAZING)
(18) EZ Processing Suite's EZ Star Reduction script (also AMAZING)
(19) added border, annotation, changed color profile for publishing.
I used to combine my master lights before doing any processing, but I find that processing the master lights separately and delinearizing them first gives me more control.
If you all have ANYTHING to suggest to improve my images, I would love to hear. Please note if this looks too noisy or if the colors don't look right. Thanks for looking, y'all, and for any advice or insight you can provide!