A Return to M 31

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chris_g United States of America
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A Return to M 31

#1

Post by chris_g »


I got a good frame this time around with the rotator. Taken on 11/04/21 under a Bortle 7 sky I've been working with the data in Photoshop now for the last week and a half and I believe I've finally gotten something worth sharing.

Equipment used, Canon T3i (Stock), L Pro filter, EvoStar 80ED with .85 reducer/flattener.
45 subs, 20 Dark, 20 Flat, 20 Dark Flat, 10 Bias
Processed with DSS and Adobe PS

Thanks for looking, what you see is what you get!

Clear Skies!

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Last edited by chris_g on Wed Nov 17, 2021 4:47 am, edited 1 time in total.
Image Cam: Canon 6D (Ha mod), 600D (Stock), SVBony SV405CC
Image OTA: EvoStar ED80, WO Z73, C8-A XLT
Mount: EQ6-R Pro Pier, AZ-EQ5 Pro Pier
Guide OTA: Orion 60mm, WO 32mm, ZWO OAG, SV501P
Guide Cam: ZWO 120mm, 290mm mini
EAA OTA: Orion ST80
EAA Cam: SVBony SV705C
EP: Baader Hyperion Modular Set
Filters: L-Pro Canon EOS C, L-eNhance, L-Pro, Optolong Ha 7mm, Optolong Oiii 6.5mm, Optolong Sii 6.5mm, ES H-Beta
Session Control: Mini PC/Win11 Pro, APT 4.1, PHD2 2.6.10
Processing: PixInsight, DSS 4.2.6, Adobe PS CC, Astronomy Tools Action Set, Star Spikes Pro
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Re: A Return to M 31

#2

Post by messier 111 »


nice , thx .
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chris_g United States of America
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Re: A Return to M 31

#3

Post by chris_g »


I did another rev where the core isn't so blown out, I was going off an image on a google search and wasn't paying attention to the core. I also didn't do any cropping in this version, the first version had some issues in the upper right corner of the image. Lost some detail on the outer areas but you can see the core and a little bit more color in the inner area.

Thanks for looking!

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Image Cam: Canon 6D (Ha mod), 600D (Stock), SVBony SV405CC
Image OTA: EvoStar ED80, WO Z73, C8-A XLT
Mount: EQ6-R Pro Pier, AZ-EQ5 Pro Pier
Guide OTA: Orion 60mm, WO 32mm, ZWO OAG, SV501P
Guide Cam: ZWO 120mm, 290mm mini
EAA OTA: Orion ST80
EAA Cam: SVBony SV705C
EP: Baader Hyperion Modular Set
Filters: L-Pro Canon EOS C, L-eNhance, L-Pro, Optolong Ha 7mm, Optolong Oiii 6.5mm, Optolong Sii 6.5mm, ES H-Beta
Session Control: Mini PC/Win11 Pro, APT 4.1, PHD2 2.6.10
Processing: PixInsight, DSS 4.2.6, Adobe PS CC, Astronomy Tools Action Set, Star Spikes Pro
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Re: A Return to M 31

#4

Post by Jockinireland »


Hi Chris,

Thats a huge improvement over your very first one from a few weeks back. Really starting to come together.

What are you doing for noise reduction because I think you may be overdoing it just a shade and losing some structure in the outer dust lanes.
Scope: Skywatcher Evostar 80ED (SW 0.85 FR/FF) on a SW NEQ6Pro
Guiding; SW Evoguide 50ED, ASI 120mm mini
Meade 8" LX200 GPS on wedge (Guided with a cheapo 50mm guidescope and a ZWO ASI 120mm mini)
Sharpstar 61EDPH II (with dedicated 0.8 reducer) with wiliam Optics 32mm uniguide
Camera: ASI2600MC pro. QHY 163M with ZWO 7nm NB filters, Canon EOS700D astro mod
Secondary mount: Skywatcher StarAdventurer

My Astrobin https://www.astrobin.com/users/mackiedlm/
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Re: A Return to M 31

#5

Post by Juno16 »


You are making fine progress Chris!

Processing is the tough part (for me anyway).

I missed in your post how long your subs are. Is your histogram 1/4-1/3 from the left?
In Bortle 7 skies (like I have) most of the signal is sky background. You will need a good but of data to get decent details on the outer dust lanes without having to use lots of noise reduction.

Most astrophotographers revisit targets each year to apply new knowledge to their last acquisition.

Very nice work on this! There is a lot going on in this hobby and you are doing well!
.
Jim

Scopes: Explore Scientific ED102 APO, Sharpstar 61 EDPH II APO, Samyang 135 F2 (still on the Nikon).
Mount: Skywatcher HEQ5 Pro with Rowan Belt Mod
Stuff: ASI EAF Focus Motor (x2), Orion 50mm Guide Scope, ZWO 30 mm Guide Scope, ASI 220mm min, ASI 120mm mini, Stellarview 0.8 FR/FF, Sharpstar 0.8 FR/FF, Mele Overloock 3C.
Camera/Filters/Software: ASI 533 mc pro, ASI 120mm mini, Orion SSAG, IDAS LPS D-1, Optolong L-Enhance, ZWO UV/IR Cut, N.I.N.A., Green Swamp Server, PHD2, Adobe Photoshop CC, Pixinsight.
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Sky: Bortle 6-7
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Re: A Return to M 31

#6

Post by bobharmony »


Very nice, Chris. The re-visit with the controlled core is a bit more to my liking. M31 turns out to be a difficult object to process as it is so bright and fills so much of the frame. There is a large range from lightest to dimmest detail and it is hard to get both perfect in the same image. You have done a really nice job.

Bob
Hardware: Celestron C6-N w/ Advanced GTmount, Baader MK iii CC, Orion ST-80, Canon 60D (unmodded), Nikon D5300 (modded), Orion SSAG
Software: BYE, APT, PHD2, DSS, PhotoShop CC 2020, StarTools, Cartes du Ciel, AstroTortilla

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Re: A Return to M 31

#7

Post by chris_g »


Jockinireland wrote: Wed Nov 17, 2021 9:59 am Hi Chris,

Thats a huge improvement over your very first one from a few weeks back. Really starting to come together.

What are you doing for noise reduction because I think you may be overdoing it just a shade and losing some structure in the outer dust lanes.
I'm using noise reduction in Adobe's Camera Raw app. Admittedly, I just cranked the noise and color sliders all the way over. I'll check it out and see if I can get it to do better, thanks for the pointer.
Image Cam: Canon 6D (Ha mod), 600D (Stock), SVBony SV405CC
Image OTA: EvoStar ED80, WO Z73, C8-A XLT
Mount: EQ6-R Pro Pier, AZ-EQ5 Pro Pier
Guide OTA: Orion 60mm, WO 32mm, ZWO OAG, SV501P
Guide Cam: ZWO 120mm, 290mm mini
EAA OTA: Orion ST80
EAA Cam: SVBony SV705C
EP: Baader Hyperion Modular Set
Filters: L-Pro Canon EOS C, L-eNhance, L-Pro, Optolong Ha 7mm, Optolong Oiii 6.5mm, Optolong Sii 6.5mm, ES H-Beta
Session Control: Mini PC/Win11 Pro, APT 4.1, PHD2 2.6.10
Processing: PixInsight, DSS 4.2.6, Adobe PS CC, Astronomy Tools Action Set, Star Spikes Pro
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Re: A Return to M 31

#8

Post by chris_g »


Juno16 wrote: Wed Nov 17, 2021 12:06 pm You are making fine progress Chris!

Processing is the tough part (for me anyway).

I missed in your post how long your subs are. Is your histogram 1/4-1/3 from the left?
In Bortle 7 skies (like I have) most of the signal is sky background. You will need a good but of data to get decent details on the outer dust lanes without having to use lots of noise reduction.

Most astrophotographers revisit targets each year to apply new knowledge to their last acquisition.

Very nice work on this! There is a lot going on in this hobby and you are doing well!
.
45 180 second subs, processing is definitely a big challenge. The histogram is right about where it should be as far my research has indicated. I'm learning that each target has it's own unique issues to resolve that can be done in more than one way. Unlike data acquisition, that's becoming the easy part though it's complex as well. I love the challenge.
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APT-M 31 histogram.jpg
Image Cam: Canon 6D (Ha mod), 600D (Stock), SVBony SV405CC
Image OTA: EvoStar ED80, WO Z73, C8-A XLT
Mount: EQ6-R Pro Pier, AZ-EQ5 Pro Pier
Guide OTA: Orion 60mm, WO 32mm, ZWO OAG, SV501P
Guide Cam: ZWO 120mm, 290mm mini
EAA OTA: Orion ST80
EAA Cam: SVBony SV705C
EP: Baader Hyperion Modular Set
Filters: L-Pro Canon EOS C, L-eNhance, L-Pro, Optolong Ha 7mm, Optolong Oiii 6.5mm, Optolong Sii 6.5mm, ES H-Beta
Session Control: Mini PC/Win11 Pro, APT 4.1, PHD2 2.6.10
Processing: PixInsight, DSS 4.2.6, Adobe PS CC, Astronomy Tools Action Set, Star Spikes Pro
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Re: A Return to M 31

#9

Post by chris_g »


bobharmony wrote: Wed Nov 17, 2021 2:57 pm Very nice, Chris. The re-visit with the controlled core is a bit more to my liking. M31 turns out to be a difficult object to process as it is so bright and fills so much of the frame. There is a large range from lightest to dimmest detail and it is hard to get both perfect in the same image. You have done a really nice job.

Bob
I like the controlled core better as well, as does my wife. While I lost some detail it looks more natural. I'm going to fiddle with the noise reduction settings and see if I can get some more detail out of outer dust lanes thanks to @Jockinireland suggestion.
Image Cam: Canon 6D (Ha mod), 600D (Stock), SVBony SV405CC
Image OTA: EvoStar ED80, WO Z73, C8-A XLT
Mount: EQ6-R Pro Pier, AZ-EQ5 Pro Pier
Guide OTA: Orion 60mm, WO 32mm, ZWO OAG, SV501P
Guide Cam: ZWO 120mm, 290mm mini
EAA OTA: Orion ST80
EAA Cam: SVBony SV705C
EP: Baader Hyperion Modular Set
Filters: L-Pro Canon EOS C, L-eNhance, L-Pro, Optolong Ha 7mm, Optolong Oiii 6.5mm, Optolong Sii 6.5mm, ES H-Beta
Session Control: Mini PC/Win11 Pro, APT 4.1, PHD2 2.6.10
Processing: PixInsight, DSS 4.2.6, Adobe PS CC, Astronomy Tools Action Set, Star Spikes Pro
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Re: A Return to M 31

#10

Post by Jockinireland »


chris_g wrote: Wed Nov 17, 2021 6:35 pm
Jockinireland wrote: Wed Nov 17, 2021 9:59 am Hi Chris,

Thats a huge improvement over your very first one from a few weeks back. Really starting to come together.

What are you doing for noise reduction because I think you may be overdoing it just a shade and losing some structure in the outer dust lanes.
I'm using noise reduction in Adobe's Camera Raw app. Admittedly, I just cranked the noise and color sliders all the way over. I'll check it out and see if I can get it to do better, thanks for the pointer.
Yes Camera raw noise reduction is good but you need to use it carefully. If you need it for your background you coul apply a mask over the galaxy before applying CR. Carbonis actions plugins for PS are a great set of plug ins to PS specifically for AP and has lots of great tools, including 2 excellent noise reduction scripts which would do a better job than CR It costs about 20 bucks and, if you plan on using PS for a while would be money well spent.

Also, it's possible to do a selective high pass routine which could bring back some structure to your dust lanes after noise reduction.. let me know if you are interested and I'll post a step by step. It's dead easy and can be very effective.
Scope: Skywatcher Evostar 80ED (SW 0.85 FR/FF) on a SW NEQ6Pro
Guiding; SW Evoguide 50ED, ASI 120mm mini
Meade 8" LX200 GPS on wedge (Guided with a cheapo 50mm guidescope and a ZWO ASI 120mm mini)
Sharpstar 61EDPH II (with dedicated 0.8 reducer) with wiliam Optics 32mm uniguide
Camera: ASI2600MC pro. QHY 163M with ZWO 7nm NB filters, Canon EOS700D astro mod
Secondary mount: Skywatcher StarAdventurer

My Astrobin https://www.astrobin.com/users/mackiedlm/
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Re: A Return to M 31

#11

Post by Juno16 »


It's fun to watch your progress Chris!

Good data is easier by far to process. I have skies like you and by far, the best thing that I can do to get better data is more time on target. I have found for most fairly bright nebulae (mag 5-6), I need at least 6 hours on target in my skies. More is still better.

David is right @Jockinireland . PS CR works great, but needs some masking or a super light hand. I sometimes like to use PS CR for small tweaks after processing in PI because it is really fast. Its effects are very strong though. I would like to see his hi-pass workflow too!

There is literally no end to spending money on this hobby! I just downloaded the Topaz DeNoise AI trial and it is pretty dang astonishing! It really reduces noise at several preset levels (also adjustable) but retains details and even seems to increase sharpness. Now I will download the Topaz Digapixel AI. Supposed to really boost the resolution. Maybe I shouldn't!!
Jim

Scopes: Explore Scientific ED102 APO, Sharpstar 61 EDPH II APO, Samyang 135 F2 (still on the Nikon).
Mount: Skywatcher HEQ5 Pro with Rowan Belt Mod
Stuff: ASI EAF Focus Motor (x2), Orion 50mm Guide Scope, ZWO 30 mm Guide Scope, ASI 220mm min, ASI 120mm mini, Stellarview 0.8 FR/FF, Sharpstar 0.8 FR/FF, Mele Overloock 3C.
Camera/Filters/Software: ASI 533 mc pro, ASI 120mm mini, Orion SSAG, IDAS LPS D-1, Optolong L-Enhance, ZWO UV/IR Cut, N.I.N.A., Green Swamp Server, PHD2, Adobe Photoshop CC, Pixinsight.
Dog and best bud: Jack
Sky: Bortle 6-7
My Astrobin: https://www.astrobin.com/users/Juno16/
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Re: A Return to M 31

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Post by Jockinireland »


Juno16 wrote: Wed Nov 17, 2021 9:49 pm It's fun to watch your progress Chris!

Good data is easier by far to process. I have skies like you and by far, the best thing that I can do to get better data is more time on target. I have found for most fairly bright nebulae (mag 5-6), I need at least 6 hours on target in my skies. More is still better.

David is right @Jockinireland . PS CR works great, but needs some masking or a super light hand. I sometimes like to use PS CR for small tweaks after processing in PI because it is really fast. Its effects are very strong though. I would like to see his hi-pass workflow too!

There is literally no end to spending money on this hobby! I just downloaded the Topaz DeNoise AI trial and it is pretty dang astonishing! It really reduces noise at several preset levels (also adjustable) but retains details and even seems to increase sharpness. Now I will download the Topaz Digapixel AI. Supposed to really boost the resolution. Maybe I shouldn't!!
Hi @Juno16 Jim,

The high pass routine is really simple

1. Make a new layer by stamp visible(ctrl+alt+shift+n+e) or Ctrl+a / Edit>copy merged /ctrl+v
2. Change blending mode on that layer to overlay or soft light (experiment to see which works best for different images
3. Filter>other>high pass - adjust radius to taste - again experiment - I usually use radius between 15 and 28
4. Layer>layer mask>hide all
5. Make sure you are clicked on the mask but you can see the image then use paintbrush to paint white on the mask over the areas of the image you want to lift, have the brush soft and small enough that its not going too far outside of the area you want.
6. You will see, in the image, the areas you paint over start showing more sharpness , more "structure" etc (actually its just more contrast I think)
7. If you paint over stars within the structure they may become too bright and sharp so change the brush to black and paint a spot the same size as the star to drop it back
8. You can vary the opacity of the paintbrush to increase/decrease the effect in different areas or you can adjust the the overall layer opacity once you are done if you feel its too harsh

Here is a very quickly done example of the core of my andromeda

Before
Andromeda_HP_EX_without.jpg
After
Andromeda_HP_EX_with.jpg
To see it best, Right click on each image and open in a new tab, then you can blink back and forward between the tabs to really see the difference. Even at a quick and rough application you can see the difference it makes.

Let me know if anything's unclear. Have fun!

Take care

David
Scope: Skywatcher Evostar 80ED (SW 0.85 FR/FF) on a SW NEQ6Pro
Guiding; SW Evoguide 50ED, ASI 120mm mini
Meade 8" LX200 GPS on wedge (Guided with a cheapo 50mm guidescope and a ZWO ASI 120mm mini)
Sharpstar 61EDPH II (with dedicated 0.8 reducer) with wiliam Optics 32mm uniguide
Camera: ASI2600MC pro. QHY 163M with ZWO 7nm NB filters, Canon EOS700D astro mod
Secondary mount: Skywatcher StarAdventurer

My Astrobin https://www.astrobin.com/users/mackiedlm/
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Re: A Return to M 31

#13

Post by Juno16 »


Amazing difference David! Thanks!
Jim

Scopes: Explore Scientific ED102 APO, Sharpstar 61 EDPH II APO, Samyang 135 F2 (still on the Nikon).
Mount: Skywatcher HEQ5 Pro with Rowan Belt Mod
Stuff: ASI EAF Focus Motor (x2), Orion 50mm Guide Scope, ZWO 30 mm Guide Scope, ASI 220mm min, ASI 120mm mini, Stellarview 0.8 FR/FF, Sharpstar 0.8 FR/FF, Mele Overloock 3C.
Camera/Filters/Software: ASI 533 mc pro, ASI 120mm mini, Orion SSAG, IDAS LPS D-1, Optolong L-Enhance, ZWO UV/IR Cut, N.I.N.A., Green Swamp Server, PHD2, Adobe Photoshop CC, Pixinsight.
Dog and best bud: Jack
Sky: Bortle 6-7
My Astrobin: https://www.astrobin.com/users/Juno16/
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Re: A Return to M 31

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Post by MartinF »


The second version looks a lot better than the first! I agree on the noise reduction being a bit too much. I often do that myself but when I look at images from others I prefer the ones with more noise because they look more natural.
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Re: A Return to M 31

#15

Post by chris_g »


Jockinireland wrote: Wed Nov 17, 2021 8:01 pm
Yes Camera raw noise reduction is good but you need to use it carefully. If you need it for your background you coul apply a mask over the galaxy before applying CR. Carbonis actions plugins for PS are a great set of plug ins to PS specifically for AP and has lots of great tools, including 2 excellent noise reduction scripts which would do a better job than CR It costs about 20 bucks and, if you plan on using PS for a while would be money well spent.

Also, it's possible to do a selective high pass routine which could bring back some structure to your dust lanes after noise reduction.. let me know if you are interested and I'll post a step by step. It's dead easy and can be very effective.
I've got a vested interest in PS now besides the monthly, I also got Star Tools Action Set and their Star Spikes plugin so I'll be on PS for the time being. I'll check out Carbonis too, thanks. I'm always interested in knowing how to improve the images, I see that you posted the flow. Thanks for that as well.

Haven't had to much time to rework the data yet, I was working on another project last nigh. I finally got my mini PC OTA mounted instead of to the tripod leg, it's ugly but it works. Had some cabling issues last session. My "new" dedicated astro DSLR camera should be showing up tomorrow along with the L-eNhance filter. Fun, fun!
Image Cam: Canon 6D (Ha mod), 600D (Stock), SVBony SV405CC
Image OTA: EvoStar ED80, WO Z73, C8-A XLT
Mount: EQ6-R Pro Pier, AZ-EQ5 Pro Pier
Guide OTA: Orion 60mm, WO 32mm, ZWO OAG, SV501P
Guide Cam: ZWO 120mm, 290mm mini
EAA OTA: Orion ST80
EAA Cam: SVBony SV705C
EP: Baader Hyperion Modular Set
Filters: L-Pro Canon EOS C, L-eNhance, L-Pro, Optolong Ha 7mm, Optolong Oiii 6.5mm, Optolong Sii 6.5mm, ES H-Beta
Session Control: Mini PC/Win11 Pro, APT 4.1, PHD2 2.6.10
Processing: PixInsight, DSS 4.2.6, Adobe PS CC, Astronomy Tools Action Set, Star Spikes Pro
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Re: A Return to M 31

#16

Post by Jockinireland »


chris_g wrote: Thu Nov 18, 2021 7:36 pm
Jockinireland wrote: Wed Nov 17, 2021 8:01 pm
Yes Camera raw noise reduction is good but you need to use it carefully. If you need it for your background you coul apply a mask over the galaxy before applying CR. Carbonis actions plugins for PS are a great set of plug ins to PS specifically for AP and has lots of great tools, including 2 excellent noise reduction scripts which would do a better job than CR It costs about 20 bucks and, if you plan on using PS for a while would be money well spent.

Also, it's possible to do a selective high pass routine which could bring back some structure to your dust lanes after noise reduction.. let me know if you are interested and I'll post a step by step. It's dead easy and can be very effective.
I've got a vested interest in PS now besides the monthly, I also got Star Tools Action Set and their Star Spikes plugin so I'll be on PS for the time being. I'll check out Carbonis too, thanks. I'm always interested in knowing how to improve the images, I see that you posted the flow. Thanks for that as well.

Haven't had to much time to rework the data yet, I was working on another project last nigh. I finally got my mini PC OTA mounted instead of to the tripod leg, it's ugly but it works. Had some cabling issues last session. My "new" dedicated astro DSLR camera should be showing up tomorrow along with the L-eNhance filter. Fun, fun!
Hi Chris, I dont know "Star Tools" Plug in, but I think "Star Spikes" comes from Pro-Digital which is where what I call Carbonis Actions comes from. They call it "Astronomy Action Tool Action Set" nowadays.

Good luck with the modded DSLR - what model are you getting?
Scope: Skywatcher Evostar 80ED (SW 0.85 FR/FF) on a SW NEQ6Pro
Guiding; SW Evoguide 50ED, ASI 120mm mini
Meade 8" LX200 GPS on wedge (Guided with a cheapo 50mm guidescope and a ZWO ASI 120mm mini)
Sharpstar 61EDPH II (with dedicated 0.8 reducer) with wiliam Optics 32mm uniguide
Camera: ASI2600MC pro. QHY 163M with ZWO 7nm NB filters, Canon EOS700D astro mod
Secondary mount: Skywatcher StarAdventurer

My Astrobin https://www.astrobin.com/users/mackiedlm/
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Re: A Return to M 31

#17

Post by chris_g »


Jockinireland wrote: Thu Nov 18, 2021 8:16 pm
chris_g wrote: Thu Nov 18, 2021 7:36 pm
Jockinireland wrote: Wed Nov 17, 2021 8:01 pm
Yes Camera raw noise reduction is good but you need to use it carefully. If you need it for your background you coul apply a mask over the galaxy before applying CR. Carbonis actions plugins for PS are a great set of plug ins to PS specifically for AP and has lots of great tools, including 2 excellent noise reduction scripts which would do a better job than CR It costs about 20 bucks and, if you plan on using PS for a while would be money well spent.

Also, it's possible to do a selective high pass routine which could bring back some structure to your dust lanes after noise reduction.. let me know if you are interested and I'll post a step by step. It's dead easy and can be very effective.
I've got a vested interest in PS now besides the monthly, I also got Star Tools Action Set and their Star Spikes plugin so I'll be on PS for the time being. I'll check out Carbonis too, thanks. I'm always interested in knowing how to improve the images, I see that you posted the flow. Thanks for that as well.

Haven't had to much time to rework the data yet, I was working on another project last nigh. I finally got my mini PC OTA mounted instead of to the tripod leg, it's ugly but it works. Had some cabling issues last session. My "new" dedicated astro DSLR camera should be showing up tomorrow along with the L-eNhance filter. Fun, fun!
Hi Chris, I dont know "Star Tools" Plug in, but I think "Star Spikes" comes from Pro-Digital which is where what I call Carbonis Actions comes from. They call it "Astronomy Action Tool Action Set" nowadays.

Good luck with the modded DSLR - what model are you getting?
I am work too, I forget what it was actually called. I have the Astronomy Tools action set from Pro Digital. I need to learn how to use masks in PS so only what needs to be changed is affected instead of the entire image. Your work flow is going to be a great help with that, thank you again for it.

The camera is a T2i full spectrum naked sensor. Same specs as my T3i other than no rotating LCD display, which is nice to have but since I do everything now with APT it's not necessary.
Image Cam: Canon 6D (Ha mod), 600D (Stock), SVBony SV405CC
Image OTA: EvoStar ED80, WO Z73, C8-A XLT
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Re: A Return to M 31

#18

Post by Juno16 »


Jockinireland wrote: Wed Nov 17, 2021 11:27 pm
Hi @Juno16 Jim,

The high pass routine is really simple

1. Make a new layer by stamp visible(ctrl+alt+shift+n+e) or Ctrl+a / Edit>copy merged /ctrl+v
2. Change blending mode on that layer to overlay or soft light (experiment to see which works best for different images
3. Filter>other>high pass - adjust radius to taste - again experiment - I usually use radius between 15 and 28
4. Layer>layer mask>hide all
5. Make sure you are clicked on the mask but you can see the image then use paintbrush to paint white on the mask over the areas of the image you want to lift, have the brush soft and small enough that its not going too far outside of the area you want.
6. You will see, in the image, the areas you paint over start showing more sharpness , more "structure" etc (actually its just more contrast I think)
7. If you paint over stars within the structure they may become too bright and sharp so change the brush to black and paint a spot the same size as the star to drop it back
8. You can vary the opacity of the paintbrush to increase/decrease the effect in different areas or you can adjust the the overall layer opacity once you are done if you feel its too harsh

Here is a very quickly done example of the core of my andromeda

Before
Image

After
Image

To see it best, Right click on each image and open in a new tab, then you can blink back and forward between the tabs to really see the difference. Even at a quick and rough application you can see the difference it makes.

Let me know if anything's unclear. Have fun!

Take care

David

Hey David, @Jockinireland

Your method outlined above is really interesting and works very nicely on the details! Very nice tip!

I just applied your method on a small portion of my M31 image. Just arbitrarily selected a Hi Pass radias. Big difference in the dust lanes.

I am not sure if there is a way to do that in Pixinsight, but it is a pretty cool tool to have to use on the starless image. It also helps bring out the Ha areas in M31 in my image. Thanks again!
Jim

Scopes: Explore Scientific ED102 APO, Sharpstar 61 EDPH II APO, Samyang 135 F2 (still on the Nikon).
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Re: A Return to M 31

#19

Post by Jockinireland »


Juno16 wrote: Thu Nov 18, 2021 10:32 pm
Jockinireland wrote: Wed Nov 17, 2021 11:27 pm

David

Hey David, @Jockinireland

Your method outlined above is really interesting and works very nicely on the details! Very nice tip!

I just applied your method on a small portion of my M31 image. Just arbitrarily selected a Hi Pass radias. Big difference in the dust lanes.

I am not sure if there is a way to do that in Pixinsight, but it is a pretty cool tool to have to use on the starless image. It also helps bring out the Ha areas in M31 in my image. Thanks again!
Hi Jim, yes it a really neat little process. But like everything its easy to overdo it.

I'm pretty sure that some of the PI Guru's will have a way to do it in Pixinsight - probably using LHE and masks, but I find that the PS way is great because you can be as selective as you want. Somtimes I will only hit it on a very few of the things I really want the eye to focus on.

Take care

David.
Scope: Skywatcher Evostar 80ED (SW 0.85 FR/FF) on a SW NEQ6Pro
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Re: A Return to M 31

#20

Post by Gmetric »


Well done on your work with this image, and thanks to all for the advice posted, as I found it helpful, too. :)
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