how do i correct this image

[Gutross]

This image was taken with my 76mm reflector, 2X barlow and a modified Logitech quickcam. does anyone know how i can fix the pink/purple hue i get from this? BTW this is the first image i have captured

[Gutross]

I tracked down the landmarks in the image. the RR tracks, and the odd placement of the power lines allowed me to beeline the spot i thought it may be directly to my window. since the direction i was viewing was very narrow, it had to be this spot i found, the large silos are marked at 8.23 miles! guess thats why i could not focus

[jambouk]

Impressive detective skills, and I'm surprised at the distance.

Who modified the webcam? Has anyone ever achieved a more natural colour image with it?

How are younusing the webcam? Does it have a nose piece and you are inserting it into the barlow?

This sounds daft... Are there any filters between the sensor of the webcam and the distant objcet?

What capture software are you using? Does it have any options to alter the colour balance?

James

[jambouk]

Oh and forgot, does the capture software have "white balance" settings?

James

[RikM]

Adjust the levels sliders in Photoshop to balance the histogram. Basically your red and blue are over exposed, the green is underexposed. For daylight images this gives the pinky hue but for astroimages may be exactly what you need.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

What might be happening is that the webcam lens was removed, and with it the UV/IR-block filter (essentially integrated in the coatings of the lens). Inserting a UV/IR block can restore colour balance.

[D4N]

Yep the problem you will have is that the camera will saturate too quickly in red now making it very difficult to take detailed images of planets.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[jambouk]

Is it Similar to this camera? This has been astro modified and doesn't have any filters or lenses in it any more and i didn't get that same artefact.

[jambouk]

I've just plugged the camera in and opened up Firecapture (I don't have a telescope with me) but pointing the camera around and looking at the histogram, the RGB is all aligned. And as I say, this has no filters in it.

James

[jambouk]

(as an aside, I've recently installed a new hard drive on this laptop, so just had to reinstall the Logitech drivers as Windows 7 won't automatically find them; I just installed the XP versions of the drivers and after a reboot it magically makes the camera work, no idea why but I know some people have struggled with getting drivers for this camera on Windows 7).

James

[Gutross]

Impressive detective skills, and I'm surprised at the distance.

Who modified the webcam? Has anyone ever achieved a more natural colour image with it?

How are younusing the webcam? Does it have a nose piece and you are inserting it into the barlow?

This sounds daft... Are there any filters between the sensor of the webcam and the distant objcet?

What capture software are you using? Does it have any options to alter the colour balance?

James

I was Impressed myself. I kept tracking in the direction I had pointed, it was easy to do because i was looking just past our neighbors house. since th train was in the foreground ii tried to find it first, then i happened across the junction of the HV towers and telephone lines, just beyond that was a fracking/storage site with two large "silos" i did look everywhere else with in say 10degrees of the direction and this was the only are that had all three elements. i was blown away when i marked the distance

I modified the webcam following instruction on a astrophotographers website, and placed it in a 3d printed enclosure that fits directly into the barlow, seating neatly against it. it did have a hatural colour to it before i removed the focuser which likely had filters built in.

for this picture there was no filters

I could not find a colour balance feature of either the logitech software, or sharp cap, but this is the first time i have ever used these programs and do not know the ins and outs of them yet.

[Gutross]

Adjust the levels sliders in Photoshop to balance the histogram. Basically your red and blue are over exposed, the green is underexposed. For daylight images this gives the pinky hue but for astroimages may be exactly what you need.

post-44600-0-59220400-1432171805.jpg

looks like i will have to get photoshop back on my pc.  thank you!

[Gutross]

What might be happening is that the webcam lens was removed, and with it the UV/IR-block filter (essentially integrated in the coatings of the lens). Inserting a UV/IR block can restore colour balance.

thank you for this, ill have to look it up. currently i only have red, blue and moon filters

[jambouk]

Get the latest version of sharpcap

On he right, click show filter options

In the new box which appears, play around with the white balance. Mine is on auto.

James

[Gutross]

Get the latest version of sharpcap

On he right, click show filter options

In the new box which appears, play around with the white balance. Mine is on auto.

James

have you played with the RGB align feature, I had just read about it and will try it this afternoon!

[jambouk]

No, i've never needed to. But worth a go. Connect it up to your scope again and adjust all the variables one by one and see if you can "normalise" the colour balance some how.

Have you also got the latest drivers, or are you using non-standard drivers?

I'm no PC expert, just thinking of other possible differences between yours and mine.

James

[jambouk]

Have just taken mine apart to get a closer look at the sensor to check there is no filter in situ. Does yours look like this?

[Gutross]

very similar. though mine almost has a rainbow sheen to it

[Gutross]

^{in your sig, it states the logitech is a CCD. the cam i have the Quickcam pro 9000 is a cmos, perhaps those are the difrences}

[Gutross]

sorry about the small print, i guess i accidently changed the font

[jambouk]

I've never been sure if mine is a CCD or a CMOS. Maybe it does make a difference. Let me look online.

James

[jambouk]

So, looking on line, two things spring to mind:

- Did you remove or paint the internal red LED?

- I think it might need an IR filter (towards the bottom of this link)...

http://dslrmodifications.com/Pro9000mod3.html

James

[Gutross]

I used liquid electrical tape to cover the led with about 1-2mm of pure black stinky gunk. no light is escaping that.  i may even cover the top ventlation with tape to see if that helps.if it dows i will fabricate somthing that will still allow ventalation yet not allow light

[Astromaster130]

(as an aside, I've recently installed a new hard drive on this laptop, so just had to reinstall the Logitech drivers as Windows 7 won't automatically find them; I just installed the XP versions of the drivers and after a reboot it magically makes the camera work, no idea why but I know some people have struggled with getting drivers for this camera on Windows 7).

James

Hey sorry to hijack but do you happen to have a driver for a logitech quickcam messenger ?

I have looked everywhere and cannot find one that works! Im also on windows 7 ✨

[jambouk]

Try this link:

http://support.logitech.com/product/quickcam-messenger

Unplug the camera, ideally uninstall any previous drivers for it, reboot if necessary, download the file indicated by the arrow below selecting XP (or older) operating system, run that and do customise install, and just install the driver (unless you want any other rubbish it may offer you), then once finished reboot PC and plug camera in; hopefully it will detect the camera and may look for an update online, so let it and see what happens. Fingers crossed.

James