groberts

Thanks Lee, one of those 'astrophotography problems' I expect, i.e. it's staring me in the face but will take forever to sort!  

No I did not have to reinstall any drivers and at first all seemed fine, as after sorting things I completed imaging a narrowband image without (as far as can see as it's not been fully processed yet) any problems.  As I initially said, the RGB subs seem OK imaging B22 and it appears to be only the luminace. 

I've only ever used APT and don't use any other capture software for mono imaging but I'm suspicous of the gain / offset settings, that seem to work a bit diferent with APT v3.90 which I updated to after the crash from v 3.88 and have posted a query on the APT forum for Ivo = watch this space!

Graham   

Yes I do usually use shorter luminance but looking at a number of images of B22 on Astrobin, which being a dark nebula is on the dark side, and most of the better ones seem to use 600 secs or at least 300 secs.

Been playing around this evening even with 180 secs + other settings it's still happening, so not sure what's happening! 

Thanks for your thoughts.

Graham  

I've been working on B22 recently and something funny is happening with the luminance subs.  From the outset they look overexposed i.e. bright white at the time of capture but after stacking + some judicious stretching the detail's there +OK.  Out of the camera (unprocessed) the L subs histogram is heavily skewed to the right but can be corrected as described.  However, last night I got no detail at all with the luminance subs i.e. just a bright white subs which will not stack but the  RGB subs look OK. 

I had a software meltdown (using APT) earlier in January but after reinstalling and sucessfully completing a narrowband image I moved on to B22 when the above Luminance problem occurred.  I'm imaging with a ZWO ASI1600MM camera at Unity (Gain 139, offset 21) and 600 sec luminance + 300 second RGB exposures - been using this for years and not seen this problem before  

Any thoughts about what could be going on here?

I've been wanting to image the truly exciting but faint Simeis 147 AKA the Spaghetti Nebula for some time but the FOV is too much for my equipment and with the lack of good weather here for imaging I've gone instead for a close-up / detail rather than a mosaic, hope you like it?  Even with 12 hours this tricky object is difficult to tease out but I'm still very pleased with the outcome and will be back another year to add to the data.

Graham

Ha 39 x 10mins

OIII 34 x 10 mins

Total Integration = 12 hours 10 min (21st December to 6th January)

Thanks, appreciate the comments, that's very helpful. 

Yes will do, now you mention it there is a slight green cast there, need to go to Specsavers!  

Graham

I'm going to pay for this but starting in October for three months running at or around new moon I had clear skies!  Last time on 6th December for one night only I returned to that seasonal favourite Pleiades with the objective of teasing out more details of those delightful wispy intersetaller clouds through which M45 is passing.  Armed with new Chroma filters acquired last Christmas, better guiding courtesy of the new PHD2 multi-star facility and having shifted to PixInsight for most of my processing over the past 18-months, I'm very pleased with the outcome - certainly it's much better than my previous attempts and, I think, does justice to those exciting clouds.

Using a William Optics GT81 and ZWO 1600MM-Cool I generally like to crop lightly just to tidy up things and only more agressively if it's needed on those smaller objects which this equipment otherwise struggles with.  However, this time I'm wondering if the better image isn't a 60% crop thus producing greater impact - any thoughts?

12 x 300 sec LRGB = 4hours

As the saying goes: you wait ages for a bus then two come along at the same time!  In this case after successfully imaging M31 the Andromeda galaxy which for once coincided with clear skies and the new moon in early October, I was lucky that the next moon cycle in early November also provided good conditions and his time I chose to image M33.  This is a target that hitherto I've struggled with and was therefore very pleased to obtain a good data-set over three nights that included 3-hours of 10-minute Ha exposures.  The result is definitely my best image yet of this attractive target and I am at last happy with the result.

15 x 300 sec LRGB

18 x 600 sec Ha

Total Time = 8-hours

27 minutes ago, Laurieast said:

Is this what you mean, in the middle? £9.98 Month.

https://www.adobe.com/uk/products/photoshop/landpa.html?mv=search&mv=search&sdid=LZ32SYVR&ef_id=CjwKCAiAqIKNBhAIEiwAu_ZLDtpNSoLm5c1HZPD7X3zYVHXk4tlxCf7vsgdkUIkC5Tzb9nTWxpb2ABoClBgQAvD_BwE:G:s&s_kwcid=AL!3085!3!340669891887!e!!g!!photoshop online!1422700211!58647953511&gclid=CjwKCAiAqIKNBhAIEiwAu_ZLDtpNSoLm5c1HZPD7X3zYVHXk4tlxCf7vsgdkUIkC5Tzb9nTWxpb2ABoClBgQAvD_BwE#mini-plans-web-cta-photoshop-card

Ah yes, that looks like it, thanks. 

On 24/11/2021 at 16:36, tooth_dr said:

That is really very good value indeed.

I would agree if I could find it.  The so called "Crerative Cloud" seems to be £49.94 per month or £30.34 today as Black Friday! 

So could somebody please direct me to a link that provides PS for 12 Euros a month - I only waht PS?

Graham 

15 hours ago, malc-c said:

Not sure about the "best" version, but the latest can be found on the CdC web site  4.2.1 has been the current version since November 2019.

Latest build of the Beta version here  but it's beta and not a RC version so what bugs are in it or how stable it is is anyone's guess

Thanks Malcolm, I use 4.2.1 on my main capture laptop but have 4.3 Beta-4167 on another secondary capture laptop. which has been fine.  Following a recent meltdown of my main processing computer I'm slowly reloading software onto a new replacement laptop and couldn't find the beta versions any longer, which I was thinking of using here - not for capture / guiding etc.

Graham  

Can anyone recommend a reliable source for a copy of Photoshop CS3 or above?

Just wondering what the best version of CdC is now and where I can find it to install?

The "stable" version seems to be v4.2.1 but am aware that there are 4.3 beta versions too - would they be better, what's the difference?

Graham  

Thanks, just under twelve hours - for more detail refer to my website here: https://watchthisspaceman.wordpress.com/2021/11/16/the-journey/

Graham

Autumn has been something of a curate's egg for me, on the one hand I had a number of good sessions at the beginning of October that for a change produced some very good data, however soon after I had a complete melt down of my main computer and am only just getting back on my feet - computer and processing wise!  Still, very happy with this version of Andromeda which comes from that period, at last (after more than 5-years) I think (hope) I'm getting to grips with this magnificent object and will no doubt be back another day to try again.

Graham 

Many thanks guys, pity it looks like more costs but I guess that's inevitable. 

Have watched videos on both and, of course, they do a very similar thing.  Would be interested in the first hand experience of any others who use either of these or alternative techniques before I proceed.

Graham  

OK thanks  Alan but what is a Spider, what does it do, how does it do it + where  do I get them? 

Graham

Following the complete meltdown of my main / processing laptop I've just acquired a replacement running Windows 11 and am struggling to get the 'correct' colours for images. 

I've been using the Windows' Colour Calibration process accessed via the Control Panel to adjust Gamma, Brightness, Contrast and the one that's causing me a headache which is the adjustment of Red-Green-Blue levels to achive a neutral outcome.  At first the result doesn't look too bad after tweaking these colour levels a few times but when I look at terrestrial photos I can't seem to get rid of residual green and / or yellow hues that seem to linger.  Looking at my astrohotography images, which I was hitherto happy with they look all over the place, especially the sky colour which I'd processed to something that previously looked OK with a decent black point (and still does on another back-up laptop) but not on the new laptop.  

I would appreciate any guidance on how to deal with this issue i.e. colour calibration on a computer not each image, preferably not too complicated and / or is there a better / foolproof technique or software available that might help?

Graham       

I've been using a Toshiba  P70-B-10T Intel i7 laptop for day-to-day use in my study, which also means it's my main computer for image processing using the usual PixInsight + PS etc.   Last Friday it stopped booting up and after looking at it over the weekend my computer man (who has saved me from such problems many times before) now thinks it may be the Graphics Card (AMD Radeon R9 M265x 4GB) and cannot be replaced i.e. time to look for a new computer!

Before I start trawling the internet I thought I'd ask here if anywone could point me towards something suitable - laptop or PC (mini?) running Microsift Windows i.e. not a Mac.  As I now do more and more image processing using PixInsight, PS, Topaz AI Denoise etc the size of the image files has grown so it needs to be something with the capability to handle this + decent screen >=17" LED backlit or similar, +/- 16GB RAM, +/-2Tb SSD disc, +/- 4 ports USB 3.0 & 2.0, + a higher spec Graphics Card that can handle the current version of Topaz AI Denoise etc. -

It doesn't have to be a laptop but because of space not too big a PC i.e. probably rules out full size tower.

Any recommendations / thoughts much appreciated.

Graham 

After a prolonged break over the summer - extended by laying a new patio on which my mount stands & at the same time discovering a well, which became a project - I'm back on the horse and this is my first image.  As ever, subject to some more  adjustments + calibration at the 'new' location is required but this is a promising start 🤞    

For more image information please see my website here: https://watchthisspaceman.wordpress.com/2021/09/12/the-well-the-butterfly/

Graham 

Superb image - your hard work has been well worth it 👍

After months of cloud and thus partly motivated by desperation, I managed to grab some limited imaging time over x4 nights of IC443 the Jellyfish at the end of March / early April before it disppeared over the western horizon for another year.  Notwithstanding the problems, I'm pleased with the resulting HOO image (+ Ha false luminance and RGB stars) and will be hoping to convert this to an SHO image at some later date.

Whilst IC443 is obviously the star of the show, the significant nebulosity behind it plays an important role in the image but I'm unable to find anything written about it - would be interested in any advice / comments on this feature?

Graham

AZ-EQ GT mount + William Optics GT81 & 0.80 focal reducer + ZWO ASI1600MM-Cool + 31mm Chroma filters etc.

Processing: DSS + PixInsight + Photoshop + Starnet + Topaz AI Denoise

Total integration 6hrs 02min:

Ha x15 & OIII x12 @ 600secs

L x11 + R x11 + G x9 + B x11 @ 120 secs

Thanks Lee, the combination worked well with the aperture.

Graham 

From earlier in the month + probably my last image before summer nights descend upon us; I do so like globular clusters!

For imaging info + alternative framing see my website here:   https://watchthisspaceman.wordpress.com/2021/04/28/twos-company-3/

Graham

At last with some clear skies and a new moon got to try out my new 31mm Chroma LRGB filters on Markarian's Chain (bought last October!) + very happy with the outcome.

AZ-EQ6 GT + WO GT81 + ZWOASI1600mm-Cool

• L 120x60"
• R 55x60"
• G 55x60"
• B 55x60"

Total integration 6hr 45min

Graham        

Thanks, I'm imaging in Surrey at the moment and that explains why the seeing is not what I was expecting 😠