Deep sky stacker help please :s

[The_PSY3NTIST]

Hello thanks for reading this.I've just got 30 mins on m42 and when I've stacked the raw files I've ended up with a monochrome image. Does anybody know where I have gone wrong. When it was registering the files I noticed that it said 16 bit grey raw. The images were taken in colour so I must be missing a setting somewhere. Many thanks to anyone that can help.

[eddy]

You can either :

a) Use the RGB Sliders

Use the saturation slider

Both of which will bring some colour back to your images after being stacked.

Im sure there are other ways, but thats how ive done mine recently and its worked out pretty well

[Lioness_Stargazer]

Hi Dave,

Im no expert and im having major problems with DDS myself this evening! However, if you go to the bottom left of DDS and under "options" there is a Raw/Fits DDP setting option, click on this and then select the Fits file tab.

You need to make sure that top box is checked "Monocrome 16 bit fits file....."

This is telling DDS you are using a colour camera I think!!! If that wasnt checked maybe thats why its come out in black and white?

Sorry if you have already done this or if it doesnt work!!!

Claire

[RikM]

DSS always leaves the stacked image looking washed out. To get a look at the colour you have, increase the saturation slider to 20%. I always save with settings embedded but not applied though. I do all the processing (including saturation and colour balance) in PS CS3.

[jgs001]

Bear in mind that the picture you see on the screen is the adjustments made in DSS on the image file as it would process them. I operate like Rik and save with settings embedded, but move the saturation slider to 20-25% to put colour back.

[The_PSY3NTIST]

Thanks for your replies panic over! Thought I'd got a memory stick full of b+w data

Here is a low res version of the image with 20% sat

Thanks again.

[Astrosurf]

That's a lovely shot. And thanks for helping me indirectly with DSS too!

Alexxx

[RikM]

Top shot. That's a very nice start, you have some good detail showing in the core and it's not washed out.

If you try making a duplicate layer on top, you could stretch it further to bring up more of the fainter parts. Apply a reveal all mask and then paint over the core with a black brush to let the core detail show through from underneath.

There is more advanced way of doing it here: Compositing 2 Different Exposures via Layer Masks

[The_PSY3NTIST]

Thanks I don't have photoshop yet so masks and curves will have to wait. My laptop that I had it on went kaput a couple of weeks ago there's a lot hiding in there so hopefully will be able to give it another shot when I have the money to buy it think new eps will have to wait..