Elephant Bi-Colour Disaster?

[cloudbuster]

hi all....phew, this is my first night in, after loads of imaging!

firstly, here's how i captured the data...

IC1396 The Elephant Trunk Nebuala

Ashton Vale, Bristol

Camera: Atik 314L

Scope: SW Equinox 80

guide camera: QHY5 with PHD

guide scope: SW Equinox 66

Mount: SW HEQ5

Artimus capture

Deep sky stacker

Pixinsight

Adobe photoshop cc

Ha filter

18.7.13

23 exposures of 660 seconds

flats for Ha filter

19.7.13

taken on a clear morning, with white tee-shirt (as flat field panel faulty)

30 exposures of 0.20 seconds

03 filter

19.7.13

1 exposures of 780 seconds

16 exposures of 840 seconds

flats for 03 filter

20.7.13

taken on a clear morning, with white tee-shirt (as flat field panel faulty)

30 exposures of 0.12 seconds

now i was hoping to do my first bi-colour....Ha to red, and 03 to green and blue....but although i dont know what selective colour values to use, i played around a bit....and this was the best i could come up with. after stretching, my image also looks noisey n grainy. the induvidual 03 and Ha stacks look fine??

on both counts....any suggestions would be most welcome..

cheers

bob

[x6gas]

I'm no expert, Bob, and still learning myself... and I assume that you're using layers in PS to do the colour combine? If so, use the versions of the Ha and [OIII] that you have stretched but that don't look too noisy and instead of stretching the Ha and [OIII] during the colour combine, instead change the Lightness value... Might be worth a try!

[cloudbuster]

I'm no expert, Bob, and still learning myself... and I assume that you're using layers in PS to do the colour combine? If so, use the versions of the Ha and [OIII] that you have stretched but that don't look too noisy and instead of stretching the Ha and [OIII] during the colour combine, instead change the Lightness value... Might be worth a try!

thanks Ian. that sounds like what i should of been doing!

much appreciated

bob

[Martin-Devon]

Bob - SII data transforms the trunk colours - you'll now get rich golds and blues, so if possible (will be tricky at the moment with almost full Moon) try to get some SII subs in.

[laser_jock99]

Your data has loads of potential and is far from a disaster. Here's my take on your image/data. Keep playing!

[cloudbuster]

thanks laserjock....i am trying! im up at 2 am trying out re-stretching the 03 data....i think ive massively overstretched it! will let u know how i get on.

cheers

bob

[cloudbuster]

been up all night....trying to learn the tricks of the trade Lol!

here's my latest atempt at this bi-colour....its a bit washed out, but less grainy, due to the fact that i stretched the 0111 a lot less.

a long way to go, but hey ho...!

[cloudbuster]

thanks for your input guys n gals....and my conclussion is.......is that its best not to shoot 0111 in moonlight!

heres my final re-processed image....tho the Ha is really nice so may go back to the 0111 on a moon less night!

bob