Preferred colour balance for imaging...?

[Johnny666666]

Hi to everyone!

I took some moon images last night and I noticed when stacking in Registax that the colour balance was slightly different between a full framed image and a close up. I would expect a slight colour shift when using any lenses (including a Barlow) so I was wondering if DSLR users had a particular favourite colour balance they prefer, as opposed to automatic?

Regards - John

[JamesF]

With a DSLR I'd shoot in raw mode so there should be no colour balance issues to think about in the camera.

James

[Leveye]

I choose mono processing when stacking lunar/moon pictures. Just turns out better.

[condorman]

I choose mono processing when stacking lunar/moon pictures. Just turns out better.

But then you lose the lovely colours of the surface maria etc.

[Johnny666666]

True - I'm starting to see the colours coming through on the images, makes such a difference!

However, I am currently shooting lunar and planetary images using the video mode so colour balance will need to be set at something. For DSO I will be using RAW images (but I'm still very new at all this!)

John

[jgs001]

Try setting to daylight WB. The moon is illuminated by direct sunlight. For Deep Sky, I leave WB in Auto (ignore it completely), then let DSS create it's own white balance setting. Works a treat on removing the LP filters colour casts.

[tingting44]

Try setting to daylight WB. The moon is illuminated by direct sunlight. For Deep Sky, I leave WB in Auto (ignore it completely), then let DSS create it's own white balance setting. Works a treat on removing the LP filters colour casts.

i thought it wasnt a good idea to set the WB to auto as each sub could have a different WB ?

[jgs001]

I'm creating a custom WB in DSS processing anyway... it's never caused me any problems.

[Johnny666666]

I suppose as long as the setting remains the same (daylight for anything illuminated by the sun) then for video work this would be best? For Deep Sky then I would use RAW files and so the white balance would be irrelevant?

I'll try and remember to set the WB next time!

[ardbeg74]

FWIW i leave the WB on auto, process as greyscale then add 3% blue. Something about seeing the moon in mono just doesnt look right to me... i guess its cos im used to seeing it through a blue atmosphere???

Mark

[condorman]

FWIW i leave the WB on auto, process as greyscale then add 3% blue. Something about seeing the moon in mono just doesnt look right to me... i guess its cos im used to seeing it through a blue atmosphere???

Mark

I blame NASA for the mono moon.

[Johnny666666]

But why process the moon as greyscale and add a false colour wash to it when it can be imaged in it's proper colours? Here is my first attempt at a moon image (sorry for the duplicate image)

[condorman]

But why process the moon as greyscale and add a false colour wash to it when it can be imaged in it's proper colours? Here is my first attempt at a moon image (sorry for the duplicate image)

Moon 20140312_131_comp02s.JPG

Probably because people grew up being fed Nasa images of a grey moon.

[glowingturnip]

did someone say 'colourful moon' ? 

<shameless repost of an old image>

[condorman]

did someone say 'colourful moon' ? 

10275310824_8e5fb50836_o.jpg

<shameless repost of an old image>

Well thats the other extreme, looks like a Moon in Drag.

[wxsatuser]

Well thats the other extreme, looks like a Moon in Drag.

Homer's makeup gun set to [removed word].

[glowingturnip]

[glowingturnip]

they are 'real' colours though, not been painted on - that's what you get if you boost the saturation a million-fold

(in PS, duplicate layer, blending mode to colour, hue&saturation and boost saturation, do small amounts of boost many times rather than one big boost)

kind of interesting cos it shows the difference in geological and mineral distribution on the moon

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

I set colour balance in such a way that all channels are 85-95% used (but no saturation). This means the ADC range is used fully, and because this is just a matter of linear stretching, I can always correct in GIMP (or any other program) later, without loss of detail.

[Mr TamiyaCowboy]

when shooting i always run in RAW format.

running raw allows me to have a huge amount of control over the image data.

i set my white balance to either Tungsten under heavy orange skys ( polluted) 

or i leave the camera in autobalance. 

i then import the images from camera into canons own software,

here i can adjust everything i ever needed and more. 

i save all my photos into a Tiff format so registax , pipps, autostacker, deepsky stacker, and G.i.m.p 

all are able to run with the images ( some programes just do not like canon raw (CR2 file format)

oh and The moon in mono color format works well but, it does have some color.

image was taken with a fuji bridge camera at max zoom (24-28x optical)

[wxsatuser]

they are 'real' colours though, not been painted on - that's what you get if you boost the saturation a million-fold

(in PS, duplicate layer, blending mode to colour, hue&saturation and boost saturation, do small amounts of boost many times rather than one big boost)

kind of interesting cos it shows the difference in geological and mineral distribution on the moon

A bit of colour is quite nice.

BTW my first ever removed word.