Help with first RGB Saturn & Mars

[SimonfromSussex]

Please can someone help with my first go at RGB planet imaging.

I have to say these are the best pics I have ever manged so I'm pretty chuffed however both pics are very noisy?

Is there a way to process this "noise" out, should I use less frames in the stack, did I have the gain too high (70%) or is it simply poor seeing and I just have to keep trying? 

QHY5L-II through 10" newt with x5 powermate

About 2500 frames per filter @ about 27fps, stacking about 1000 frames from each in registax.

[Barv]

Hi Simon.

Gain is a little too high at 70%, this will give you excessive noise. You should try to lower it a little to say 50% but you may have to up your exposure time to compensate for loss of brightness. The noise can be reduced by using Gaussian blur in registax when sharpening, but be very careful that you don't lose the finer detail when using this. You could also try using the RGB align button as it looks like the channels aren't quite aligned. Hope this helps.

Regards

Harvey

[NorrinRadd]

Hi Simon,

They are fantastic pics for a first try and your Mars has stacks of detail. You should be delighted ! :-)

I can't advise too much on the QhY5 captures etc as I don't have one.

One quick fix you might like to try is to load up the stacked images you have here (especially your Saturn) in Registax 6 and hit the RGB align button. It will come up with a green box over you pic. Drag out the corners to cover your planet and rings etc and then hit the "estimate" button.

It won't cure the noise but it will spurt. Lot if the colouring fringing :-) Should work. Treat .

As for the noise...well that's a try and see in photoshop and plug ins like noise ninja and anything you come across to see how it reacts and simply play. There's is no magic go away button.

You can also use a photoshop layer to blurr the detail a tad ( although I'm not a big fan) Noise and sharpness is better to me than to much blurr and image pleasantries ( just my view) I'd rather make out the object detail than blurr but there is always a balance and trade off. Each pic reacts differently too. :-)

Top jobs though , well done :-)

[SimonfromSussex]

Thanks so much guys, great tips, I will have another play with these now!

[Pete Presland]

nice 1st images! do you have the histogram open when capturing?

[SimonfromSussex]

Thanks Pete, I have the graphic equalizer open when capturing?

It's like lines of green, yellow and then red and I try and keep it just in the yellow?

[Space Cowboy]

Don't drop your gain else the frame rate will be too low. I've been using 70-100% gain its just a case of capturing more frames. Rotaional blur wont be an issue and if you want to be sure use winjupos RGB derotation.  I'd go for 5000 frames per channel.

Just noticed you are using a 5x powermate. Thats too much for Saturn. Use a 3x barlow if you have one and your frame rate will be much higher.

I see your scope is f4 so a 4x barlow would be better or the 3x with extension tube.

[SimonfromSussex]

Thanks space cowboy, I'll def try the x3 Barlow tip.