First ever LRGB image - constructive criticism please !!!

[Skipper Billy]

This is my first ever LRGB image.

I have packed away the OSC and taken the plunge.

ATIK 314L+. SW ED80. EFW2 with Baader filters, PHD2 guiding with finderscope, focus with Moonlite electronic focuser.

Stacked in Maxim, resized, combined and gently stretched and cropped in PS.

It was a short night as the clouds rolled in - this is 

20 x 60 sec lights

10 x 30 Red

10 x 35 Green

10 x 45 blue

No darks, flats or bias (yet).

Please dont be shy - I will only learn by knowing what could be better !!!

Right now I am on cloud 9 !!!!!

But feel free to burst my Bubble (Pun intended !!)

[xtreemchaos]

theres nothing to critizise its a great image mate,well done.thanks for posting  charl

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Very nice Bubble

[Tzitzis]

Very nice! Post more mate!

[johnrt]

Excellent work Billy, what a fine first image!

If I can offer some tips (I don't want to call it criticism as this image is too good for that) you have more data that is hidden, some further stretching will bring out the patches of hydrogen surrounding the bubble. When you're stretching be careful to watch that black point, you have gone a little too far and clipped some data.

I wish my first LRGB image had looked half as good as this one!

[Skipper Billy]

@john rt    Thanks - when you say 'further stretching' at what point should I do that ??  On the stacked individual channels, after combining the three RGB channels or after combining everything inc the lum channel ???

Sorry to be asking dim questions - but doing that has got me this far !!!   The processing side is all new to me !!!  

[johnrt]

The RGB & Luminance are normally processed separately - so the routine would be combine the RGB together and stretch / process. Stretch and process luminance then add to RGB when happy as a luminosity layer in PS, you can then judge by eye after combining all together if a final tweak to the stretching is needed.

The reason the RGB & Luminance of processed apart is that you a re looking for different properties in each, RGB needs to have as low colour noise as possible and decent saturation, whereas the Luminance needs to hold the contrast, detail and sharpening.

[Skipper Billy]

Cheers - I will have another go!

[Skipper Billy]

Is this what you mean  ????

[johnrt]

Yup that's it!!

[Skipper Billy]

Great - thanks - will continue to play - its addictive this !!!

[laudropb]

Very nice image. Thanks for posting.

[swag72]

If you get some time, then adding some Ha to this would really lift the image as there's bags of signal about.

Looking good so far - Well done

[cfpendock]

If you get some time, then adding some Ha to this would really lift the image as there's bags of signal about.

Looking good so far - Well done

Exactly.  

But for a first LRGB image, fantastic!  And in my opinion, not the easiest target.  

How much did you crop? The reason I ask is that (in my opinion), the image would benefit from some tightening up of the stars, i.e. reduced size.  Well, you said not to be shy - but don't think that this detracts from a superb effort.

Chris

[Skipper Billy]

Only very lightly - the image is about 80% of the original. 

Not sure how to express how much it is cropped !

[ollypenrice]

That's gone together well but why use such short subs with a CCD? One key advantage is going longer because of the cooling. Of course, I don't know your sky but could you not go much longer? It really would help.

Olly

[Skipper Billy]

Thanks Olly

I have had the mount to pieces to replace all the bearings and grease it with PTFE grease and the intention was to just check that the guiding etc all worked well etc a spot of imaging wasnt planned so I dont really know yet how long I can get per sub before problems occur.  Pre strip down was 3 mins - I am hoping for longer now !!!

Thats the next mission !!!

[Physopto]

Excellent image. I would have liked to do so well with my first one.

Derek

[nightster]

There really isn't anything more exciting than getting that first image after you made a wholesale change in your rig. Congrats on getting a solid first light result from that little red cylindar. I am just a sophmore imager myself and not going to critique other than agreeing with Olly, longer subs and as much intergration time as your life will allow on each target. Once again congratulations on a successful image, keep them coming.