Your help to process some images...

[marco-prunotto]

Dear friends,

I've taken some shots yesterday evening with the new EOS-M3 from an observing site right on top of the terrible fog that pervaded my usual observing site (my terrasse in Delemont, Switzerland).

I've tried to process them with Deep Sky Stacker and Photoshop, my results are simply desastrous being a newbye.

Is someone of you interested to try, with these two softwares to show me what can be obtained and maybe tell me how it did it?

Looking forward to get your help...

Best regards,

Marco

The raw files are here

https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BwnfNA6OezBPUUMwUkNxaGl2M0k&usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BwnfNA6OezBPMmZUbXUwWWZYNmM&usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BwnfNA6OezBPZndFckw0WHlRZGM&usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BwnfNA6OezBPSnd6dEZtS2FyeGs&usp=sharing

[kenny k]

Hi Marco,Google DSS tutourials and watch stevebb.com tutorial on Deep Sky Stacker...should help you on your way a bit.

Kenny

[marco-prunotto]

Many thanks Kenny, someone want to try with my images?

[wimvb]

First stack processed using PixInsight. No calibration frames used, so only:

debayering

registration

integration (stacking, 6 frames)

Background extraction (cleaning up vignetting issues)

Colour calibration

noise reduction

Histogram transformation (stretching)

Saturation

Cropping and rotation

Resampling to get filesize down < 2M

conversion to jpeg

Image details

Canon  11mm ISO800 60 secs f/4.5(?)

Comments:

the original had quite som background gradients that were not related to sky quality or vignetting. I cropped most of this out of the final image.

[wimvb]

Btw, you got quite some collection of DSOs in this image, and even the California Nebula is (barely) visible. Nice catch!

This is a "try to find 'em all" image.

[marco-prunotto]

Ciao winbw (sorry I do no know your name).

That's great, could you please try with the other sets of images? Impressive the result!

You know what?

This collaboration work via internet reminds me the fellowship between two great astronomer, Sir David Gill and Jakobus Kapteyn. One astronomer was having an incredible sky on his head and a fine scope to image the sky, the other was having a blinker and no observatory. I've just finished a book exactly on these two characters of the history of astronomy.

Their collaboration, that developed in a true friendship, allowed the completion of the first southern star catalog and with that, the development of the "new astronomy".

Hope you can email the final result of your elaboration to marco.prunotto@gmail.com

Many thanks,

Marco

[marco-prunotto]

A glimpse of that story can also be found in "The whisper and the Vision - voyages of astronomers"

[marco-prunotto]

By the way, it has taken in the middle of a raising fog from the valley below, see attached image...very very nice, Messiers and NGCs pop up everywhere...thanks!

Best,

Marco

[marco-prunotto]

Location: Courrendlin, canton Jura, Switzerland

https://goo.gl/maps/g9e3UA5X6QD2

best,

Marco

[wimvb]

If you follow the tutorials as suggested by Kenny, you should be able to achieve results similar to mine. (I used standard processing steps in PixInsight.)

This way you can achieve your own interpretation of the sky scenes that you photographed.

The aim of me processing one of your images was to show what can be achieved even by someone with little experience (= me).

As you are using Photoshop for your processing, you should develop a feeling for what this software can do for you.

In the end it's the combination of hardware, software and the person doing the processing that determines the final outcome.

Good luck and clear skies