The Wall in NGC7000, Fast Bi-Color (tonemapped, first time in PS)

[graemlourens]

Hi everybody.

I have been using most of my imaging time on my multi-year-project 20-panel NGC7000 with my poor ED80. (if you're interested, here it is linked below)

While looking at @steppenwolf 's bicolor Wall a few days ago i decided to use the (good quality) HA part of the mosaic of the wall, and just take a few OIII shots.

The HA part is cut out of the mosaic (approximately 6.6 hours of HA in the piece i cut) and i merely took 8 x 20 minute OIII frames bin 2x2. I processed with the tonemapping approach and used HA as LUM.
I really just wanted a fast image, as i haven't produced one for a while now, and got a little impatient! I didn't take SII as i have currently had enough of the HSO yellow-orange look (i could have simulated it as well as SII matches HA pretty well in this target)

BUT 

it is very difficult for me to decide on the coloring of bicolor targets. Especially the reds drive me crazy, as i can not seem to get it right. Dark red does not look good in a bicolor image, so i have gone a little more salmon this time round as i think it benefits the target. Obviously the blue is too blue, and the red is not red enough, but as i'm doing this for an artistic purpose i can live with it i guess!

Not sure though if i'm going totally bonkers on this one or does anybody share my taste on this one?

Kind regards, Graem

 

[steppenwolf]

I like it a lot, nice subtle colours - I do like bi-colour images and this one is lovely!

[Droogie 2001]

I agree this is a stunning image, the colours suit the target very well.

I am about to get a OIII 3nm filter to start bi-Colour imaging so this is interesting colour palette.

 

[Mr Bergman]

I really like the image, looks fantastic!

[Martin-Devon]

That's a great image Graem, processing & colours are spot-on.

Martin

[graemlourens]

Thank you very much for your warm feedback!

I was expecting way more criticism but maybe it will still come  As with all pictures, i'll have to look at them for months before i can put it to bed...

One thing i have definitively learnt during this processing, is that fiddling around colors, sharpness etc in Photoshop is way way easier than in Pixinsight. I think i will be focusing more on PS in future and keeping PI only for calibration, alignment, matching etc, but the 'mambojambo' in PS. Really is fun to use those layers and masks and adjustment layers seeing changes in realtime!

Kind regards, Graem

[steppenwolf]

6 hours ago, graemlourens said:

Really is fun to use those layers and masks and adjustment layers seeing changes in realtime!

I love layers in PS, such a 'natural' way to process - so powerful and flexible.

 

6 hours ago, graemlourens said:

I was expecting way more criticism but maybe it will still come

Well, if it's criticism that you want - I prefer your blue colouring to mine and I really can't approve of that!

[johnrt]

6 hours ago, graemlourens said:

One thing i have definitively learnt during this processing, is that fiddling around colors, sharpness etc in Photoshop is way way easier than in Pixinsight. I think i will be focusing more on PS in future and keeping PI only for calibration, alignment, matching etc, but the 'mambojambo' in PS. Really is fun to use those layers and masks and adjustment layers seeing changes in realtime!

Splendid image Graem,

This exactly matches my journey with Pixinsight & Photoshop and how I have to come process my images after years of struggling to get exactly where I wanted to be with Pixinsight alone.

[Uranium235]

Looks good to me, and its the right approach to just hammer it in Ha and use that at Lum (ive been doing it for years!). The only time where you wont get away with it is where the OIII carries a lot of structure (ie: M42 or the Veil).

Your colour scheme is just about right, roughly similar to what I normally get:

Though the thing is, every time you do it - you always get a (slightly) different result!

[graemlourens]

11 hours ago, steppenwolf said:

I love layers in PS, such a 'natural' way to process - so powerful and flexible.

 

Well, if it's criticism that you want - I prefer your blue colouring to mine and I really can't approve of that!

Thank you for at least trying ...

11 hours ago, johnrt said:

Splendid image Graem,

This exactly matches my journey with Pixinsight & Photoshop and how I have to come process my images after years of struggling to get exactly where I wanted to be with Pixinsight alone.

I think part of the problem is that one has spent so much money on PI, one tries to convince oneself that it has to be THE only tool for the rest of ones life. If it were free or significantly lower priced i would have done the symbiosis much earlier i think.

What i need to figure out, is how to keep a 'masters history'. In PS you have a history, and in PI you have a history. If you're now using both, i still need to find a way to keep a joint history, so i can re-trace my steps in the whole process, not only one software, as its possible i have to jump back and forth a few times. Maybe you already have a solution for that?

10 hours ago, Uranium235 said:

Looks good to me, and its the right approach to just hammer it in Ha and use that at Lum (ive been doing it for years!). The only time where you wont get away with it is where the OIII carries a lot of structure (ie: M42 or the Veil).

Your colour scheme is just about right, roughly similar to what I normally get:

Though the thing is, every time you do it - you always get a (slightly) different result!

Interesting! I (think I) haven't seen too many pics out there with our color choice, but calming to know i'm not the only one. Even if there are no rules in narrowband color balance, i'm still trying to keep a few basics right, but i think that if its bicolor, its just about having an approximate red, with an approximate teal. As there is no third color mixing things, its either HA or its either OIII or a mix of both, there is no way to scientifically look at this the wrong way (or am i mistaken?).

Kind regards, Graem

[swag72]

I like the colours you've got here..... they are subtle and really nice! Regarding PI and PS, regardless of what you spent then I think it takes a while to get to a stage where you can actually decide that one or the other suits you better.......  I use PI these days for virtually nothing,  not even calibration and pre-processing. Layers gives you such control that a mask just cannot do......?

[graemlourens]

2 hours ago, swag72 said:

I like the colours you've got here..... they are subtle and really nice! Regarding PI and PS, regardless of what you spent then I think it takes a while to get to a stage where you can actually decide that one or the other suits you better.......  I use PI these days for virtually nothing,  not even calibration and pre-processing. Layers gives you such control that a mask just cannot do......?

Thank you very much Sara! - and - I totally agree. I my case though i know, that i've been holding myself back of swapping to PS (for certain things) because of the fact that i spent all that money on PI and i artificially trying to do everything with PI because 'it should be able to do that for me for this money'. That psychological obstacle is now gone, so the gates are open to new adventures in PS.

This image has become a double reward for me considering this realisation.

Kind regards, Graem

[johnrt]

As far as I know there is no way to transfer history of processing between PI and Photoshop, I doubt this would ever be something the PI developers would consider due to their really rather arrogant and odd views on how their software is the "holy grail" of processing and anyone using anything else is not doing it correctly, and not even doing astrophotography full stop!

You can of course use non destructive processes in Photoshop, use adjustment layers or apply to duplicate layers, this lets you retrace your steps with such ease. I like to use a combine all below layer when I come to certain points, so easy to ditch and go back to the same point!