Mel15 starless artistic or.....

[GiorgioF]

Hard choice here 

Someone like the artistic some other the more traditional one...

Could you help me in the choice?

From this, will continue the project.

[B4silio]

Lovely images in both cases. The stars allow to get a (rough) estimation of volumes and distances (what sits behind what). That said I love the starless version as it puts the focus on the dust and gas volumes, and really makes the shadows and lights pop and create tension in the image (chiaro scuro). I am probably more partial to the green background (although the violet blends more smoothly with the orange/browns), but the violet one is more renaissance-like in contrast and feeling. If that's something you're going for then the first one is a keeper!

[geoflewis]

Both are excellent. I prefer the one with stars, but then I'm an old traditionalist....!! 😏

[newbie alert]

Traditional for me, thou both are excellent images

[Adreneline]

I like both but my vote is with the starless version - it helps you focus on the structure of the nebula - the very thing you're aiming to image.

[simmo39]

With stars for me, both are lovely images though.

[GiorgioF]

Woah..... Seems both are good.... I've done the starless in artistic way (different colours that doesn't match the SHO palette) mainly because I have some kind of colour blindness. But the result, at the end, is not so bad....