M106 LRGB 20 hours - reworked 18/5/20

[tooth_dr]

This is a project around 4 nights worth, all taken after M106 the meridian so only 3 hours per night (dual rig so 6 hours)

I'm finding it difficult to get any processing done with the kids being off, and the weather nice, so I've stayed up a few nights late to rattle through some of the data sets.

This is not great, but here it is.

L 31500s

R 14700s

G 13200s

B 13200s

 

Total integration time: 21.5 hours

 

Here is the new version I did tonight, I've left the previous version below.  Feedback welcome please.

 

V2:

 

 

V1:

 

Edited May 18, 2020 by tooth_dr

[geeklee]

Another great M106 image.  Lovely faint stuff showing in the outer regions

I'm sure with some extra time (if that arrives!) to work on the data in more detail, you'll get more out of it.

Edited April 25, 2020 by geeklee

[Notty]

That is gorgeous.

[paul mc c]

Now thats what i am talking about........thats amazing.

[Star101]

That's a great M106. 

Very nice.

[astro mick]

Your usual exerllence Adam,and great dedication at 20hrs.

Love it.

Mick.

[Allinthehead]

Lovely image Adam.

[david_taurus83]

Looks great to me!

[x6gas]

Lovely image Adam - well done.   The amount of data you've captured has certainly paid dividends.  As Lee said I'm sure with a bit more time you could refine this even more so maybe come back to the data...

[tooth_dr]

Reprocessed this data this evening.  Maybe getting on the right track now, critique welcome

 

[fireballxl5]

I much prefer v2, great colours and contrast against that sky👍

[tooth_dr]

11 minutes ago, fireballxl5 said:

I much prefer v2, great colours and contrast against that sky👍

Thanks. It’s maybe a bit blue? I struggle with the big (esp blue) stars. Need some help there I think. 

[MarkAR]

I think it's a great re-work. The blue is fine,  just about right I would say.

[Revs]

V1 is very nice but V2, wow that's really nice. So many galaxies, they're everywhere! The colours are lovely, especially the stars.

I'm looking on an OLED and the colour balance looks fine to me mate. Though there are a lot of big blue stars in that image and they kinda effect the overall tone. But instead of adjusting the colour I might have a go at tightening up just the big blue ones a touch. It might just make the difference.

BTW I'm no expert, just throwing ideas out there

On second thoughts maybe a teeeeeeny bit more red..? I'm seeing green as much as blue.

Edited May 18, 2020 by Revs

[tooth_dr]

29 minutes ago, Revs said:

V1 is very nice but V2, wow that's really nice. So many galaxies, they're everywhere! The colours are lovely, especially the stars.

I'm looking on an OLED and the colour balance looks fine to me mate. Though there are a lot of big blue stars in that image and they kinda effect the overall tone. But instead of adjusting the colour I might have a go at tightening up just the big blue ones a touch. It might just make the difference.

BTW I'm no expert, just throwing ideas out there

On second thoughts maybe a teeeeeeny bit more red..? I'm seeing green as much as blue.

Great observations, thanks! I’m not sure how to go about making the stars smaller. I didn’t control them earlier on. I also don’t know the process of making them smaller when combining separate LRGB data - do you make stars in separate channels smaller or in the combined RGB data etc. 
The big blue stars dominate the image in my eyes. However this is a consistent thing in all my recent images so it’s either a) data capture issue or b) processing issue or both. Given than most things can corrected in processing, hopefully I can learn WHEN and HOW to control the stars 

[Revs]

3 minutes ago, tooth_dr said:

Great observations, thanks! I’m not sure how to go about making the stars smaller. I didn’t control them earlier on. I also don’t know the process of making them smaller when combining separate LRGB data - do you make stars in separate channels smaller or in the combined RGB data etc. 
The big blue stars dominate the image in my eyes. However this is a consistent thing in all my recent images so it’s either a) data capture issue or b) processing issue or both. Given than most things can corrected in processing, hopefully I can learn WHEN and HOW to control the stars 

It doesn't strike me as an 'issue' as such, more just that the blue ones are the brightest and blow out the most (I'm sure there's a correct term for this but I don't know it), so they do dominate.

I'm just getting back in to astro after a long time away and I'm using Photoshop for the first time as of last week. But I've watched a lot of tutorials on YouTube in the last week and am literally just learning about shrinking stars using masks, etc now. So I can't really help much but there are a lot of tutorials and PP walk-throughs on YT. I also picked up the Astro Photography Tool plugin for Ps which does a lot of this using 'actions' in seconds... once you know how to use them 😆

[Revs]

32 minutes ago, tooth_dr said:

do you make stars in separate channels smaller or in the combined RGB data etc

From what I've seen it would be tweaked at any stage of the PP as desired, so probably both. This guy has a lot of good vids..

AstroBackyard.. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLt97PtQt5dJEUdzqgBIJv-xs8anU7F6D-

But there are dozens of great astro related channels

Edited May 18, 2020 by Revs

[tooth_dr]

17 minutes ago, Revs said:

It doesn't strike me as an 'issue' as such, more just that the blue ones are the brightest and blow out the most (I'm sure there's a correct term for this but I don't know it), so they do dominate.

I'm just getting back in to astro after a long time away and I'm using Photoshop for the first time as of last week. But I've watched a lot of tutorials on YouTube in the last week and am literally just learning about shrinking stars using masks, etc now. So I can't really help much but there are a lot of tutorials and PP walk-throughs on YT. I also picked up the Astro Photography Tool plugin for Ps which does a lot of this using 'actions' in seconds... once you know how to use them 😆

I hashed it there now, made the stars smaller and brought the blue in the stars down a bit and brought the overall red up +1 in colour balance.  Not ideal doing this to a completed image i guess.  I'll check out that link, thanks for that.

 

V3:

 

 

[Revs]

That has knocked a lot of the medium brightnees stars down a lot though, kinda lost it's twinkle.

From what I remember, he selected the brightest areas using a FWHM selection method, deselected the bits he didn't want to effect and feathered the selection that were left. Turn that in to a mask and adjusted the curves, etc. Then blended the layer in using opacity. I'll try and find the vid...

[Revs]

Pretty sure this is a good one..

 

[Xsubmariner]

Superb image Adam, your new kit is working well for you.

[tooth_dr]

8 hours ago, Xsubmariner said:

Superb image Adam, your new kit is working well for you.

Thanks Martin. Getting there 👍🏼 
 

@Revs thanks for all the info. I’ll have a look this evening when kids are in bed.

[Rodd]

Looks good Doc.  I think I would try a iteration of SCNR green--for non PI'ers, remove a tiny bit of green--I get a slight cast in the galaxy body.  Other than that.....when do we leave?

[Shibby]

On 25/04/2020 at 14:08, tooth_dr said:

This is not great

Well my images are total crap then!!

Awesome detail and I like the improved colour balance, especially since you improved the stars.

[tooth_dr]

2 minutes ago, Shibby said:

Well my images are total crap then!!

Awesome detail and I like the improved colour balance, especially since you improved the stars.

Haha yes that was in relation to V1.