How Do YOU process your L-eNhance OSC Data?

[mackiedlm]

The L-enhance filter is becoming widely used by OSC imagers and some great images are being produced. However, there seems to be many different ways to process the data captured with this filter and therefore many different types of images being produced. I think it would be interesting and informative to see what peoples different work-flows look like.

So lets share our current experience with processing OSC data captured with the L-eNhance so that we can each work out the process which is best suited to our own systems and data.

I'll kick off by explaining two different methods i have used with an example of the different outputs from the same data. (Please note that I know the data is not great - its very noisy- and I am very much a beginner but I think it serves to illustrate my current flows and the different outputs achieved)

Workflow 1

1. I calibrate and integrate in APP using the "Ha-Oiii extract Ha" and "Ha-Oiii extract Oiii" algorithms
2. This produces 2 mono images which are then combined in APP's Combine RGB tool using one of the HOO formulae
3. I adjust the formula to get what i think is the best colour then save down
4. I then do some further processing using the APP tools as appropriate then save a stretched version as a TIFF (I find that APP's stretching is better than my own manual stretching in PS)
5. I then open the stretched TIFF in Photoshop and follow a pretty standard process of; improving contrast, selective saturation, star reduction, noise reduction, selective High-Pass etc.
6. Here is a link to my earlier posts which show the two versions ( full red one -the bottom image- is workflow 1 and the top image workflow 2 

Workflow 2

1. I calibrate and integrate in APP using the "Ha-Oiii extract Ha" and "Ha-Oiii extract Oiii" algorithms
2. This produces 2 mono images which I then stretch in APP and save as TIFF
3. I then open the individual tiffs in PS and do some work to improve contrast, reduce noise and reduce star size as necessary (this seems to help reduce the red or blue halos produced by the filter)
4. These adjusted tiffs are then combined as an RGB image using Carbonis action and then a green channel is then synthesized from R & B again using Carbonis actions.
5. This combined RGB is then processed following the same standard process of; improving contrast, selective saturation, star reduction, noise reduction, selective High-Pass etc
6. Above link for the image.

I look forward to seeing how you folks are processing your data so that I/we can improve my own workflow and make better images.

David

[TerryMcK]

Interesting method in Workflow1 David. I try to use APP as much as possible but it doesn't always work for me at which point I use DSS. However I have extracted HA and OIII using APP but didn't know about the HOO recombine method. APP is a complicated program when you get under the hood but works fine as a point and squirt program too.

That said I really like the results you got with the upper image in your other thread. Am I right in assuming it was produced using Workflow 2 ?

[mackiedlm]

22 minutes ago, TerryMcK said:

Interesting method in Workflow1 David. I try to use APP as much as possible but it doesn't always work for me at which point I use DSS. However I have extracted HA and OIII using APP but didn't know about the HOO recombine method. APP is a complicated program when you get under the hood but works fine as a point and squirt program too.

That said I really like the results you got with the upper image in your other thread. Am I right in assuming it was produced using Workflow 2 ?

Hi Terry,

 

I think APP is just great - I get much more consistent output on calibration/stacking than in DSS. The combine RGB is in the tools and works really well. I have done a NGC6960 with the l-enhance only with that method and it came out good. I'm working on putting that data through workflow 2 also just to see how it comes out and I'll post it in beside the other also.

 

Yes the Top (more colour) image is Workflow 2, the Bottom (mostly red) image was workflow 1

 

David.

Edited August 12, 2020 by mackiedlm

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

I have only treated the L-eNhance data as regular RGB in APP, but skipped star colour calibration, as it produces weird colours. I quite like the auto stretch in APP, but often save the linear data as FITS, and do curves in Gimp. To results with my ASI183MC and Carl Zeiss Planar 85 mm F/1.4 at F/2, as I recall

One with the ASI183MC and APM 80 mm F/6

Might have a look at the narrow-band extraction tool. I would also want to have a go at the latter target with the Meade SN-6 6" F/5 Schmidt-Newton

 

[mackiedlm]

17 minutes ago, michael.h.f.wilkinson said:

I have only treated the L-eNhance data as regular RGB in APP, but skipped star colour calibration

Nice images.

There is also an algorithim in APP which called "Ha-Oiii colour" which goes straight to a colour image taking account of the duoband filter (I think) But I've not had particularly good results from that.

Edited August 12, 2020 by mackiedlm

[R26 oldtimer]

Depends on the target. I process as normal rgb, or extract the channels and recombine them with Lrgbcomb using the red as luminance, or even extract all three channels and use red as Ha, green as OIII, and use pixelmath to make a synthetic third channel out of red and blue, but all of the above are very target dependant. I think the reason is that it captures much of the Hb.