Pacman NGC281 - More data added

[Zummerzet_Leveller]

A couple of weeks back I popped a couple of versions of the Pacman nebula on here, excited by the wonders of my new L-Extreme filter.  I've updated these by increasing the data from 4hrs 40 mins to 12hrs 45mins in 5min subs.

Again I have processed these in two ways using Siril, GIMP and Topaz.  Shot with the ASI2600MC and my SW200P.

I'm pleased with these and feel like they are my best so far.  Welcome comments and advice though.

[peter shah]

Thats superb...I love the colours you have been able to achieve with this......wonderful

[Zummerzet_Leveller]

1 minute ago, peter shah said:

Thats superb...I love the colours you have been able to achieve with this......wonderful

Thanks Peter.  I'm pleased with the results using mostly freeware (Topaz excluded).  I think being in a Bortle 4 helps but all subs were taken during a 3/4 moon or more.

[peter shah]

8 minutes ago, Zummerzet_Leveller said:

Thanks Peter.  I'm pleased with the results using mostly freeware (Topaz excluded).  I think being in a Bortle 4 helps but all subs were taken during a 3/4 moon or more.

Topaz is a great bit of software

[GalaxyGael]

17 hours ago, Zummerzet_Leveller said:

ways using Siril, GIMP and Topaz.  Shot with the ASI2600MC and my SW200P.

 

 

 

Siril impresses me, and I would jump to it but for the background extraction being like PI, and less effective than APP algorithm for light pollution removal in my LED street lamp-lit backgarden, even using geometric and axial arrangement of sample points etc.. But it has many elements and fast stacking with good rejection that I like to use it sometimes. Siril will be announcing something new very soon, curious to see what it is.

You're top image has a lovely gently air to it, balanced processing.

Edited October 27, 2021 by GalaxyGael

[Zummerzet_Leveller]

3 hours ago, GalaxyGael said:

Siril impresses me, and I would jump to it but for the background extraction being like PI, and less effective than APP algorithm for light pollution removal in my LED street lamp-lit backgarden, even using geometric and axial arrangement of sample points etc.. But it has many elements and fast stacking with good rejection that I like to use it sometimes. Siril will be announcing something new very soon, curious to see what it is.

You're top image has a lovely gently air to it, balanced processing.

Thanks for the feedback and comment Colm, I too prefer the first image, but hey Pacman is yellow isn't he 😁.  I followed a bi-colour approach on the second image so split the channels and deleted the blue channel. However, I do think that some detail has been lost in that process.

I feel very fortunate that there are no street lamps in my village and currently no gregarious security lights.  I do have a neighbour that has an extremely gregarious pink neon light that runs along their roofline, fortunately I had a word and it rarely comes on.  However I have images that have the pink cast from the light and Siril did a good job of removing the background cast, it did take a lot of playing with the settings and a couple of iterations.  I'm sure one day I will leap into the paid software as I am sure there is a ceiling that can be reached with freeware where my images won't improve.

Wasn't aware of new functionality coming from Siril, I'll keep my ear to the ground.

[Stuart1971]

On 26/10/2021 at 23:17, Zummerzet_Leveller said:

A couple of weeks back I popped a couple of versions of the Pacman nebula on here, excited by the wonders of my new L-Extreme filter.  I've updated these by increasing the data from 4hrs 40 mins to 12hrs 45mins in 5min subs.

Again I have processed these in two ways using Siril, GIMP and Topaz.  Shot with the ASI2600MC and my SW200P.

I'm pleased with these and feel like they are my best so far.  Welcome comments and advice though.

Stunning images, and see my poor result below, how do you managed to keep the stars at bay, mine is overrun with them…yours looks stunning, mine is just 3.5 hours with Idas P2 LP filter on the QHY268c…so same sensor as you…

 

[Zummerzet_Leveller]

43 minutes ago, Stuart1971 said:

how do you managed to keep the stars at bay

Hi Stuart.  I used Starnet++ to create a starless version and a stars only one that I could work on individually before bringing them back together in GIMP.  It's taken a few attempts to get to this and there's still lots of room for improvement especially with some star bloating and limited colours in the stars themselves.

[Stuart1971]

12 minutes ago, Zummerzet_Leveller said:

Hi Stuart.  I used Starnet++ to create a starless version and a stars only one that I could work on individually before bringing them back together in GIMP.  It's taken a few attempts to get to this and there's still lots of room for improvement especially with some star bloating and limited colours in the stars themselves.

thanks for the help

So your original version from the camera would have looked more like mine (star wise at least) and then you can reduce the amount and the size of them in Starnet ++…correct…??

[Zummerzet_Leveller]

46 minutes ago, Stuart1971 said:

thanks for the help

So your original version from the camera would have looked more like mine (star wise at least) and then you can reduce the amount and the size of them in Starnet ++…correct…??

The original was less stretched and closer to a linear image when I did the star removal.  You can then stretch the background separately without needing to control the stars. 

[Stuart1971]

2 hours ago, Zummerzet_Leveller said:

The original was less stretched and closer to a linear image when I did the star removal.  You can then stretch the background separately without needing to control the stars. 

I get how you removed the stars in starnet, to leave you with the nebula only, but where did you get the star only image from, I assume not startnet as I did not think you could save the star image too…?

sorry for all the questions, this is new to me…👍🏼

[Zummerzet_Leveller]

4 minutes ago, Stuart1971 said:

I get how you removed the stars in starnet, to leave you with the nebula only, but where did you get the star only image from, I assume not startnet as I did not think you could save the star image too…?

sorry for all the questions, this is new to me…👍🏼

I add the image you use to make the starless and the starless into GIMP as layers.  With the starless image on top I change the starless layer to subtract.  This takes away the nebula from the original image just leaving the stars.  I then do a new from visible, flatten and save as a stars only .tif file.

Edited January 16, 2022 by Zummerzet_Leveller

[AMcD]

5 minutes ago, Zummerzet_Leveller said:

I add the image you use to make the starless and the starless into GIMP as layers.  With the starless image on top I change the starless layer to subtract.  This takes away the nebula from the original image just leaving the stars.  I then do a new from visible, flatten and save as a stars only .tif file.

This, as I happily discovered today, is also the method for achieving a stars only image in PS. 😀

[Stuart1971]

1 minute ago, AMcD said:

This, as I happily discovered today, is also the method for achieving a stars only image in PS. 😀

I just need to figure out how to do in Affinity Photo

now….👍🏼