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From the Iris to LDN 1152


gorann

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1 hour ago, wimvb said:

When it comes to stretching, both programs are not that much different. PIs Histogram Transformation is Levels in PS. Curves is the same in both. Never ever use the screen transfer function in PI as part of your permanent stretch. Like Göran, I stretch in small iterations. I start with Histogram Transformation, where I place the black point just shy of clipping even one pixel. I set the mid point to 0.25. I apply this stretch as many times as needed, usually to get the background to 0.1. Then I move to Curves, where I put a marker under the histogram peak (now at 0.1) and pull it down to 0.75 - 0.8. A second marker at 0.25 - 0.35 and pull that up. This creates the basic S-curve, but will over stretch the bright areas. A third marker at 0.8 - 0.85 ensures that the bright parts won't be over stretched, and a fourth marker between nrs 2 and 3 in order to create a smooth S curve, where the upper part is almost linear. A curve like this stretches the dark areas more than the bright areas while keeping the noise down and the stars under control. On a starless image you can be more aggressive, of course.

Thanks. No, I never use STF - Histogram and Curves Transform. But I need to practice more with these, Curves in particular. Thanks for the advice - I'll have a go at that.

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29 minutes ago, Fegato said:

Thanks. No, I never use STF - Histogram and Curves Transform. But I need to practice more with these, Curves in particular. Thanks for the advice - I'll have a go at that.

The most stressful part of imaging for me is aquiring the data, because then a lot can go wrong and time is ticking towards sunrise. I really enjoy the processing as then there is no stress and I can try all kinds of filters and processes and aways step back if something does not work. The more you learn about processing, and the more tools you get in your tool box, the better and more rewarding it gets. For me it has taken years and I still feel I am progressing and have much more to learn. Fortunately, I found that I always liked processing and I think my critical eye has evoled in paralell with my skills. So what I thought looked great in the beginneing made me pleased back then and kept me encouraged. I hope that will be the same for most going into the astrophotography endavour and that they will feel they make progress, and I expect many will make progress faster than me, since I was 50+ when I started.

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