First go at NB and RGB blending

[The Admiral]

Recently I imaged the Horsehead in wide-band and dual-band with a OSC camera (https://stargazerslounge.com/topic/405602-yet-another-horsehead-nebula/#comment-4341481). I use APP, and the blending was a new venture. This wasn't as straightforward as I'd hoped, as registering the channels was problematic on account of the RGB and Ha images being of rather different sizes (don't ask!), and APP objected using the standard parameters. Anyway, eventually got that sorted.

The image represents some 2.5h on Ha, and 3.3h of wide-band, after weeding out the bad ones.

ASKAR FRA400 and ASI533MC camera on AM5 mount. ASIAir Plus.

WO 50mm guidescope with ASI120MC

Wide-band: 100x2m subs; Ha: 50x3m subs, using Optolong L-eXtreme.

Here is the result, processed in APP and finished in Lightroom.

 

Thanks for looking.

Ian

[SteveNickolls]

Thanks for posting Ian, especially moving into blending of data. Would you try a different balance of using more Ha another time too add more detail? Well done.

Cheers,

Steve

[The Admiral]

13 hours ago, SteveNickolls said:

Would you try a different balance of using more Ha another time too add more detail?

Thanks Steve.

I think I know what you mean. If I look at the Ha image I can see a fair bit of detail that doesn't seem to have come through into the blended image. I'm not sure that just adding more of the Ha component will improve that though, as it'll just make more of the image red. When I next get the opportunity I'll tinker some more.

Ian

[ollypenrice]

I wonder what colour your broadband-only Flame was? In this it's rather red when it is really a more yellowish-orange colour than it appears here. Is this a result of the Ha addition? I don't know how APP blends Ha.

Olly

[The Admiral]

33 minutes ago, ollypenrice said:

I wonder what colour your broadband-only Flame was?

It is shown on my original images, if you follow the link I gave. It is a light yellowy- pink. Mind you, the colour correction my be a little off I guess. The Ha image, which is also on the link, appears to show the Flame to be quite a strong Ha emitter, and so I expected the nebula to turn more red.

No, I don't know exactly know how the Combine RGB tool works exactly. Not as obvious as the PS clearly, but I'm trying to stick with what I have for the moment.

Ian

Edited February 3, 2023 by The Admiral

[ollypenrice]

17 hours ago, The Admiral said:

It is shown on my original images, if you follow the link I gave. It is a light yellowy- pink. Mind you, the colour correction my be a little off I guess. The Ha image, which is also on the link, appears to show the Flame to be quite a strong Ha emitter, and so I expected the nebula to turn more red.

No, I don't know exactly know how the Combine RGB tool works exactly. Not as obvious as the PS clearly, but I'm trying to stick with what I have for the moment.

Ian

Yes, I see in the link that your original Flame is the classic colour. The addition of Ha doesn't normally change it by much, I don't think, either in PI or Ps.

Olly

Edit: I only focus on this because Ha blending is mentioned in the title. It's a good image.

Edited February 4, 2023 by ollypenrice
Stated

[The Admiral]

With the simplistic notion that luminance is detail rather than colour, I thought I'd try using some luminance data in the mix. Fiddling with the mix parameters of the channel mixer, a completely naive empirical approach on my part, I produced this. I think it's better in that the Flame is not reddened there is more of the dust apparent. Not sure that there is more detail visible in the Ha curtain, and Alnitak isn't so well resolved.

I think I have rung as much as I can out of this data.

 

Thanks again for looking.

Ian