NGC7000 from ancient times with new processing

[gorann]

While waiting for astrodarkness I now dug very deep into my hard drives for data to process. This is data from my first years in astrophotography using an unmodded DSLR (Canon 60D) on a Samyang 135mm @f/2, now reprocessed using the new XTerminator tools from Russ Croman. 169 x 1 min exposures. The objects probably need no presentation. So yet another example of how powerful the new XTerminator tools are, and maybe also my processing skills improved a bit (or maybe you tell me that you like the original processing better🫣).

Cheers, Göran

2023 version:

2017 version:

[WolfieGlos]

Wow, that’s reprocessed from a stock DSLR??! 👏 Superb job! This was my first target… with an unmodded 77D… and I didn’t get anywhere near either of these. I’m now tempted to try again.

I think maybe the stars are subdued a tad too much in the new version (but that’s just my taste), but then again it allows so much more of that nebulosity to shine through, especially in the large star fields at the top…so what do I know 🤣 From the new version I’d have assumed an Astro camera if you hadn’t have said. Great work as always goran.

[peter shah]

I agree image processing has come a long way.... there are some very clever people out there writing this stuff

[gorann]

4 hours ago, WolfieGlos said:

Wow, that’s reprocessed from a stock DSLR??! 👏 Superb job! This was my first target… with an unmodded 77D… and I didn’t get anywhere near either of these. I’m now tempted to try again.

I think maybe the stars are subdued a tad too much in the new version (but that’s just my taste), but then again it allows so much more of that nebulosity to shine through, especially in the large star fields at the top…so what do I know 🤣 From the new version I’d have assumed an Astro camera if you hadn’t have said. Great work as always goran.

Thanks a lot Chris!

Yes, I was also contemplating if I should not put in a bit more of the star field. I may try it - easily done in PS.

[gorann]

5 hours ago, peter shah said:

I agree image processing has come a long way.... there are some very clever people out there writing this stuff

Yes Peter, goes to show to never give up on data as you cannot know what the future of processing brings😆

[gorann]

19 hours ago, WolfieGlos said:

Wow, that’s reprocessed from a stock DSLR??! 👏 Superb job! This was my first target… with an unmodded 77D… and I didn’t get anywhere near either of these. I’m now tempted to try again.

I think maybe the stars are subdued a tad too much in the new version (but that’s just my taste), but then again it allows so much more of that nebulosity to shine through, especially in the large star fields at the top…so what do I know 🤣 From the new version I’d have assumed an Astro camera if you hadn’t have said. Great work as always goran.

Here we go: more starfield. And yes I like it better.

[Elp]

It's amazing what you can do when you revisit data, I always find the outcome can be different each time.

[wimvb]

Excellent rework. With this example you may just put camera modifiers out of work.

[teoria_del_big_bang]

Well (well) worth a revisit. 

Chalk and cheese as we say. The early version is pretty typical of unmodded DSLR images, I think anyway, still a good image but with the star reduction, and probably because of how your processing skills have developed, the new versions are more like a dedicated astro camera and have allowed you to bring out much more detail in the nebulosity. 

I really do like the widefield anyway as often most images of this target only every show a portion of the target. Well done and time well spent 🙂 

Steve

[WolfieGlos]

4 hours ago, gorann said:

Here we go: more starfield. And yes I like it better.

Love it! I still can't believe this is from an unmodded DSLR! 

[tomato]

Yes, you could be fooled into thinking the 2023 version had come from a dedicated astro camera. The latest software tools are really asking the question about the standards of the image capturing kit required these days, but of course quality data, from whatever camera is being used, always helps.

[gorann]

5 hours ago, Elp said:

It's amazing what you can do when you revisit data, I always find the outcome can be different each time.

Fully agree!

[gorann]

1 hour ago, wimvb said:

Excellent rework. With this example you may just put camera modifiers out of work.

 

1 hour ago, teoria_del_big_bang said:

Well (well) worth a revisit. 

Chalk and cheese as we say. The early version is pretty typical of unmodded DSLR images, I think anyway, still a good image but with the star reduction, and probably because of how your processing skills have developed, the new versions are more like a dedicated astro camera and have allowed you to bring out much more detail in the nebulosity. 

I really do like the widefield anyway as often most images of this target only every show a portion of the target. Well done and time well spent 🙂 

Steve

 

1 hour ago, WolfieGlos said:

Love it! I still can't believe this is from an unmodded DSLR! 

 

1 hour ago, tomato said:

Yes, you could be fooled into thinking the 2023 version had come from a dedicated astro camera. The latest software tools are really asking the question about the standards of the image capturing kit required these days, but of course quality data, from whatever camera is being used, always helps.

Thank you all!

Yes, it also struck me that it no longer looks like a DSLR camera image. I now checked my notebook and it was -3°C that night which may have cooled it enough to keep most colour mottle abay. Noise XTerminator also does a good job on colour noise.

[carastro]

Getting to the stage where you don't need to process images, just press a button and use some-one else's skills.

But it is a great reprocess Gorann.

Carole 

 

[symmetal]

Quite a spectacular difference. 🙂 No way you'd say they were the same data.

I notice the red area at the bottom right in the DSLR image is much more muted in your reprocess though. DBE points? 😉

Alan 

[gorann]

1 hour ago, symmetal said:

Quite a spectacular difference. 🙂 No way you'd say they were the same data.

I notice the red area at the bottom right in the DSLR image is much more muted in your reprocess though. DBE points? 😉

Alan 

Thanks! No DBE used but I used Gradient XTerminator in PS so maybe an effect of that.

[gorann]

6 hours ago, carastro said:

Getting to the stage where you don't need to process images, just press a button and use some-one else's skills.

But it is a great reprocess Gorann.

Carole 

 

Yes Carol, I also wonder (or worry) about that soon happening, and someone else will be no one else, only AI.

[Roy Foreman]

Gives me hope for some of my old DSLR images.  My Nikon D810a is designed for astrophotography and it is amazing what can be extracted from it with modern image processing.

Well done Gorann, a really nice image lurking undiscovered for years !

[gorann]

1 hour ago, Roy Foreman said:

Gives me hope for some of my old DSLR images.  My Nikon D810a is designed for astrophotography and it is amazing what can be extracted from it with modern image processing.

Well done Gorann, a really nice image lurking undiscovered for years !

Yes, just start digging into the hard drives on cloudy nights, or like me, when waiting for astrodarkness to come back in late August.