M35 and NGC 2518 - Unguided

[Bizibilder]

This is the result of 11 x2min subs taken last night - the clouds rolled in!! Processed in DSS and PS5. I used 40 darks and 24 flats. SW200P, Canon 1000D. I have tried to "enhance" the star colours in PS. I'm not sure if this has really worked as there is, as is usual for me, little colour in the stacked TIFF from DSS - maybe just too few subs? or am I doing something wrong?? (oh - and one day I may get a coma corrector!)

[Deneb]

What light pollution filter are you using ?

Nadeem.

[Bizibilder]

No filters at all.

[Deneb]

can you sign up to a free account with drop box, then send me your stack ?

Nadeem.

[Moonshane]

I'm not an imager but this looks great to me!

I saw NGC 2518 visually for the first time the other night.

[RikM]

I use the control box in DSS to increase the saturation by about 10-15%, and align the RGB peaks then save with settings applied. That sometimes gives a better Tiff to bring into Photoshop. Doesn't always work though.

Rik

[Bizibilder]

That's what I've been trying, RikMcRae, but I still seem to be the "monochrome" king!! I've tried saturation at 10,15 and 20% but only get good old grey or a totally oversaturated image - I can't find the "sweet spot" to get the colour right.

[Bizibilder]

Nadeem:

I'm uploading to "Drop box" - it says it has an hour left!! I assume you can then "see" my file. I'll have a look when it's done and set any permissions for you.

[RikM]

Still, it's a lovely image as it is.

Rik

[Bizibilder]

There are a few stars in there that should be yellow/orange and all I've managed is a sickly cream colour - YUK!

[Deneb]

thanks, just send me the invitation afterwards...

Nadeem.

[Cloudwatcher]

A quick way to check out what star colour is in the image is to isolate them from the background and increase the saturation to taste,so to speak. A separate layer can then be made and blended into the original.

Attached is a screen shot of the first stage by way of an illustration.

[Bizibilder]

I've reprocessed with 15% saturation from DSS and then tried to do exactly the same processing in PS as the first example - I seem to have COLOUR at last!! I'm sure I could do better as I'm still confused by PS and really struggle with masks etc (I used a "star mask" - copied slavishly from a tutorial I found on the web - here to increase the saturation then flattened the two layers created to get the final image). I'm really not sure how or why I now seem to have colour from DSS when all I had was grey before?? I've applied a bit of "sharpness" as well.