Great helpful thread.
I have been using the decon method but have found it works for me better if I do the following.
(I have copied Ivo's text changed/added to it)
--- Bin
Parameter [Scale] set to [(scale/noise reduction 50.00%)/(400.00%)/(+2.00 bits)]
I binned the image to 50% and saved it.
--- LRGB
Click "blue" to load only the blue channel of the file we just saved. The other channels will be automatically set as well due to "Channel Interpolation". So you end up with a b&w representation of the blue channel.
--- AutoDev or Develop
So we can see what we're doing (we'll be undoing this stretch later on using the "restore" functionality).
--- Mask
Star mask plus galaxy area if appropriate.
Invert mask.
Save mask
--- Deconvolution
Parameter [Mask Behavior] set to [De-ring Mask Gaps, Show Result]
Parameter [Radius] set to [11 pixels] (worked for me on my image)
Parameter [Iterations] set to [1]
Planetary
This method for me meant I kept the star colours and just dealt with the awful blue halo bloat over spill.
Now you can use StarTools' unique "Restore" functionality to restore the data to a state where it is unstretched (so we can merge it with the unstretched red and green channels), but with deconvolution still intact (the Restore functionality is a perk of the Tracking feature of StarTools, allowing you to "time travel" and pick and choose aspects of the image you like - an "undo" feature on steroids). We choose "linear, wiped, deconvolved".
Save the image.
Now use the LRGB module again to load the red and green image from the 50% binned (but otherwise untouched) image, and load the image we just saved as the blue image.
You should now have an image with a (somewhat) better focused blue channel.
From here, you can use process the image.
I used manual dev, wipe, contrast, manual dev, colour (with mask created before), flux (mask just on galaxy), denoise (with inverted star mask)
Bin 75% created less satisfactory final result.
Canon 1100d vintage 1973 200mm lens.
Virtuoso Alt Az tracking mount.
3 street lights one so overhead 20 feet from lens that I had strong light pollution plus heavy chromatic aberration to deal with.
79 light files (mainly 30 seconds plus a few 20 and 45) flats, dark flats.
I found bias on testing did not help this image.
Hopefully you can see the image OK as my monitor calibration doesn't work for everyone.
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- M101 Pinwheel
- NewLRGBComposite bin50 v3.2.jpg (452.38 KiB) Viewed 14349 times