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Bit of a processing nightmare this, 5 channels, 64 subs, and a lot of colours to balance. Not happy with the result but for the moment it will have to do, I need to get my head around adding Ha to the mix better! https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8603/16759692496_c07c0819b9_b.jpg [/url] M106 Final HaLR...

I could _really_ use a simple (but controlable!) way of adding H-alpha channel to an LRGB image. Right now I'm having to use PI for this and it's anything but intuitive.

ChrisH

A total of 45 x 900s subs in LRGB channels for this image, taken with NP127is + 0.8x reducer, Losmandy G11, Atik490EX. Processed in StarTools v.1.4b



ChrisH

Excellent Che, really like that. You retained good star colours as well as detail.

ChrisH

I usually go 5 min (my sky washes out at 6min to 7min) but I happened to have all the dark files for 3.5 min so I went with that. Keep in mind this is a hyperstar at F2. OK, but I did download and run through processing your data, comparing results I think you did a good job and probably got all th...

I would suggest you need longer exposures to get a better s/n ratio. 210sec is really not much for nebulae and you're going to be working right down there on the noise threshold. Try 10mins and see what happens.

ChrisH

Oh, and in cse you were wondering what the raw data looked like, this is a jpg of the DSS stack, just stretched so it's visible but otherwise unprocessed (so the noise is still apparent)



ChrisH

This is old data from June 2014 which I've reprocessed using v1.4a, I knew it was noisy because there were only 5 x 900s subs in total, M16 is very low for me @ 53deg N and it is at it's highest mid-June (when it doesn't really go dark!). I only managed to capture the Ha channel, clouds prevented an...

You may as well go with 1.3, although the latest beta is pretty stable you won't gain much over using that rather than the more stable 1.3. Version 1.3 is still very capable and fully able to demonstrate StarTool's virtues

ChrisH

I have an IDAS D1 filter also, and whilst it is effective at reducing LP it causes awful reflection problems in all bar one configuration of my optics (consisting of 4 different OTAs). It is so bad I will likely sell the thing on.

ChrisH