I think my images are going well until I try to color them in the color module

Questions and answers about processing in StarTools and how to accomplish certain tasks.
xonefs
Posts: 64
Joined: Sun Jul 18, 2021 7:30 am

Re: I think my images are going well until I try to color them in the color module

Post by xonefs »

Yes loaded into HOO in compose
Mike in Rancho
Posts: 1141
Joined: Sun Jun 20, 2021 10:05 pm
Location: Alta Loma, CA

Re: I think my images are going well until I try to color them in the color module

Post by Mike in Rancho »

Ok, just wanted to see if you were getting it into R(GB)(GB), that's all.

I actually had a fair bit of trouble getting this right myself, and honestly I don't think I did. Could not match Ivo's samples of a decently non-wacky background sky, yet bright target and loud pastels. Obviously something I did along the way, from Compose to Wipe, AutoDev, perhaps Contrast? Seemed to be a difficult dataset for me.

Don't know if it is lacking sufficient integration? Does not seem to have the depth and cleanness of your Lagoon for sure. But, different target too, and could be the Soul is just that way.

I ended up using the exposures of the sets in Compose, and I think I did use some aggressiveness in Wipe rather than just NB preset. However, I could not seem to reasonably use any correlation filter, as the stars went crazy.

Similarly, once in color I got very little out of highlight repair - that does happen sometimes with certain images. I haven't yet figured out why it works great on one image but not at all on another. Also, in Shrink, if there was any color taming set at all (such as the default), all the stars turned to blood red. Weird!

I also had to do a restore to go through the processing again and reset the color balance. I didn't think I was too OIII as far as the target itself mattered, but it was surrounded by a noisy blue halo that didn't look very good.

There's for sure some cool detailed parts captured in here, but as an overall image the data really threw me for a loop. More practice needed, it seems.

xonefs Soul test 2A.jpg
xonefs Soul test 2A.jpg (427.97 KiB) Viewed 3085 times
xonefs
Posts: 64
Joined: Sun Jul 18, 2021 7:30 am

Re: I think my images are going well until I try to color them in the color module

Post by xonefs »

Yes that one definitely needs Ha as luminance only. I put that one editing on hold too since I couldn't get it quite like Ivo's

Not all is lost though I went to experiment editing some even older data I shot in ST and somehow ended up with at least one project I really like how it turned out. This data was also very problematic it's pretty faint, but I think I got a nice result out of startools. HOO data with interpolate G (100r, 50r+50b, 100b) in matrix and Ha lum. It just needed a bit of finishing touches in photoshop for final color/editing (wish any of the filter tools allowed tweaking hues slightly in ST, I got close and some interesting stuff in color module but just shifted yellow/orange very slightly after to taste) . I tried editing this twice- this is the first attempt but had some minor data issues from stacking/calibration, so I tried re-integrating and trying a second time trying to follow my log very closely in ST to replicate it, but I couldn't get it quite as good the second time so I went back and just tried to touch up the first one. Interestingly this is data where I actually liked what the HDR module did and thought it was an improvement in a couple small areas.
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