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Working on my first image M7

Attached is the product of 30 two min sub-frames from a FLI 8300 attached to a FSQ106 which were stacked in ImagesPluse. So far I have not been able to combine color data. I attribute it to poor data acquisition. Since this session I have gotten the guiding to work so that will improve the data.

Here is my question to the group. This image was produced by stacking in ImagesPluse and then doing the conventional stuff with plug in filters etc. in PS. Now I am stacking the same data with CCDSTACK and then trying to replicate the attached in ST. Not getting even close. My take is that I am over processing by emulating the various work flows posted on this form. Every attempt ends up with smudgy stars. actually smudgy ever thing and I have tried several variants of what I have gleaned from the forum. Seems to make sense to me that what works for a DSO like a galaxy might be the wrong approach for a wide angle shot of the milky way.

Question- When you have a lot of small structure, with no real DSO in the field, and you just want a nice black and white image what processing would you suggest?

I will get to a color space eventually but for now I kinda like this black/white rendition and I have a good list of targets I would like to do this way.

I hope not to much detail is lost in reducing the image size and converting to JPEG.

Ed

I watched and re watched the tutorial from Sept 29 2012 where M101 was processed and that gave me lots of insight on how to proceed. I really like the working with this software.

Ed

Hi Ed,

Best would be to share your data with us here.
However, for your particular very-wide-field photography, there is a neat trick that employs the "Life" module.
Simply select the Isolate preset (without any particular mask set).

Once applied, you will notice very large structures in your image are emphasised, with the busy star field pushed back comparatively.

The Life module works as a sort of Wavelet Sharpener (which allows you to emphasise or de-emphasise different structure sizes, much like its graphic equalizer equivalent in sound). The difference is that the Life module works on extremely large structures.

It's quite useful for your type of photography where the objects of interest are typically more the stellar formations and densities thereof, rather than the stars themselves.

A default application of the Isolate preset yields this;
I hope it demonstrates the effect well enough to give you an idea.

Clear skies!

Thanks Ivo, what an improvement and so simple to do.

Ed