StarTools

Hello,

I was looking for any processing tips when handling open clusters w/o discernable nebulosity. Do you have any suggestions for settings to use in the HDR module for these types of objects?

Thanks in advance.

I tend to prefer to use Filmdev when processing open clusters or star fields as this allows me better control of star size and back ground noise then when I use Autodev (though I need to experiment more with Autodev and star fields to see if I can get it to work better there) as for HDR on star fields I tend not to have used it.

I don't think I use HDR at all with such targets. Really rather basic. Crop and bin as desired, Wipe, AutoDev, Contrast only if you still need to say, smash down the shadows dynamic range, Deconvolution, Color, then any remaining cleanup like SS (maybe) and final denoise.

The HDR module can be quite instrumental in resolving globular clusters (use a smaller context size in that case), but is indeed probably less useful (or potentially destructive!) when resolving open clusters and their surroundings. There may be some faint residual nebulosity associated with some open clusters, which may benefit from the careful stretching that AutoDev provides. Some research on the target may help you find what to look out for in that regard.

Hope this helps!