NGC 6914 in HaRGB

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Stefan B
Posts: 474
Joined: Sat Oct 31, 2020 8:59 pm

Re: NGC 6914 in HaRGB

Post by Stefan B »

Hi Martin,
Startrek wrote: Tue Aug 27, 2024 3:27 am I had colour issues with my recent first posted M20 with Ha accent and all I did was increase the Green bias and use the Ha accent Galaxy preset ( red) instead of Nebula preset ( Balmer ).
Did you apply the Galaxy preset without further adjustments for your nebula image? I haven't tried in a while but I think it didn't work out for me. Will have to give it a go...
Startrek wrote: Tue Aug 27, 2024 3:27 am Kudos to Ivo for the Ha accent feature, it can really make your images pop.
I second that. It's definitely the module that made the biggest difference to my images. I love blending the NB data to broadband stuff with the natural star colors, resulting in a natural overall look but with lots of nebulosity, detail and contrast. I have the feeling that this way I get the most out of my setup with color cam, UV-IR cut filter and duo NB filter. I can even get some useful data on galaxies when the moon is already bright by recording Ha signal. Imaging galaxies with a bright moon with a broadband filter on the other hand is usually a waste of time in my experience.

Regards
Stefan
decay
Posts: 497
Joined: Sat Apr 10, 2021 12:28 pm
Location: Germany, NRW

Re: NGC 6914 in HaRGB

Post by decay »

Hi Martin,

Thanks for your reply and for your kind comments. :)

The decision between Balmer and Pure Red may be a matter of taste but I definitely messed up the green colour balance. I always appreciate the tips and advice from people here on the ST forum (this time from Stefan). It's so helpful to get a second opinion.
Startrek wrote: Tue Aug 27, 2024 3:27 am Kudos to Ivo for the Ha accent feature, it can really make your images pop.
Absolutely! Now with my EQ6 I am able to to get more integration time (as weather here allows of course) and I will try to use the NB Accent module more often to combine broadband and duo NB data, like Stefan described.
Startrek wrote: Tue Aug 27, 2024 3:27 am I must use on my next galaxy image.
I'm looking forward to it! Not every galaxy is suitable, but I'm sure there are some candidates available on Southern Skies ;-)

Thanks again, Dietmar.
decay
Posts: 497
Joined: Sat Apr 10, 2021 12:28 pm
Location: Germany, NRW

Re: NGC 6914 in HaRGB

Post by decay »

Hi Stefan,
Stefan B wrote: Tue Aug 27, 2024 9:02 am The pure red does a better job than the Balmer simulation here in my opinion.
Agreed! Not sure, if it's 'right' in this case, as hydrogen emits light at all these spectral lines, but hey - that's fine for me ;-)
Stefan B wrote: Tue Aug 27, 2024 9:02 am Pretty good contrast, too. Did you adjust that compared to your previous rendition? Shadows appear a bit less stretched
Quite impressive, Stefan. You are a keen observer :bow-yellow: True. I applied a less aggressive Wipe because the shadows seemed to be a bit too harsh to me. In the end the overall contrast was to low, and have to admit, I used darktabe to dial in some more contrast before exporting to JPEG. :oops:

Dietmar.
decay
Posts: 497
Joined: Sat Apr 10, 2021 12:28 pm
Location: Germany, NRW

Re: NGC 6914 in HaRGB

Post by decay »

haseem495 wrote: Mon Sep 09, 2024 9:11 am For adjusting contrast or exporting to JPEG, you might find an online free JPEG compressor tool useful.
Hi & thanks for pointing out. Yes that might be the easiest solution for people who haven't polluted their whole system(s) with tons of useless software of all kind - like me. ;-)

I often use darktable (https://www.darktable.org/). It's a very powerful 'photography workflow application' and I like especially the Contrast Equalizer and some other modules. They are easy to use and they yield great results. And it is open source software plus it is platform independent - both important aspects for me. The same goes for The GIMP for example. If you're running Windows, even Irfanview is able to do some simple image corrections and configurable JPEG export. And it is a great and fast image viewer.

Best regards, Dietmar.
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