[APML] My most recent M101 processed by Bradley Hope

[Alan Voetsch <alanv12952@yahoo.com>]

Hey all,

2-3 of you have worked on this. Bradley asked for the full size file
and got it, after he talked me through the process. This experiment has
shown that I am completely incompetant at processing. I also sent him
another full size file of shot currently uploaded as it has pretty much
the same camera orientation. It is here:

http://w.pbase.com/avoetsch12952/image/39939095

On the recent shot, I kept getting odd BG colors while M101 itself
ended up either green, or blue. Maybe Aquamarine. 8-)

The exposures were 225 and 210 minutes on Fuji SHQ200, and his
processing comments are intact, with the link to his effort at the
bottom. 

John Laborde also had similar results working with a 1.5mb jpeg file.

If I get some time in the next few days, maybe I'll give it another try
to see if I can get close to their results.

Alan

> This is about the best I can do with it. I tried a half dozen
> different ways
> of getting there and kept going down blind alleys...so I went back
> and did
> it the same way I did the original jpg you sent me, with a couple
> variations
> along the way.
> 
> DBE in PI using both DIV and SUB to get two slightly different
> images.
> 
> Minor HIST in PI. Didn't try and do a perfect match in each channel,
> just
> clipped to start of curve and clipped at end of curve in each
> channel.
> 
> For both images from PI, +10 Contrast in PS..then Levels. Tried to
> get as
> close a balance as possible without clipping anything. Slight
> adjustment in
> Curves, pinning the curve at multiple points, then adjusting to try
> and
> bring up the outer edges of M101 without fracking up the rest of it.
> 
> Registered both images in RegiStar then did an Average Combine.
> 
> Checked levels in PS and adjusted slightly.
> 
> Using Magic Wand at about 80% pulled M101 and copied it. Then did a
> Guassian
> Blur at .5 pixel - 100%...then pasted the copy of M101 back into the
> image
> 
> Now I start cheating.
> Wasn't able to quite get the right color balance in PS...so I went to
> Paint
> Shop Pro and adjusted the color balance slightly to finish getting
> rid of
> the remaining yellowish tinge and add just a touch of blue.
> 
> Still wasn't getting enough smoothing to suit me so I went into
> Images Plus
> and ran Multi-resolution Smooth/Sharpen and hit it with an extra-fine
> smooth
> at 40%, fine smooth at 10%, and an extra-large smooth at 20%.
> 
> Final contrast and brightness adjust in Paint Shop Pro cause it most
> closely
> duplicates what I see with IE.
> 
> After almost 5 hours of playing with it...4 or 5 false starts and
> starting
> over again...this is what I ended up with. Sorry I can't do any
> better with
> it.
> 
> http://astronomy.thorngarden.net/alan/M101-final.jpg






SCT Astrophotography: http://www.pbase.com/avoetsch/astrophotography
FS-102 G-11/Gemini: http://www.pbase.com/avoetsch12952/tak_fs102
& http://www.pbase.com/avoetsch12952/fs102
& http://www.pbase.com/avoetsch12952/takpf


		
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