Double Cluster.... Almost.... :-(

[JohnP]

This image is from Tues night... I had an early meeting Wed morning so didn't want to image past 10pm so decided to go for a quick cluster rather than a deep Neb.....

Anyway - grabbed 30X2min L's (through CLS) & 5X2mins each RGB - all taken with Atik 16ic through ZS66 using the .8X flattener.. Could have done with a fraction more FOV...

Unbelievably I was packed up & back in doors by 9.45pm... Don't you just love those dark winter nights

Anyway image is here - the trickiest part was trying to keep star colour showing through the L...

No darks or Flats... (I was being lazy)...

Cheers,  John

[RobertM]

Good colours John,  I tried M33 that night but couldn't get adequate focus in Ha or Luminance due to the crap seeing.  I may be picky but I think yours is a little soft because of that too.

[Mike]

Nice Robert. Good star colours coming through.

[JohnP]

Hi Robert - you may be right - but it also may be down to the way I combined the colour - I used Luminance blend mode but I reduced opacity to 80% to let more of the colour through with the consequence that more of the 'gaussian blur' I applied to the colour channel shows through in the final image...

Anyway just for you I have applied a very small amount of unsharp mask to L layer... hopefully not too much that noise is noticebale...

Is this better?

Cheers,  John

[JohnP]

Nice Robert

Mike - It's me not Robert.... Your struggling with names this week....

[Mike]

Sorry mate.  I don't wake up till after 12:00 and at least two espresso's in the morning.

[JohnP]

No Probs - I have the same problem myself...

[RobertM]

John,

Try adding a luminance correction layer between the RGB and Luminance.  The RGB layer on top and Luminance at the bottom.  Desaturate the luminance correction layer and set it's blend properties to multiply.  RGB layer should be RGB Blend and luminance to luminance.  That should give you a bit more control and better colour saturation - well, it works for me ...

[Fay]

I like it looking soft.

[Fay]

Robert, you put another processing tip somewhere on the forum. Can you remember where it is?

[RobertM]

Errr, Yes ... is this some kind of test ?

[JohnP]

Try adding a luminance correction layer between the RGB and Luminance.  The RGB layer on top and Luminance at the bottom.  Desaturate the luminance correction layer and set it's blend properties to multiply.  RGB layer should be RGB Blend and luminance to luminance.  That should give you a bit more control and better colour saturation - well, it works for me ...

I may need you to show me this sometime - not sure I am doing it correctly....... Thks

[RobertM]

I think I'm scheduled to go through this tomorrow night so If you want a laugh ...

[Fay]

Ooh, at Mike's, Robert?

[RobertM]

Yep, I'd better get my act together and do some preparation...