M51 LRGB Final version

[Carole]

Final version I promise.
After comments and personal dissatisfaction, this is the final version or I'll shoot myself 

[mickw]

I have a gun if you would like to borrow it 

[Carole]

 

[Mike]

Very nice Carole. It looks almost 3D.

Anybody know what has caused that bent spiral arm on the left? It looks like it has been snapped.

[Mac]

It was a merger of two galaxies, a little while ago.

Mac.

[Fay]

get a grip carole   !

[Carole]

Thanks every-one. 

Carole

[Ivor]

Looks great, I hope I can get a processing tutorial off you sometime.

[Carole]

Thanks Ivor. 

Carole

[Carole]

Right I'm going to have to shoot myself (see above).

But as Mike says, seeing improvements to processing helps those learning to image.  

I suddenly had the idea of doing a bit of selective sharpening to the image above, which has brought out the detail a bit more.  Just wish i could think to do all these tweaks in the first place -  

[Fay]

That looks good Carole!

[Carole]

Thanks Fay. 

Carole

[Mac]

looks good, but.....
and there is always a but,

are the RGB layers correctly aligned?
The only reason im asking is if you look at the left hand side about 1/4 way up there are three stars in a triangle,
two white and a blue,
it appears that the two white ones are showing a tad of blue and red either side of them,
which could indicate that the layers are ever so slightly out of alignment?
then when you look at the other white stars some of them also show the same.

its being a little picky, but at the moment you are in the middle  of reprocessing,
thought you would enjoy the challenge, 

Mac.

[Carole]

I can see what you mean Mac, not on the stars you mention but on one or two others.  I am trying to think back now.  I always register my filters/channels with Registar and if that can't do it I doubt anything else will.  I do recall having a bit of a problem with one of my images in the not too distant past and there was definitely one that was not aligning properly despite Registar.  I can't remember which image it was now. 

I'll take another look at it when I have time.  Off to a wedding soon.

I do find a bit of a problem when doing narrowband (but this wasn't narrowband) when the different filters produce different size stars.  Requiring some advanced processing techniques to get them not to show the colour of the one beneath. 

Carole

[RobertM]

That's an excellent image Carole but for the last final tweek I would have to agree with Mac about the registration.

PS: capture details, location etc ?

Robert