It did take a long time to have the work finished on this and it will have a major performance boost of 30-50% over 2.0.0-beta39 from calibration to integration. We extensively optimized many critical parts of APP. All has been tested to guarantee correct optimizations. Drizzle and image resampling is much faster for instance, those modules have been completely rewritten. Much less memory usage. LNC 2.0 will be released which works much better and faster than LNC in it's current state. And more, all will be added to the release notes in the coming weeks...
Update on the 2.0.0 release & the full manual
We are getting close to the 2.0.0 stable release and the full manual. The manual will soon become available on the website and also in PDF format. Both versions will be identical and once released, will start to follow the APP release cycle and thus will stay up-to-date to the latest APP version.
Once 2.0.0 is released, the price for APP will increase. Owner's license holders will not need to pay an upgrade fee to use 2.0.0, neither do Renter's license holders.
Advice needed - Regarding: Adding H-alpha to DSLR RGB
Now I have purchased a H-Alpha clip-in for my DSLR, and want to use this for my RGB image as a Luminosity layer. *see attached image
So.... I want to insert the RED channel as luminosity layer from the H-Alpha filter - and when next 2 steps are prompted (Green and Blue channels) - do i just hit "cancel" to skip those ??
Thank you for your question and welcome to the forum 😉
First of all, since you mention that the RGB combine tool gives you 3 layers from your H-alpha integration, I am assuming that you didn't use APP's H-alpha debayer algorithm in 0) RAW/FITS, but used the default Adaptive Airy Disc algorithm?
I would recommend that you try to integrate your H-alpha DSLR data with the H-alpha debayer algorithm. It will be faster and better, and it will only process the monochrome H-alpha data captured by your DSLR 😉 (it's faster because the debayering actually gives you monochrome data so further processing, after data calibration, is only done on 1 channel)
So.... I want to insert the RED channel as luminosity layer from the H-Alpha filter - and when next 2 steps are prompted (Green and Blue channels) - do i just hit "cancel" to skip those ??
Yes, you can simply cancel and skip those. It's presenting 3 channels because your current H-alpha integration consists of 3 channels. If you use the H-alpha debayer algorithm, this won't be the case 😉
Try converting your Ha to grayscale before rgb combine. Make sure they're both the same pixel depth like 16 bit . It will then recognize hydrogen Alpha image as "custom" with no green or blue and you can select hydrogen Alpha, luminous, hydrogen beta, oxygen or whatever the frame is
A few days ago I also posted a post on the forum about the Ha data with the combine tool. I also get a request for 3 channels with a ha stack. I use the Ha algorithm to debater.
What I find out is the next thing. When you only register the RGB stack with the Ha stack you only get 3 channels for RGB, and for the Ha channel only 1 (a custom channel). When you normalize these stack, you will get 3 channels RGB and 3 channels ha.
Also like in this version as in the 1.058 I get a have error for normalize (see my post).
Agreed, it is extremely hard 2 calibrate, register and normalize hydrogen Alpha data with RGB. Even sliding the star detection to minimum. Something probably needs to be done there
(This is made with H-alpha data only from my DSLR)
1): Ha-data made in greyscale with the Greyscale algorithm.
2): RGB Combined data with H-alpha filter (R-G-B channels) + Luminosity layer
3): H-alpha (RED channel only) combined as "H-Alpha" with the RGB+Luminosity layer, to get some ekstra color. When Green and Blue channel was prompted - i hit "cancel"
I went from dispair to complete understanding the workflow - thanks to you guys !! 😉
(This is made with H-alpha data only from my DSLR)
1): Ha-data made in greyscale with the Greyscale algorithm.
2): RGB Combined data with H-alpha filter (R-G-B channels) + Luminosity layer
3): H-alpha (RED channel only) combined as "H-Alpha" with the RGB+Luminosity layer, to get some ekstra color. When Green and Blue channel was prompted - i hit "cancel"
I went from dispair to complete understanding the workflow - thanks to you guys !! 😉
Try converting your Ha to grayscale before rgb combine. Make sure they're both the same pixel depth like 16 bit . It will then recognize hydrogen Alpha image as "custom" with no green or blue and you can select hydrogen Alpha, luminous, hydrogen beta, oxygen or whatever the frame is
Hi Greg @gregwrc
As I indicated, if you use the h-alpha debater algorithm, you will simply have one monochrome channel to start with. If you use a regular debayer algorithm, then you end up with 3 channels, and you will simply have to ignore the 2nd and 3rd layer indeed.
The same bitdepth of the layers is no longer required for the RGB combine tool. Internally, all data is converted to 32bits floats if not in that bit depth already. So the data will be made compatible for bit depth internally ;-). Upgraded in 1.059 !
A few days ago I also posted a post on the forum about the Ha data with the combine tool. I also get a request for 3 channels with a ha stack. I use the Ha algorithm to debater.
What I find out is the next thing. When you only register the RGB stack with the Ha stack you only get 3 channels for RGB, and for the Ha channel only 1 (a custom channel). When you normalize these stack, you will get 3 channels RGB and 3 channels ha.
Also like in this version as in the 1.058 I get a have error for normalize (see my post).
Agreed, it is extremely hard 2 calibrate, register and normalize hydrogen Alpha data with RGB. Even sliding the star detection to minimum. Something probably needs to be done there
One of the hard things is that h-alpha data is narrowband and to combine it with broadband data properly it takes some practice and experience. Normalizing the H-alpha channel to the RGB data is a way to get a better initial composite. I intend to supply that as an option if you start the RGB combine tool in a future version.
Another hard thing is that H-alpha data usually is much sharper with much smaller stars than in the RGB data. If you then use the H-alpha layer as 100% luminance, the RGB stars will become pretty ugly... as you might have noticed. I way to solve that, is to slightly mix the RGB data into the luminosity layer of H-alpha. I would then use 80% luminance from the H-alpha data and 20% luminance from the RGB data, then the stars are much better, without losing the H-alpha details 😉
Registering and normalizing H-alpha data to RGB data should be no problem with APP 1.059, since star analysis is now fully automatic. Previously, indeed you might have needed to tweak the star analysis detect above noise kappa value yourself.
Normalization also also often failed for me. About a third of the time I would manage to get it to normalize after setting the Kappa way down to 03 and turning off the minimum to star count completely. So it's not easy peasy but getting there. I had some problematic data last night but I won't bother you with it as it wasn't optimal. Retaking my darks.
(This is made with H-alpha data only from my DSLR)
1): Ha-data made in greyscale with the Greyscale algorithm.
2): RGB Combined data with H-alpha filter (R-G-B channels) + Luminosity layer
3): H-alpha (RED channel only) combined as "H-Alpha" with the RGB+Luminosity layer, to get some ekstra color. When Green and Blue channel was prompted - i hit "cancel"
I went from dispair to complete understanding the workflow - thanks to you guys !! 😉
A few days ago I also posted a post on the forum about the Ha data with the combine tool. I also get a request for 3 channels with a ha stack. I use the Ha algorithm to debater.
What I find out is the next thing. When you only register the RGB stack with the Ha stack you only get 3 channels for RGB, and for the Ha channel only 1 (a custom channel). When you normalize these stack, you will get 3 channels RGB and 3 channels ha.
Also like in this version as in the 1.058 I get a have error for normalize (see my post).
I would like to respond to you're greyscale method. I don't think that is the right way to do it. Because when you convert it to greyscale you always also convert the green and blue channel with it. I know there is a little bit of data in green and blue but why should you place this data into the red channel? This isn't right. When you use in tab 0 the hydrogen alpha algorithm it create instantly a greyscale stack and only of the red data! When you only load you're RGB stack and you're HA stack together than register them to each other, save these 2 frames, load them into the combine tool, and you have 4 channels!
Why bother to first convert it to greyscale? This works even much better, and you only get the HA without green and blue.
I have been hit and miss on being able to register and normalize RGB with hydrogen Alpha. Therefore I have actually been using channel mixer in Photoshop, setting red at 100, blue at 0, and green at 0 and using it to convert output of the hydrogen Alpha integration to grayscale. I am still trying to find out where and when to use this hydrogen Alpha D Bayer algorithm
Oke I think it make sense now to me. I have a DSLR and a OSC. When I process my HA data I always use the HA algorithm for the first tab (0). Than as ussaly load my light frames flats bias and bpm. I will proceed just as a RGB stack only I don't use the Dynamic Distortion Correction any more because when I use that my stars are "shifting" when I combine.
After I create a RGB stack and an HA stack I will clear everything load the RGB and Ha together, just press register. After register just save the files and first load the RGB stack and located them to the channels red green blue. Then press calculate and load the Ha file. As it is right the combine tool now says "custom file" change it into HA file. Now say to the HA channel to blend it with red for also 100% (you end up with 50% red and 50% ha automatically). If you desire you also can add it as a luminance channel but it will give you a "pinkish" nebula.
Because the HA data is most timed much weaker than the red you need to play with the multipliers for example with weak ha data you must set it sometimes as high as 5 or so. For the rest you need to "play" 😉 with those multipliers to get the the "right" colours.
I also having problems with normalize files, but when I only register them it works like a charm.
Thanks much. I've never actually taken note of tab zero. My brain starts counting at 1. I'll have a look at that zero tab thank you. I would prefer to do everything in a PP.
