Another newbie with issues ( HaRGB - colors?)

Hi Adam,

Thank you for your question and welcome to the forum 😉

I'll have a look at your data, but let me react to your question(s):

First of all, you can easily create a synthetic lum of your data, there are several ways to accomplosh this:

1. register, normalize and integrate all subs of all channels into 1 integration
2. use the RGB combine tool to create a Luminance layer from the separate channels by giving the channels separate luminance weights and different multipliers. Usually, you need to multiply H-alpha very strongly compared to the broadband channels. A multiplier of 5 is very normal.

Save this luminance to a separate file.

Then create a new composite, like an LHaRGB, and use the luminance channel that you just created 😉

I will try to do this myself on your data and will report back later today.

Mabula

Hi Adam,

I have downloaded your frames. My first reaction is that it will be much better if you start the creation of the luminance and the composite from linear data.

The frames that you have shared are already stretched. (using the save button below the histogram with the stretch selectbox selected). The postfix:

-st.fits

shows you it's stretched data.

So can you share the unstretched integrations per channel? That should be much better to work with.

Kind regards,

Mabula

Hi Adam,

Using your already stretched data, I have created this initial composite. The screenshots show what kind of parameters I used in the RGB Combine tool. That will give you an idea on how you can use this tool.

First the suggested luminance from the Ha, R,G,B channels:

Then I used that as the luminance layer in a new LHaRGB composite. Again, just a quick try:

To get nice star colors, it really helps, if you first start with only the RGB layers, try to get good star colors. Then add the Ha to the Red channel. And finally add the luminance layer. Tweak the mutipliers per channel step by step 😉 

Kind regards,

Mabula

Awesome thank you! I appreciate it so much 🙂

You're most welcome Adam,

If you share the linear channel integrations, I will be happy to provide similar screenshots to get you going 😉

Cheers,

Mabula

I thought I unchecked stretch and then saved them...when I have an integrated stack and I check it  OR  uncheck stretch, the images look the same...when I saved them I thought I unchecked it.... How can I tell if it's linear and not stretched...I assume it would look black, but it isn't that way...what am I doing wrong lol??

What I thought I did was double click on the final integration image, go to tools and light pollution removal and then save with stretch box unchecked...am I doing it all wrong?

Posted by: singding

I thought I unchecked stretch and then saved them...when I have an integrated stack and I check it  OR  uncheck stretch, the images look the same...when I saved them I thought I unchecked it.... How can I tell if it's linear and not stretched...I assume it would look black, but it isn't that way...what am I doing wrong lol??

@singding,

The postfix

-st.fits

is the indication that you saved it with stretch on using the save button.

-st -> stretch

The images that you see in the image viewer are all stretched previews using the preview filter. If you disable DDP, then the data shown in the image viewer will be linear 😉

Cheers,

Mabula

Posted by: singding

What I thought I did was double click on the final integration image, go to tools and light pollution removal and then save with stretch box unchecked...am I doing it all wrong?

@singding,

No, but if you are finished with a tool, like light-pollution removal, and you click on ok, the linear result will be automatically saved with -LPC extension.

LPC = Light Pollution Correction.

So the linear results of the tools can always be found in your working directory 😉 So you won't need to actually use the save button, the save button is useful however, to just save an intermediary result while still working in the tool.

Cheers,

Mabula