JohnP_1

Hi Val. A very nice rendition! Well done.

I tweaked this version a bit. I don't know what tool you use to process other than PS. With very large DSLR images, you are very likely over-sampling your targets due to the local seeing conditions. (The image scale of your imager and OTA should be around 1/2 of your local seeing conditions). With the size of your images, they will benefit significantly from software-binning the image.

I software-binned the image using ...

I forgot to mention that I did raise the gamma a smidge before the final step. Sorry I forgot to mention that.

Originally Posted by JohnP_1

Here is what I came up with. Note that I first convert the jpeg to a 16 bit image removing the jpeg artifacts. Also, I included a snapshot of when I adjusted one of the color curves to give you an idea of what I'm talking about. With the Carboni actions for PS, I edited all or most of them to delete the conversion to 8 bit mode that he included in most. I only convert

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I decided that this version deserved a place on my signature line.

Originally Posted by JohnP_1

Here is a re-stretched version.

Scott,

I dug into this a little bit after my post and realized that you would need to use a DSLR or larger CCD sensor than the Atik to make a 3 panel mosaic happen. A 6 panel mosaic can work though with the Atik as your main camera. My example from last fall is below.

Originally Posted by JohnP_1

Nice one Scott. I managed a mosaic of this area with three panels last fall after

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This is what I was referring to with the donut stars...

Originally Posted by JohnP_1

Yes indeed, Focus Magic Vs. Unsharp Mask with Examples - Focus Magic. Check out the tutorial too.

I used it on some preliminary images (300s and 60s) of M31 that I took early Monday morning. To my surprise the stars were all little donuts, complete with a hole in the middle. Normally I would toss them (and I would for a final integration),

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