m81 and m82 Bode's galaxy and Cigar galaxy widefield

Comment

Comment by Rich Bowden on May 4, 2011 at 4:17am

That's just about perfect Steve!!
Back ground has that.. mmmm look and the galaxies are just that more colourful.
This is a great technique and with imagination can be used for a wide variety of enhancements while each time retain a previous procedure.
Of course more data would only help more.. but when weather plays it's hand, it's nice to have a few tricks up our sleeves:)

Well done!!

Comment by Steve Coates on May 4, 2011 at 4:02am

Thanks for all of the comments. I'll plan to try your method Rich and thanks. After I posted this I thought it looked to light so I posted a darker background here. I am open to any new or old processing techniques!! This website has helped me more than any "company with a capital C" web site.
Steve . .

Comment by Rich Bowden on May 4, 2011 at 12:20am

This turned out very well Steve!
Lovely even back ground.
One thing I will say, hope you don't mind and it is only imo....
In PS, in 'layers', create layer from this existing image data, crank up the saturation on this layer to taste, select 'hide all' on the layer image, now use the brush tool to hit the galaxys and the stars without touching the background... then use the slider on the layer to control the amount of sat you want... also probably darken the back ground a smidgen.. this helps retain star colour/ object colour while keeping the nice stretch.. best of both worlds!
Other than that, this turned out really nicel!

Comment by Trevor Woodrow on May 3, 2011 at 10:28am

Like Hopp says...there is no such thing as a "final" image!

Comment by Steve Coates on May 3, 2011 at 3:46am

Thanks Mark. Of course as soon as I post this I decide to darken the background. Here is the link to the "new " imahe.
Steve