mars_120328_01_stages

Image processing stages - left to right, top to bottom:

 

1. raw image from registax6 immediately after stacking

 

2. registax wavelets - settings: gaussian wavelets, increment 1, wave 2 slider slightly negative, wave 3 slider range 4-10

 

3. registax6 histogram and colour balance: use the histogram slider to adjust the midpoint, and also stretch the dynamic range (log scale view to avoid clipping).

 

Use colour balance panel to turn down the red and blue channels for correct-ish eyeball colour.

 

4. restart registax6 and import the saved .png image. Gentle use of wavelets, same settings again. Wave 3 slider range 2-4

 

5. registax6 histogram and colour balance: same procedure as before

 

6. import image into Photoshop elements. Gaussian blur at minimum settings (0.4/0.5) to remove noise and obvious pixelation/TV scan lines.

 

3 rounds of High Pass Masking (overlay setting - hard light setting is too fierce, soft light too modest) and if necessary a bit of Gaussian blur if speckles start to intrude.

 

No idea what HPM does - works like a much gentler version of unsharp masking, and only 1 parameter to adjust !

 

7. More Photoshop Elements: adjust levels RGB midpoint for brightness, Red and Blue channels for colour balance again.

 

Done