From: Mark Gaffney <markgaffney@me.com>

Date: March 26, 2011 5:44:42 PM MDT

To: Astro_IIDC@yahoogroups.com

Subject: Re: [Astro_IIDC] a bit better..(?)

Thanks Milton, 

For taking the trouble of providing a detailed explanation..

The option of using the re-set sliders, I did several times of course but felt I was persistently chasing my tail with the other settings.

I haven`t re-read your Manual (my fault) before trying this expecting the settings should be basically intuitive..(?)

I`ve re-done the mosaic again applying Focus magic to each 640 x 480 pixel image then Photomerged again..

result here..

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mark_gaffney/5562494266/

As to FM....below is a Command/ Shift/ 4 PNG snapshot of the interface from one of the images with the before & after focus thumbnails..

I`d thought the focus at the time (done without any fancy automatic focus gadget) was pretty good..

What more can I say..than to say I think it gives an excellent result..

Mark.

On 27/03/2011, at 10:14 AM, Milton Aupperle wrote:

On 26-Mar-11, at 2:40 PM, Mark Gaffney wrote:

>
>
> Milton,
> Firstly, what would be the original size? Is it possible to go to
> that, post the operation, in the size selection department of
> Flickr..(magnifying glass icon at top of selected image then select
> all sizes..?)

Go here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mark_gaffney/5540825188/sizes/o/in/photostream/

Click on "Original size".

> I haven`t seen any examples of people trying this color balancing
> operation apart from you! Maybe I don`t get out enough!
> Your images seem to be the best examples of Moon processing I`m
> aware of..

Go to LPOD then:

http://lpod.wikispaces.com/March+26%2C+2011

There are tonnes of people doing this in the past.

If you had read my original message, you'd have done it already. I'll
break it down in very small simple steps for you to follow.

1) Import Color image into Astro IIDC (Processing menu > Process Image).

2) Click on the "Re-Set" buttons for Sharpness, RGB Levels and RGB
Gains so they are all now at Defaults values.

3) Set Curves to 1.00.

4) Set LumaNoise reduction to Off.

5) Using the three RGB (Red Green Blue) gains, Balance the Moon image
so it's Gray. Gray means no color cast at all it should be perfectly
gray. This is your starting point.

6) Set the "RGB Saturation to about 1.0. You may have to go higher
before you get a significant colors showing up.

7) Adjust the R and B Gain controls in very small increment (i.e. if
it's 1.020 currently try 1.030 or 1.010) using the single step
controls the right side of the text fields, which will increase or
decrease the intensity of that color.

8) Using common sense adjust the image until they look pleasing. The
mares will tend to be a darker blue, the heavily crated highlands more
greenish / bluish, fresh impacts are bluish / greenish and the north
pole area more reddish tones.

You just need to do things in small steps until it looks something
like this:

http://www.outcastsoft.com/AstroImages/Luna_Enchanced_20050216_MJA.jpg

Note that the image on the left is what I started out with, which has
been color balanced to gray. And that's pretty much the same colors I
shot it at originally too. If your original images as shot by the
camera were screwed up and really off color balance wise (strong red
cast or blue / green cast etc.) , you may not achieve what I have
done, as the strong initial color hue wipes out other subtle colors.

Milton Aupperle