Looking for new objects to image this area look promising to try the new workflow from the French Astronomie Magazine. I am going to put the basic steps here. I'll make a note on the PixInsight group to cross-reference this as well as upload my iconset. Other French uses, feel free to correct the translation.

The basic reference is No 167 of Astronomie Magazine pages 74-77. There are 7 sections conprising a total of 30 steps to the workflow:

Step 1: Preparation of the Treatment of the Images

Items 1 & 2 use if STF, routine.

Step 2: Removal of Gradients

Items 3-7 are the settings used for DBE, routine.

Step 3: Removal of Noise (NB: thisi sin the linear phase)

Translation: The strength of PI isthat it is capable of reducing noise in the linear image before you act on the hisogram. This operation is done only on the luminance. This is only done on the background and not on the subject matter, a nebulosity or galaxy in the examples.

Items 8-12, basically duplicate the luminosity do a ST histogram stretch possibly increase the histogram (Step 10) and then set the dark point (step 12) with the shadows. "The aim is not to obtain a pretty image but a masque so it is necessary that the background be VERY BLACK."

Items 13-18, then the mask is applied to the taget image and inverted. The goal is to apply ATW to the background to flatten it and minimize the noise. What he suggests doing is to do this first in a preview panel so you can see the effects of manipulating the values for AWT.

Step 4: Movement to non-linear image

This is the main trick I learned. At this time you woulkd do deconvolution (subject of another article).

Now rather than doing a simple histogram stretch based on HT and applied STF, you can raise the histogra using Curves Transformation. This is Image G in the article. The goal is to work with the tight linear histogram and to make an "S" curve with CT so the the lower histogram values go down further towards black (but not clipped) while enhancing the middle and higher values. You can do this more than once.

I find this is simplified by running the masked stretch script on the linear image. That easily defines the left end of the histogram and makes the histogram and easy target for the "S" curves.

Step 5: Treatment of the light of the image.

Items 19-20 are standard color calibration... note that if you use DBE earlier the background should already be equalized. At that stage I also use linear transformation.

Step 6: Treatment of the light of the image in non-linear phase

Items 21-26. Strategry is to not raise the colors too mcuh but to keep them "pale". They use HT and show how they manipulate each channel in HT. This I think is pretty straightforward. I myself also use Curvest Transformation here and seem to get better results without clipping. Similar to the luminosity.

They also recommend SCNR if it looks too green.

Step 7: Final assemply using the script.

Items 27-30. The starategy of the script in PI is to so the application carefully in three stages not in one fell swoop. I just use the default values. If you see halo, jack up the Noise it parameter... I have gone to 5 with good results. Item 30 is the other noise resuction which is for left over background noise. I have not used this. Frankly I now apply the mask and AWT to all the raw images to clobber the noise from the outset.

So there you are. All this goes quite well if you munch a few French Fries. I would strongly encourage you to join the AIM as they have a lot of technical information... the French did bring us Monet...