Reddit.com/r/Astrophotography [Processing Challenge] - Q4 2013 Challenge : M33 in HaLRGB (Doug Smith)

Reddit.com/r/Astrophotography [Processing Challenge] - Q4 2013 Challenge : M33 in HaLRGB

Processed in Photoshop:

Started a new 4000x4000 project, selected RGB for color space. Combined red and Ha files using layers (luminosity) to form the red channel. Added each color file to their applicable channel. Finally I combined the luminance file with the RGB color via layers (luminosity).

Applied a 1x1 crop.

Applied Gradient xTerminator plugin. Used lasso tool to circle the faint detail of the galaxy, selected invert. Applied a Medium>Low instance. Used the Magic Wand Tool to protect stars. Again used lasso tool to protect the faint details of the galaxy. Applied a Fine>High instance.

Adjusted black point via levels to R:30 G:30 B:30

Applied Astronomy Tools - Enhance DSO Reduce Stars action to bring aid in revealing faint nebular/dust details.

Applied Astronomy Tools - Local Contrast Enhancement action.

Applied a Shadow/Highlights adjustment. Adjusted the values to my personal preference, setting the clip point to 0.10 to as not clip the black passed 30 across all channels.

Applied DeepSkyColor HLVG chromatic noise reduction plugin to remove greenish color from the image.

Applied a color saturation boost to the midtones using a Color Range mask. Boosted color saturation levels via Image>Adjustments>Hue/Saturation.

Applied noise reduction via layer mask to image background with Noise Ninja plugin.

Sharpened image via Unsharp Mask: Amount - 300, Radius - 1, Threshold - 6.

Finally I applied another instance of Astronomy Tools - Local Contrast Enhancement action.

Please note: The following tables are updated every 24 hours.

Distribution of astrophotographers

This table shows the number of distinct astrophotographers who have been assigned and IOTD/TP award compared to the total number of images awarded.
	Distinct awarded users	Total awarded images
Image of the day
Top picks
Top pick nominations

Distribution of subject types

This table shows the distribution of awards per subject type, compared to the popularity of images of that subject type.
	Image of the day	Top pick	Top pick nominations	Total submitted
Deep sky
Solar system
Extremely wide field
Star trails
Northern lights
Noctilucent clouds
Landscape

Distribution of data sources

This table shows the distribution of awards per data source, compared to the popularity of images acquired from that data source.
	Image of the day	Top pick	Top pick nominations	Total submitted
Backyard
Traveller
Own remote observatory
Amateur hosting facility
Public amaeteur data
Professional, scientific grade data
Mix of multiple sources
Other
Unknown

The “AstroBin Image of the Day and Top Picks”, or IOTD/TP, is a long-running system to promote beautiful, interesting, peculiar, or otherwise amazing astrophotographs, with a focus on technical excellence. Learn more.

Submitted The date and time when you submitted this image for IOTD/TP consideration.	...
Views by Submitters (available since September 19th, 2023) Every image is assigned to 50% of available Submitters. In the event that at least 80% of them don't view the image before its time in the IOTD/TP process expires, it's assigned to the other 50% of Submitters and the process begins anew.
Promotions by Submitters When 3 distinct Submitters promote the image, it moves on to the next stage of the process: evaluation for Top Pick status. This requirement, in addition to anonymization of images and distribution to only a subset of them, prevents biases and ensures that the best images are selected.
Promotions by Reviewers When 3 distinct Reviewers promote the image, it moves on to the next stage of the process: evaluation for IOTD status.
Early dismissal Staff members have a lot of images to inspect on a daily basis, and they can dismiss images if they believe they don't meet the requirements for IOTD/TP selection. If an image is dismissed 5 times, it's removed from the process. This streamlines the process and ensures that any bias present in promotions could be overruled by other staff members.

Status	n/a
Started	n/a
Astrometry.net job	n/a
PixInsight job	n/a
PixInsight queue size	n/a
PixInsight stage	n/a

Image Index:

Contribution Index (beta):