Embedded Files
Global Adjustments
Time to make adjustments that affect the entire image rather than a specific filter layer.
Global adjustment layers.
Without global adjustments.
With global adjustments.
Brightening the black point in Levels brightens the shadows a bit.
Next, I add contrast to the core using Curves and a mask.
Brighten the background using another Curves layer and mask. This is easier to see in other parts of the image.
Hue/Saturation adjustment.
Use a Color Balance adjustment layer to take some green and yellow out of the background.
Finally, a color fill layer set to RGB 19/19/19 and put into Lighten blending mode ensures that no pixels are completely black.
Sharpening
Next, I layer stamp (Shift+Ctrl+Alto+E) to create a single layer with all of the changes included. Time to add a bit of sharpening using Smart Sharpen. I'm careful not to over sharpen and create an embossed look.
Before Smart Sharpen
After Smart Sharpen
Adding Stars
Star Layers
Now I turn the star group back on. It's in Screen blending mode so it adds on top of the layers below.
For this image I'll tweak the star layer in a couple ways:
A minimum filter removes some of the distracting small stars, allowing details of the nebula to shine through.
I use one Levels adjustment layer (6) to slightly enlarge the bright star cluster at the nebula's center, making it more visible. Those stars are important to the image and I don't want them to get lost.
The second Levels layer (7) reduces the size of the other stars.
Finally, I adjust the star color to taste using Hue/Saturation.
A single SII subframe of 500 seconds.
The final image, combining 25 hours of data.
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