Over and Over and Over
m31_color.png, m31_color_v2.png, m31_gradient.png, m31_2023_reprocess.png, m31_2024_reprocess_v2. These are just a handful of the "final" versions of the Andromeda Galaxy that I took several years ago. Not shown here are the many reprocessed versions that didn't make the cut to disk and are lost to the sands of times. Each one is not better than the last, but they are all different and show the various changes in workflow over time.
These images are all created from the same base set of master L, R, G, and B images, the only changes here are the processes used and my own skill.
2022
2023
Over a year of using PixInsight, also acquired some various plugins and scripts within PixInsight for more advanced optical defect removal and noise removal. This image went through a basic color calibration, but it wasn't based on any form of spectrophotometry, so it is rough at best - that's why the colors look relatively muted.
2024
Approaching nearly three years of using PixInsight, we find ourselves in the era AI-driven enhancements and new mathematic formulae algorithms developed by the team and community.
The image below was calibrated using spectrometry data from an average spiral galaxy. While the colors were scientifically accurate, I have made adjustments to the saturation and color channels to enhance the final image here.
