LBN437 Ha-OSC on a Samyang

I find the image quite pleasing but I get your meaning about the stars in relation to the overall image. It should be possible to reduce the stars impact but I wouldn't be using CHS at all, just ASINH in combination with HT and possibly CT to tone done the brightest ones. But I do like the way you worked out the stars.,

I agree with Maxim – processing stars and nebulosity independently is important.

A common technique, and one which I use also, is to create a starless version of the image so that you can work the nebulosity without affecting the stars. I use StarXterminator to create the starless image. Then process a copy of the image containing the original star field separately.  Then blend the two images. 

A step I add to this process, especially for dense star fields,  is to mask out some of the stars on a copy of the image that still contains stars. I then blend the reduced star field image with the starless image to create the final image. 

I use APP + PS so I cant give you specifics  on the process under PI, but here it is in general.

- stack subs to create a complete original image
-  create 2 copies of original image (one which will have stars removed, one which will not)
- remove stars from one copy of image. 
- adjust starless image as desired
- mask stars in the other original image copy (I use a luminosity mask tool, TK Luminosity Mask, in PS to do this). Select stars based on luminosity until you have the density of star field that you want. 
- blend the starred and starless images together. 

Example images from a wide FOV of IC 1396 (Elephant Trunk): 

Original:




Blended:

At a first glance I don't find any issues with your image. Some may say that the medium-sized to small-sized stars are too sharp but that doesn't bother me at all. Your field of view is not that far from the galactic equator and for that it is expected to be packed with stars. I find that going too far with star reduction (like the above example image) is towards the wrong direction. I definitely prefer your approach on star reduction more than the image presented above, for which even astrometry.net platesolver may struggle finding stars.

It comes down to personal preference. I like significantly reduced star fields because it reveals much more nebulosity detail without being as stark/unnatural as a completely starless image. 

Using a star mask you can of course adjust it to you presonal preference. 

Another version of Christopher's image below with a much less reduced star field. I quite like this verison. 

I agree with the above. I copy a separate star image in the linear form. I stretch the stars in GHS with realtime preview to where i like them. I then generate the stars only from the GHS stretched and blend them with the non linear starless image that i have adjusted. I recently shot the shame field with my 294mm. The main imaged is cropped but the the mouse over is the full image.



The Red Dress Nebula SH2-126