Quite often when processing images, extreme stretches result in washed out highlights and bloated stars. Fortunately any layer and mask capable image processor offers a solution in the form of layered and masked stretch (LMS) processing. This is a synthetic HDR process that allows the dim areas to be brightened without blowing out the brighter areas. The technique is equally usable on daytime images, but more on that later.
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Take the M8 image to the right. If a simple stretch is applied, the bright central area will saturate before the outer areas are brightened sufficiently. By using layers we can correct the situation. The idea is to use different stretches on different layers then use a mask to combine the layers depending on brightness. The steps are shown below.
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Layers |
Final Image |
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