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Handbook for SXV-M5C Issue 1 August 2004
15
2) The resulting image will probably look faint and dull, with a bright
background due to light pollution. It is now time to process the ‘luminance’
(brightness and contrast) of the image to get the best visual appearance. First,
use the ‘Normal’ contrast stretch to darken the background by setting the
‘Black’ slider just below the main peak of the histogram. Alternatively, you
can use the ‘Remove Background’ option to let the software decide on the best
setting. This will greatly reduce the background brightness and the image will
begin to look rather more attractive. You can now try brightening the
highlights with another ‘Normal’ stretch, in which you bring down the ‘White’
slider to just above the main image peak. The best setting for this is rather
more difficult to guess and you may need several attempts before the result is
ideal. Just use the ‘Undo last filter’ function, if necessary, to correct a mistake.
3) The image will now look quite impressive and I hope that you are pleased with
your first efforts! Further small refinements are usually possible and you will become
expert at judging the best way to achieve these as your experience increases. As a
rough guide, the ‘Filters’ menu can be used to sharpen, soften or noise reduce the