Removing stars from an image using StarNet++
Using the free StarNet++ software, you can remove stars from an image, leaving only the background (nebula or galaxy). This makes it possible to save the stars separately in a graphic editor (for example, Adobe Photoshop), which ultimately allows you to process the stars separately, the background separately, using different parameters for noise reduction, saturation, etc. In addition, a picture without stars can be quite self-sufficient due to a more interesting display of the nebula.
You can download StarNet++ from the link. The program is free, does not require installation – just unpack the archive, open the folder and run the starnetGUI.exe file. If an error occurs during startup (missing DLL VCRUNTIME140_1.dll), try downloading and installing Microsoft Visual Studio, and then rerun starnetGUI.exe.
The training image file can be downloaded from this link. This is a fragment of an image of the IC 2118 “Witch’s Head” nebula in the constellation Eridanus, which I photographed on November 11, 2023 using a fast Samyang 135mm f/2 ED UMC Canon EF lens, a Canon 550Da DSLR and a Sky-Watcher AZ-GTi mount in equatorial mode . The total signal accumulation was 58 minutes.
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