Astro-Modified Camera + H-Alpha Filter: Ultimate Milky Way Tutorial

Capturing the Milky Way galaxy with h-alpha nebulosity is a real challenge! In this video I'll walk you through the entire process, from modifying the camera to editing the final image. We've got a lot to cover in one hour, so I will be going quite quickly. If you want to learn even more about astrophotography, check out my Milky Way Course: https://www.howtube.com/series/pMFLni83 We'll start on the Spencer's Camera website, and I'll explain which modifications you should get. Then I'll show you which H-Alpha filter will work the best with your new modified camera. Next, I'll explain the filter installation process, and how to fix the overly-red white balance on the camera. At this point you should be ready for the first night. I'll walk you through the setup process and explain which camera settings to use. Once the light frames have been captured, you'll need to take a series of calibration frames. These include - Darks, Flats, and Flat Darks. Finally, you can transfer the photos to the computer and delete any blurry or bad images. From this point forward we'll be using PixInsight for both the stacking and processing. If you're feeling intimidated, watch my PixInsight For Dummies Series first: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_tFhWHSOW5pIYVLrkbeDaYdKFLBEl5wL Assuming you have PixInsight properly installed, we can begin stacking the photos in WeightedBatchPreprocessing (WBPP). This will take a while and use up a lot of free space on your computer. When PixInsight is done stacking, you can delete the unnecessary files and open the stacked master light frames. There should be one for the H-Alpha image and one for the no-filter RGB image. The rest of the PixInsight tutorial follows my standard Deep Space workflow. The whole process is fairly streamlined, and it shouldn't be too hard if you practice a few times per week. If you've got Photoshop, I recommend taking the final stretched image into there for final processing. Photoshop is a much better tool for fixing the contrast and colors in the image. *I'd like to thank Agena Astro for making this video possible!* I reached out to them a few months ago, told them my video idea, and they were kind enough to loan out the Astronomik H-Alpha filter. Now that I've had some experience with the Astronomik H-Alpha MaxFR XT filter, I can confirm it does a phenomenal job. There is no star distortion, no vignette, the filter is easy to install and remove, it fits perfectly into the camera without falling out, and it transmits a lot of light. It may not be cheap, but it's the best filter on the market for astro-modded cameras. If you are interested in purchasing the Astronomik filter, I would recommend buying through Agena. They are based in California so you won't have to deal with the tariffs, and they usually have fast, free shipping. (If you purchase the filter directly from Astronomik, you will get hit with a tariff since they are based out of Germany). *Gear Links* Astronomik *H-Alpha* Filter for Nikon: https://agenaastro.com/astronomik-filters-telescope-filter-h-alpha-maxfr-12nm-xt-imaging-nikon-z-xl-clip.html?rfsn=7382614.15ece3 Astronomik *H-Alpha* Filter for Sony: https://agenaastro.com/astronomik-filters-telescope-filter-h-alpha-maxfr-12nm-xt-imaging-sony-alpha-7-clip.html?rfsn=7382614.15ece3 Astronomik *H-Alpha* Filter for Canon: https://agenaastro.com/astronomik-filters-telescope-filter-h-alpha-maxfr-12nm-xt-imaging-canon-eos-r-xl-clip.html?rfsn=7382614.15ece3 Astronomik *OWB* Filter for Nikon: https://agenaastro.com/astronomik-filters-telescope-filter-owb-type-3-nikon-z-xl-clip.html?rfsn=7382614.15ece3 Astronomik *OWB* Filter for Sony: https://agenaastro.com/astronomik-filters-telescope-filter-owb-type-3-sony-alpha-7-clip.html?rfsn=7382614.15ece3 Astronomik *OWB* Filter for Canon: https://agenaastro.com/astronomik-filters-telescope-filter-owb-type-3-canon-eos-r-xl-clip.html?rfsn=7382614.15ece3 00:00 - Intro 00:17 - Camera Modifications Overview 02:24 - Additional Camera Considerations 04:36 - Fix White Balance 05:43 - Best H-Alpha Filter 08:08 - Filter Installation 09:28 - Capturing the Data 11:50 - Camera Settings 13:14 - Checking your Images 14:15 - Calibration Frames 15:54 - File Organization & Image Review 17:44 - PixInsight Stacking Tutorial 27:56 - Finish Stacking 29:08 - Open Master Stacked Light Frames 29:46 - PixInsight Processing Intro 30:24 - Change H-Alpha to Grayscale 30:45 - Fix Color Cast with SPCC 32:32 - Fix Color Cast with STF 34:35 - BlurXterminator 36:01 - StarXterminator 37:49 - DynamicBackgroundExtraction 42:34 - NoiseXterminator 42:56 - Combine Ha with RGB 44:13 - Stretch Photos 45:40 - Save PixInsight Project 46:37 - Create HDR Image 47:42 - Save 16Bit TIFF 48:09 - Photoshop Workflow 50:14 - Save Flattened TIFF 50:40 - Image Blend 52:08 - Final Look