New PixInsight script to colour narrowband images

The development of new and useful PixInsight tools keeps going strong. A new script was recently released by Mike Cranfield, in consultation with Adam Block. The script is called NBColourMapper, and as the name implies is designed for creating colourful narrowband (NB) images. Most NB mapping tools assign filters to either the Red, Green or Blue channel and then creating the desired colours by (de)emphasising one of the three channels.

NBColourMapper is different in that it assigns an actual colour from a colour picker to each NB filter, called layer. So if you want the Ha to come out in a golden/orange look, you just pick that colour for Ha. The different layers are blended together with a real-time preview of the final result. This means you’re not limited to just three channels, but can have as many layers as you want. If you are happy with a certain palette of colours, you can save that palette for future use. That way you can create a certain ‘look’ that remains similar throughout your portfolio of images.

The script can be added to PixInsight by adding the following repository address to the resources section:

https://www.cosmicphotons.com/pi-scripts/nbcolourmapper/

After installation, the script can be found under Scripts/Utilities. For an impression on how the tool works and what you can achieve with it, Adam Block has created an instruction video. Mike and Adam recently also presented the tool on The Astro Imaging Channel (TAIC).