I finally figured out how to deal with the Blockade Runner engines as they vanish behind the star Destroyer to match the 81 flyover. In the process I came to the conclusion that this segment has been completely redone in both 1981 and 1997. In 81 they used elements that nearly match the 77 (you can tell the SD is different if you overlay them, but the engine glow is identical). But for 1997, they did it again. The 81 titles are taken from the TESB element. The crawl remained the same from 81 to 97. In 97 they brought back the original starfield, but it is not placed the same. But the elements have all been recomposited in both instances. In 1997, they used a new engine glow effect and the lasers are desaturated. This is especially noticeable on the DVD and BR, but I’ve noticed a lot of effects shots were scanned with strange settings that reduced the brightness of effects.
I’m not sure I’m on the final version, but if not final, I am close. I redid the planets, cleaned up the starfield (with all the various pieces I used, there was some overlap that didn’t line up exactly. I also enhanced the brightness of the starsfield Poita recovered so the others are dimmer. Meaning that at the right settings, I should be able to degrade this version to nearly match the 35 mm scan. The Blockade Runner is fixed. I had to replace it from the moment it starts to disappear. I used a frame from just before that and forced Vegas to match the original. In the end, I placed that on top, used the lighten setting, and cut of the excess because in the 81 version, there is a flaw where the Blockade Runner engine glow (probably originally a separate element) overlaps the SD instead of fully vanishing behind it. They fixed this for the SE, making it more realistic. But I was going for a match to 81 so I had to match the error. The one part I’m not sure I’m happy with is where the SD passes in front of the large moon. I’m not sure I can get it much closer.
I’m rendering it out now in 1080p… it should take an hour because of the high quality. I have letterboxed it in a strange way… trying to emulate the framing without cutting anything so that it can be further cropped as needed. To match the GOUT it needs to be cropped a certain way. To match other versions it might need to be cropped differently.