It’s better to shoot at a lower ISO like 3200 to 6400, even though the photo will look too dark, and then brighten it later (before you start doing the photo stack). Quite simply, if you go too high, you might blow out some details (especially colors) in the stars. You’ll usually be good with a reasonable aperture like f/4 to f/8 (full frame equivalent).Īnd for your ISO, I know I said earlier that 51,200 can work fine, but I recommend sticking with a lower value in general. In terms of aperture, pick what you need in order to get enough depth of field, nothing more. This technique cannot get rid of star trails – nor can any technique I know of.īeyond that, don’t be careless about your settings just because you have a bit more flexibility you’re still trying to capture every last photon. If that means shooting at 5-10 seconds when normally you would shoot 15-30 seconds, so be it. What specific camera settings are best? The most important thing is to avoid any star trails in your images. (The smaller your aperture, the more photos you should capture, since you need to make up for lost light.) After all, you are simulating an ultra-long shutter speed with this method, so it’s no doubt that 10 minutes is better than 4, which is better than 2, and so on. But I would take pictures for at least 4 minutes if possible, and ideally longer – more photos can only help. How many photos does this method take? It depends on the quality you’re after, the ISO you started with, and simply the time you have in the field.
#Photostack technique software
When you get home, you’ll stack the photos in post-processing software to minimize noise. Then just take several photos in a row using the same settings. (Though I actually recommend a lower ISO combined with brightening the photo later, as you’ll see in a moment). And if you need ISO 51,200 to get a bright enough photo, you can use that, too. If you need 10 seconds of exposure in order to eliminate star trails, use 10 seconds. It’s also pretty satisfying, since you get to use the settings you always wanted to use – no need for an astro tracker or other accessories.įor example, if you need f/5.6 to get enough depth of field, just use f/5.6. The second method of capturing insanely sharp stars at night is actually quite easy. Stacking Method Two: No Accessories Needed Luckily, there is a way to simulate an astro tracker without using one – and without capturing a blurry foreground in any of your images. If you try pasting the sharp tree image on top, you’ll get a “blur halo” around it. In the tracked image, where your stars are sharp, the tree will be a large blur. But if your foreground is something like a tree, you’ll run into major difficulties with this method. It worked well for the photo above because the foreground and sky had a very distinct separation. However, astro trackers aren’t always ideal. If you need to capture everything in one image for whatever reason, take a look at our tutorials on Milky Way photography, getting enough depth of field at night, and the optimal settings for star photography.) (All this assumes that you don’t have a problem with blending photos. Stacking photos essentially eliminates that problem.īut what do I mean by stacking photos? There are two routes, one of which is simpler and more flexible than the other. Otherwise, you could shoot every Milky Way image at f/5.6 and 10 seconds (maximizing star sharpness) while simply using an insane ISO like 51,200 to get your image to be bright enough. What can you do about it? One answer is often overlooked, but surprisingly helpful and easy to put into practice: stacking images.įundamentally, the big problem with shooting the stars is that you lose a lot of image quality at ultra-high ISO values. If you’ve ever tried to do astrophotography, you’ve probably run into all sorts of issues: blurred stars, high ISO noise, and shallow depth of field. The night sky is one of the most alluring subjects for landscape photographers.
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