Star trails....

[Chippy]

Well, here's my first go at doing one.

 

Looks a bit odd, like little meteors as I took the first too shots at a different ISO and the slight gap in them was where I changed my settings.

 

Nothing great - just shot out in my garden, which is in the middle of town so loads of light pollution! Just wanted to have a test run before spending a couple of hours out in sticks somewhere in the cold in a proper attempt!

 

 

 

Picture made up of 34 stacked shots - 30 secs each at F4 for 20 mins or so at ISO100. All shot in RAW then converted to JPEG and then stacked.

[Chippy]

2nd attempt - 23 minutes total:-

 

[Steve Randles]

Nice effect Chippy, tell us about the process of combining them, I'd love to have a go at this.

 

Steve...

[poledark]

Black as hades here and the stars show up extremely well, so when you have explained how Chippy ( (: ) I also will have a go..

 

Den

[Chippy]

Fairly simply really.

 

Take all your shots, in case of the 2nd shot there was 46 shots. All at 30 seconds. At the end of the shots shoot a "dark frame" - basically a totally black shot - i just put it on 1/4000 of a sec and took one.

 

Process the RAW's in the same way for each shot and then batch process them to TIFFs or JPEGs.

 

You then need the stacking software such as "images plus", which is fairly pricey. Select all the images for the stacking, and in the dark frame options select the total black one (dont include in the stacking ones).

 

Select brightest pixel option and hit stack - takes a few mins using jpegs. It then outputs and saves the stacked image. You can then open that in PS and adjust to suit.

 

I've only used the software for those shots above, but want to have a blast at trying them with lit buildings in the foreground to see if it'll take them being stacked without blowing them out to pure white.......i;m thinking along the lines of this shot with star trails in the back - would look superb:-

 

http://www.digitaljersey.co.uk/Landscapes/..._5370_1diin.jpg

 

Think I might be having a few late nights ahead of me!

[Ollie Jay]

Great shots them!! nice one chippy and i look forward to anymore to come!

 

very interesting read on how it was done as ive never heard of stacking before. (very much still learning)

 

Cheers.

 

PS, Just been looking up star trails on the net and i have to say some shots look awesome so would be good to see what you fellas can come up with cause I'm sure yours will be just as good if not better!! would give it ago myself but don't think my Fuji is up to the job.

 

Ollie.

Edited September 7, 2006 by Ollie Jay

[Chippy]

3rd attempt.

 

Took this one tonight. Dont think the stars came out as well as those in the above shot - but full moon wasn't really ideal for it. I really need a totally cloudless sky and no moon. One of those really black nights where all the stars are visible.

 

Took this with a new canon electronic timer release TC-80N3 - works brilliantly for this kind of thing. Took 69 shots at 1 minute long each - all automatically, just set the remote release and start and away it goes.

 

[Steve Randles]

Chippy,

 

Do you mind if I post one of your trail shots on another forum to help highlight and describe something I am trying to do/make. Basically I'm looking for help with an action that will do the same job as images plus.

 

Please let me know if that is okay.

 

Steve...

[Chippy]

Chippy,

 

Do you mind if I post one of your trail shots on another forum to help highlight and describe something I am trying to do/make. Basically I'm looking for help with an action that will do the same job as images plus.

 

Please let me know if that is okay.

 

Steve...

 

 

No problem

[Steve Randles]

Thanks mate, I'll pm you a link to watch later when its posted.

 

Steve...