Meteors = Fail / Star Trails = Success?

[coralnutz]

Well I went out for a couple hours last night trying to capture some meteors. I shot at 17mm, f2.8, 30" and then took 30 minutes worth of shots in continues mode. I tried this tree times from different angles, this was the clearest one. (stacked with startrails.de and one dark frame) I did see many meteors, but unfortunately none passed through my frame while I was shooting :(

On the up site, this is my first attempt at shooting any stars, and I know I could have used a better forground object than just those treetops. But I think this one turned out fairly decent. Any comments or tips on how to improve are appreciated.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2478/3813405095_eb0ba5b9a1_o.jpg

[Richtherookie]

Nice shot, looks like a long exp than 30 seconds. I'd like to try this, how long did u keep shutter open? that for posting the info you did. Gives me great point to start out at.

[aram535]

How did you combine the 30 minutes of photos into the image? Just PS add on layer? Or is there a program that will combine them for you?

[coralnutz]

Each shot was 30 second exposure, and then I used startrails.de software (free) with one dark frame to get rid of noise.

To keep the camera firing away I used a remote shutter and put it into continuous shooting mode, locked down the remote and let it rip for 30 minutes.

[aram535]

Any reason why you just didn't put in bulb and let it sit there for 30 minutes?

[coralnutz]

Any reason why you just didn't put in bulb and let it sit there for 30 minutes?

Yes, because if I did a 30 minute exposure the light polution would overexpose the shot by quite a bit. Also noise would have been a bigger issue. I used to think the same thing when i would see people talking about stacking the images, until I got out and tried it anyway.

[drigo]

great shot! that came out really good...i'd love to give this a try...only thing is...the startrail software is not available for Apple...anybody know of another stacking software available for a Mac?

btw...did you manual focus to infinity?

[coralnutz]

There should be a mf/af switch on your lens somewhere. Just set it to manual focus and there should be a line where infinity is to focus... Most lenses go past infinity and even right at the line might not be perfect, best to do some sample shots for focus.

[drigo]

Thanks...What did you have your ISO set on?

[coralnutz]

I'm pretty sure that I went to iso 200. I live in the southwest side of Minneapolis so to look NE like I was advised I had to look across the light polution of the city. The other direction heading south is quite a bit darker.

I just take some test shots till I find which iso works best. I would recommend the multiple shots staked up vs the super long exposure.

[drigo]

Thanks again for the quick response...I'd love to try this tonight...local forecast (Florida) calls for clear skies...I'm gonna try taking multiple 30 second exposures then stack them...the only problem is...I can't find a program for stacking that's compatible with a Mac..any recommendations?

[coralnutz]

If you've got photoshop I'm sure someone would be able to help you with stacking them. Or you could search for a tutorial on doing it, I'm sure they're out there. I'm just not that familiar with the software yet.

[aram535]

Yes, because if I did a 30 minute exposure the light polution would overexpose the shot by quite a bit. Also noise would have been a bigger issue. I used to think the same thing when i would see people talking about stacking the images, until I got out and tried it anyway.

Ah. Thank you for the explanation.

[ckort]

Very cool! Will try this myself soon.

[temp0]

Ohhh... so this is how you do it? I tried this a month or so ago and failed terribly. But after some clarification from you, I think I've got the general idea. I'll have to try this soon. Thanks!

[agphotography]

only thing is...the startrail software is not available for Apple...anybody know of another stacking software available for a Mac?


I came across this problem as well. If you have Photoshop, there is an action out there for stacking the exposures. It works reasonably well and is free.
do a google search for "Star Trails Photoshop Action" and you should find it. If not I'm sure I can email the file to you.

[Celestron]

Star Trail Actions , Mac (http://mac.softpedia.com/progDownload/Startrail-Download-26003.html)

[DavidG.]

Star Trail Actions , Mac (http://mac.softpedia.com/progDownload/Startrail-Download-26003.html)

Startrail is a little and simple Mac OS X application that will simply leave a trail of shiny stars behind your mouse pointer, wherever it goes. That's it, for now.Note: Startrail is free, so feel free to download it and use it as long as you please. Suggestions for improvements are very appreciated. And if you like it, please consider a small donation to support its development.
Very funny.

[Richtherookie]

I am sure it has been talked about, can someone send me the link please. I tried and tried star shots. They are getting better. I'd like to learn how to get that one star that doesn't move and everything rotates around it, like you have here. Is it just shoot and re-adjust? thanks

[jamie200]

Ok i managed to finally find out how to do star trail stacks in CS3 on a Mac, here's what i did :

1. Go to File> Scripts> Load Files into Stack

2. In the box that opens tick the small box that says Create Smart Objects after Loading Layers

3. Choose the files you want and press Open.

4. Once image has loaded go to Layer> Smart Objects> Stack Mode> Maximum

Hey Presto you're done.

I stacked a 120 images this way, and be aware it does take a while, here's my final result (ps it's a test image so I'm aware its not a great photo). As soon as i remember where i found this action on the web i'll post a link to the page, I'm not taking any personal credit for this.




http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2438/3829610749_3bac345c58_b.jpg

[ady.space]

How did you combine the 30 minutes of photos into the image? Just PS add on layer? Or is there a program that will combine them for you?
theres free soft wear called "deep sky stacker" thats good for stacking astro pics