Tweet
Star photography seems like a daunting task, but trust me it's much easier than you think. With my step by step digital workflow tutorial you will master night sky photography post processing in no time. My star photography tutorial covers all the bases starting with RAW file conversion and digital blending; then, on to luminosity masks, and, finally, color correction as well as final edits in Photoshop. Anyone can take a picture of the night sky using my Free Star Photography Tutorial, but wouldn't you like to take a picture and turn it into something like this? In this tutorial you follow along with me as we learn to process the exact picture that you see below. What did this picture look like before I edited it? Keep reading....full details below the first picture.
I also provide In the Field Star Photography Workshops where you will shoot at some of my favorite places in the Pacific Northwest.
You can find all my other tutorials at:
Even the best digital cameras on the market such as the Nikon D800 can only pick up a fraction of what the human eye can really see. I start each shot with a RAW picture file, as seen below, and turn it into the work of art displayed above. Using the tools provided in programs such as Adobe Lightroom, Camera RAW and Photoshop we can take the image our camera gives us, add some imagination, and and produce something beautiful.
Follow me on a journey of post processing that will allow you to see and capture the night sky like never before. A quick rundown of everything you need to know is included below...
Follow me on a journey of post processing that will allow you to see and capture the night sky like never before. A quick rundown of everything you need to know is included below...
What You Need to Take this Tutorial
Adobe Lightroom OR Adobe Camera RAW or any other RAW file post processing engine. I use Lightroom 4 in the my tutorial but any RAW processor will serve the function.
Adobe Photoshop 4.0 or higher. I use Photoshop CS5 in the tutorial.
I provide the RAW files and everything else you need to get started!
What You Will Receive with Your Download: 100% Satisfaction Guarantee or your money back
A video file for each tutorial.
the download link for the picture files so you can follow along with me.
Part II of the video tutorial comes with my basic luminosity mask actions for Photoshop. You can use these for star photography or any other type of photography. I personally use and recommend Tony's and hey you even get:
A 16% DISCOUNT on Tony Kuyper's Luminosity Mask Actions which I use to process every one of my shots.
For a short overview of what is covered in each tutorial see the information below. Under that I cover some other awesome tools & words of advice that have helped me to learn star photography.I provide the RAW files and everything else you need to get started!
What You Will Receive with Your Download: 100% Satisfaction Guarantee or your money back
A video file for each tutorial.
the download link for the picture files so you can follow along with me.
Part II of the video tutorial comes with my basic luminosity mask actions for Photoshop. You can use these for star photography or any other type of photography. I personally use and recommend Tony's and hey you even get:
A 16% DISCOUNT on Tony Kuyper's Luminosity Mask Actions which I use to process every one of my shots.
THE COMPLETE COLLECTION: ALL 3 VIDEO TUTORIALS INCLUDED AS DESCRIBED BELOW
( $19.99 )
Under the Stars Ultimate Package Deal
( $24.99 )
Get my Under the Stars Lightroom 4 Presets AND the Complete Collection of my Star Photography Post Processing Video Tutorials for one low price!
Part I: RAW File Conversion & Digital Blending
In this tutorial you will start with a RAW file of the Milky Way (provided with download), as seen above, and follow me on a step by step journey processing the shot in Lightroom. Upon processing the shot in Lightroom and exporting it, we will continue to bring out the best of the night sky with Photoshop digital blending. Not only can you use these skill for star photos, but any kind of photography. I use digital blending for each and every photo I process and promise it will help you out as well.
Part II: Luminosity Masking & Light Control ( Luminosity Mask Actions Included )
Using layer masks in Photoshop, this part of the tutorial will give you a full rundown on how to use luminosity masks to control the different dark and light regions of your picture; allowing the user to gain maximum editing control of any photo. This technique is used by every professional landscape photographer I know, and will send your post processing to the next level. Once again, I provide you with the pictures you need to follow along with me.
Part III: Color Correction & Final Touches
The last part of my star photography tutorial will go over the techniques I use to add color, saturation, and final contrast to my photo. This really makes the photo pop and look absolutely beautiful. Everything is provided with the download, so let's start the journey!
To process the following pictures I used the exact same skill sets that I cover in my tutorials above...
A few pointers for learning the techniques contained in
these tutorials..
In order to fully understand and master each tutorial you
must move in order. It will be very hard to learn the material contained in
Part II without fully understanding everything in Part I.
The pause button is your friend. When I am learning from
tutorials, I constantly pause the video, learn the new method, then continue
with the tutorial.
If possible, use two computers. One of the best learning
tools is having an extra screen to watch the tutorial on, this will cut down on
the confusion from learning a new subject and switching back and forth between
windows.
Last Words of Advice:
The content contained in these tutorials is by no means easy to learn, it took me hours to put these techniques together, let alone learn them for the first time. Do not get discouraged, instead learn as much as you can and continue to learn until you are happy with the results. Over time these techniques will become second nature and you can start to tweak the different methods and allow them to easily integrate into your own workflow:) Keep in mind there is no right or wrong way to process a picture! Along with my tutorial, I highly recommend the content I have provided in the links below.
As always if you have any questions email me, or better yet leave them below so everyone can learn!
Here are some other useful star photography links that I provide on my website.
Online Post Processing Star Photography Workshops
Under the Stars Lightroom Presets
My Free Star Photography Tutorial
Want to learn more about luminosity masks? These tutorials are great!
Tony Kuyper's Luminosity Mask Tutorial
Want to learn more about digital blending and HDR Photography? Check out the link below.
Awesome Tutorials & Useful Links
You can find all of my star photography by following the link below.
My Star Photography Portfolio
Last Words of Advice:
The content contained in these tutorials is by no means easy to learn, it took me hours to put these techniques together, let alone learn them for the first time. Do not get discouraged, instead learn as much as you can and continue to learn until you are happy with the results. Over time these techniques will become second nature and you can start to tweak the different methods and allow them to easily integrate into your own workflow:) Keep in mind there is no right or wrong way to process a picture! Along with my tutorial, I highly recommend the content I have provided in the links below.
As always if you have any questions email me, or better yet leave them below so everyone can learn!
Here are some other useful star photography links that I provide on my website.
Online Post Processing Star Photography Workshops
Under the Stars Lightroom Presets
My Free Star Photography Tutorial
Want to learn more about luminosity masks? These tutorials are great!
Tony Kuyper's Luminosity Mask Tutorial
Want to learn more about digital blending and HDR Photography? Check out the link below.
Awesome Tutorials & Useful Links
You can find all of my star photography by following the link below.
My Star Photography Portfolio
To process the following pictures I used the exact same skill sets that I cover in my tutorials above...
Hi, is this a video tutorial and in which format does it come (PDF, etc)?
ReplyDeleteThanks, Dennis
Hi Dennis, I guess I didn't clarify:) It is all video
ReplyDeleteYes it does @facebook-1292468129:disqus I explain everything verbally throughout the entire tutorial.
ReplyDeleteHi Dave- I know you say your techniques can applied with any RAW processor, however Part I seems to be specific to Lightroom. How useful is the step-by-step video for an Adobe Camera RAW user like me? I have no experience with Lightroom at all. Also, can your Lightroom presets be used in ACR?
ReplyDelete@facebook-1253722648:disqus I learned how to process star pictures in Lightroom 4, then one day I decided to open up ACR and see if I could pull it off in there, within 10 minutes I had learned how to process my star shots with almost the same quality. After using both I have to say that ACR does not touch the power that LR4 has for bringing out the stars. This is why I teach the class in Lightroom. You may have some trouble using ACR and following along, but if you really put your mind to it I am sure you could handle the difference. I highly recommend LR4 as the most powerful RAW converter for star photography. As far as the presets, no I don't plan on ever providing them for ACR, I was thinking about making some for OnOne Perfect Photo Suite tho:)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the response @DaveMorrowPhoto:disqus. I have done some more research, which concurs with your assessment that LR4 is much better for star photography than ACR. I will be buying it and then will buy your tutorial. On a tangential subject, I was in the Anza Borrego desert this weekend and was trying to get some shots of the Milky Way (was targeting just to the left of Orion's belt), however upon initial review they seem less than impressive. Even though there was no moon out and the surrounding area is considered a "dark sky" zone excellent for star photography and astronomy, I don't think I got far enough from our hotel, which appeared to cause light pollution. Since I don't have experience in star photography post processing nor whether what an unedited "good" star picture should look like, I was wondering if you might have a look at the attached raw file and let me know if there is any hope. Much appreciated. Mike
ReplyDeleteOoops, it appears I can't upload .cr2 files.
ReplyDelete@facebook-1253722648:disqus send it to me via https://www.wetransfer.com/ my email is David.R.Morrow32@Gmail.com
ReplyDelete@DaveMorrowPhoto:disqus , I sent you a couple of examples, however after buying your tutorials, it appears mine photos are junk as one can clearly see the Milky Way in your pictures before any post processing. It appears there can be NO ambient light nearby when trying to capture the MW. Any tips? Thanks, Mike
ReplyDelete@facebook-1253722648:disqus if you can not see the Milky Way with your naked eye, there is not a chance of getting a quality shot there will be to much light pollution. My advice is explore your ass off until you find somewhere pitch black, that's my one and only plan of attack that works every single time.
ReplyDeleteOrganizations need to be good at the same weapon their critics use
ReplyDeleteLook into my blog post ... corporate reputation management
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteStudent groups will also see a demonstration about weather broadcasts
ReplyDeleteLook at my website - read this
Thanks for any other informative site. The place else may I am getting that kind of information written in such a
ReplyDeleteperfect way? I have a mission that I am simply now running on,
and I've been at the glance out for such info.
my web page :: klimatyzacja
I don't even know how I ended up here, but I thought this post was great. I do not know who you are but definitely you are going to a famous blogger if you aren't already ;) Cheers!
ReplyDeleteMy blog post; klimatyzacja
To Michael Lauffenburger,
ReplyDeleteMichael, I think you have missed a vital point in your attempt to shoot the Milky Way. You made a comment that you shot just to the left of Orions belt. This is no where near the Milky Way bands which run as a straight line from Cassiopeia in the north to Galactic Center (brightest area and highest concentration of stars) which is located in Sagittarius and the tail of Scorpio. Not only that, but your attempts to take the shot while Orion was in the sky means the Milky Way was not. Orion sets hours before the Milky Way begins to rise. Presently, Sagittarius is rising after midnight.
Really when someone doesn't know after that its up to other users that they will assist, so here it happens.
ReplyDeletemy weblog: klimatyzacja
Hi, I do believe this is a great website. I stumbledupon it ;) I am going to return yet again since I bookmarked it.
ReplyDeleteMoney and freedom is the greatest way to change, may you be rich and continue
to help other people.
Also visit my web blog - lloyds pharmacy
I blog frequently and I genuinely appreciate your information.
ReplyDeleteThis article has truly peaked my interest.
I am going to bookmark your website and keep checking for new information about once a week.
I opted in for your Feed too.
Here is my page; klimatyzacja