Remember that it is meant to be white, against a dark background, so if you’re trying to retain the proper colors, don’t go crazy with any color adjustments. Try adjusting the clarity, dehaze and whites sliders to make the Milky Way pop a bit more. If you are comfortable using radial gradients, then they can be fantastic for adding some extra touches to the final result. We usually decrease the highlights and increase the contrast and shadows a little, to really being out the details of the dust lanes and bright spots in the Milky Way. You will almost certainly need to increase the exposure, and we usually find shots need to be pushed by one or two stops. Somewhere between 4000k-5000K usually works well. This is something you can only do if you’ve shot raw files - JPEG shooters are stuck with the setting from the camera - and can make a huge difference to the colors in an image. The first thing to do after importing files is to adjust the white balance. And check out our reviews of the best photo editing apps. Remember editing is very much a personal preference, so do not be afraid to experiment. Most digital photos, and all raw images, will benefit from editing, and this is especially true of those attempting to capture the Milky Way. (Image credit: Stuart Cornell) Editing your Milky Way photos Zoom in and, as soon as the stars become ovals, you know you have gone too far. Alternatively, a little trial and error can be applied - keep adjusting the shutter speed and checking the resulting picture. Use 500 divided by your lens’ focal length (for full frame, try 300 for crop-frame) to get the maximum exposure time to avoid trailing. Your shutter speed is important, as if you leave it open for too long the stars will start to trail, especially at the edges of the frame. We have a guide to reducing noise in astrophotography, if you need it. ISO 1600-6400 is usually used by Milky Way shooters, but remember that the higher the ISO the more noise you will get, though some modern mirrorless cameras have made remarkable strides in producing clean high-ISO images. If this is f/2, and you are in an area with a little light pollution, then we would recommend starting with f/2, ISO 3200 and 15 seconds. Your exact settings will vary night by night, but you need to always use the widest/fastest (lowest f/ number) aperture your lens will allow. (Image credit: Tom Ormerod) Basic settings for shooting the Milky Way When you are using a zoom lens, you will almost always need to refocus if you change the focal length. Alternatively, if you know the exact infinity focus point on your lens you could use that, but be sure to check it’s right. Pick a bright star (or very distant light), use any sort of focus zoom you can (most cameras have this) and adjust the focus until the star/light appears as small as possible. You will almost certainly need to learn manual focus, which can be quite a barrier for some people, though digital cameras help immensely thanks to the screen on the back which means you don’t have to contort to peer through the viewfinder. Mount your camera on the tripod - not always easy in the dark when the camera, lens and tripod are all colored black - and practice focusing on the stars in the dark. It can be a good idea to practice the basic process in the dark in your garden or somewhere close to home before heading out. Set your camera to Manual (M) mode, make sure you are shooting in raw, and turn your screen brightness down to its minimum. This saves much fumbling about in the dark while possibly wearing gloves. (Image credit: Tom Omerod) Get your set-up rightīefore you leave the house, get your camera ready.
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