This repository contains tools for making time lapse/stacked photos. I mostly use these to produce images from long exposure night time star captures.
Tools:
- ImageMagick
- Enfuse Enblend
- Hugin
References:
- https://patdavid.net/2013/01/focus-stacking-macro-photos-enfuse.html
- https://patdavid.net/2013/05/noise-removal-in-photos-with-median_6.html
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81krjG0_S2I
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExQDiLaTzBA
- https://milkywaymike.com/
- mogrify vs convert https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2015/06/efficient-image-resizing-with-imagemagick/
Workflow:
I use either a remote shutter control, or I use Av mode on a Canon 80D camera. My lenses:
- 8mm Altura f/3.0
- 10-22mm Canon EF-S f/3.5
The settings that matter most:
- Av Mode
- manual focus, use Live View to pixel peep and verify Hyperfocal length setting and then switch to MF
- spot metering (depending on the setting, i frequently have city lights in the frame and they can darken it otherwise)
- over expose by 2-3 stops
- auto iso 100-400 or sometimes 800
- JPG-L output only
I let it take images overnight and then the next morning download them into a directory and use:
- check for washed out images, usually after dawn it starts to wash out due to direct sun, I delete these
- remove any images where the cloud cover is too much/foggy
- check for blurry images due to fog/rain
- look at first few images to make sure any test images aren't in the batch
- run star_trails.sh
- checkout all_combined* for total star trail output
- if desired pair down the combined_* images to have fewer images based on the desire trail output
Output Artifacts:
- all_combined_: a combination of all the IMG_ images with the brightest pixels from each
- combined_: takes ten IMG_ images and makes them into one image with the brightest pixels from each
- trail_: same as above but uses the 'trailing' ten images to create moving trails in the trail_ movies
- random_: takes random images from combined and trail to produce interesting morse code star trails
- movies/: creates animations from serializing each image into a movie
Open Issues:
- lots of online research seems to indicate that RAW/CR2 images are better for night photography, these don't work well with the tools in these scripts and are huge
- figure out how to get it to over-expose at night but not the next morning for stars and sunrise
Research:
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunny_16_rule
- iso 100 5/16 1/100 1/125
- 200 f/16 200 250
- 400 16 400 500
- vary aperture to meter
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Looney_11_rule
- iso 100 f/11 1/100 or 1/125
- 200 11 200 250
- 400 11 400 500
- vary aperture to meter
- http://www.outdoorphotoacademy.com/slow-shutter-speed/
- 10mm = 1/10th/s
- 200mm = 1/200th/s
- http://www.outdoorphotoacademy.com/turn-off-image-stabilization-using-tripod/
- turn off IS on a tripod
- https://www.lightstalking.com/how-to-photograph-the-moon/
- https://www.lightstalking.com/how-to-focus-in-low-light/
- https://photographylife.com/landscapes/how-to-photograph-moon
- https://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-find-and-use-hyperfocal-distance-for-sharp-backgrounds/
- http://www.outdoorphotoacademy.com/applying-focus-techniques/
- http://www.outdoorphotoacademy.com/example-water-super-fast-shutter-speed/