Tutorial: Milky Way Night Photography

A tutorial for capturing and processing Milky Way photographs, covering planning, camera settings, and RAW processing in Camera Raw. Created to help photographers of all levels capture stunning night sky images.

PART 1: PLANNING AND CAPTURING THE PHOTOGRAPH

Before going out to take photos, it is very important that we take into account certain details, such as the date where the Milky Way is seen from our hemisphere, the phase of the moon, that it is not cloudy, and a place with little light pollution.

1. Pre-Planning

Moon Phase and Season

1. New moon or close to it (maximum small crescent) to avoid natural light pollution
2. Northern Hemisphere: The Milky Way is most visible from March to October, with July-August being optimal
3. Southern Hemisphere: From February to October, with March-April being ideal

Locating the Milky Way

Use mobile apps to plan where and when it will appear:

1. PhotoPills (most complete, paid)
2. Stellarium (free, very accurate)
3. Star Walk 2 (simple and intuitive)

These apps show in augmented reality where the Milky Way will be at any time, allowing you to plan the perfect composition.

Location Selection

1. Look for areas with low light pollution (check maps like lightpollutionmap.info or darksitefinder.com)
2. Find a point of interest in the foreground (tree, building, mountain, rock formation, etc.)
3. Arrive before sunset to explore the location and compose your shot in daylight
4. Consider safety: let someone know where you'll be

2. Required Equipment

Essential:

1. Camera with manual mode
2. Wide-angle lens (the faster, the better)
3. Stable tripod (crucial for long exposures)
4. Flashlight or headlamp (for focusing and moving safely)
5. Remote shutter release or timer (to avoid camera shake)

Recommended:

1. Memory cards with sufficient space (RAW files are large)
2. Extra batteries (cold weather and long exposures drain them quickly)
3. Warm clothing (nights can be very cold even in summer)
4. Seat or mat (there will be waiting times)
5. Food and hot drinks

PART 2: TAKING THE PHOTOGRAPH

Before taking the photo, we must adjust the camera correctly and, in addition, after taking each photo, we must check that the photograph has been taken correctly and is clear.

3. Camera Configuration

Manual Focus

Autofocus doesn't work in darkness, so:

Flashlight Method:

1. Place a flashlight 5-15 meters away
2. Activate Live View on your camera
3. Switch to manual focus (MF)
4. Zoom in to maximum on the LCD screen
5. Manually focus until the light appears sharp
6. Some photographers mark the focus ring position with tape

Alternative Method: Focus on a bright star or visible planet using maximum Live View zoom.

Exposure Settings

My Configuration (real example):

1. Camera: Canon EOS 1100D
2. Lens: Canon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6
3. Focal Length Used: 18mm
4. Aperture: f/3.5 (maximum aperture at 18mm)
5. Shutter Speed: 30 seconds
6. ISO: 800
7. Format: RAW

General Configuration (adapt to your equipment):

Mode: Manual (M)

Format: RAW (essential for post-processing)

Aperture:

1. Use the widest aperture of your lens (smallest f/ number)
2. Common examples:
3. f/1.4, f/1.8, f/2.0 → Fast lenses (ideal)
4. f/2.8, f/3.5 → Standard lenses (acceptable)
5. f/4.0 or higher → You'll need to compensate with higher ISO

Shutter Speed - Rule of 500: To prevent star trails (due to Earth's rotation):

500 ÷ Focal Length = Maximum Exposure Seconds

Examples:

1. 500 ÷ 18mm = 27 seconds → use 25-30"
2. 500 ÷ 24mm = 20 seconds → use 20"
3. 500 ÷ 35mm = 14 seconds → use 15"
4. 500 ÷ 50mm = 10 seconds → use 10"

Note: With APS-C sensor cameras (like Canon EOS 1100D), some photographers use the rule of 300 to be more conservative.

ISO:

1. Depends on your aperture and exposure time
2. Typical range: 800-3200
3. Start with ISO 1600 and adjust based on results:
4. Photo too dark → Increase ISO
5. Photo too bright or too noisy → Decrease ISO
6. Modern cameras handle ISO 3200-6400 well

Other Settings:

1. White Balance: 3400-4000K (Tungsten), though it can be adjusted later in RAW
2. Long Exposure Noise Reduction: OFF (takes time and removes detail)
3. Image Stabilizer: OFF (when using tripod it can cause vibrations)
4. Mirror Lock-up: If your camera has this option, activate it

4. Step-by-Step Capture Process

1. Mount the tripod very stably at your chosen location
2. Compose the scene with your point of interest and where the Milky Way will be (use apps)
3. Focus following the flashlight or bright star method
4. Configure exposure parameters (maximum aperture, time according to rule 500, initial ISO)
5. Take a test shot to verify:
6. Correct focus (zoom image to 100% and check stars)
7. Correct exposure (check histogram)
8. Composition
9. Adjust if necessary (mainly ISO and time)
10. Use remote release or 2-10 second timer to avoid shake when pressing the button
11. Take multiple shots with slight variations for safety
12. Check the histogram: should have information across the entire range without clipping at the extremes

PART 3: PROCESSING IN CAMERA RAW

Once you have your RAW files, it's time to develop them. Here's the complete process:

1. Open Your RAW File in Camera Raw

1. From Photoshop: File > Open > Select your .CR2 (Canon) or .NEF (Nikon) file, etc.
2. Camera Raw will open automatically

Quick Option: Auto Edit

Camera Raw includes an automatic editing function that can serve as a starting point:

1. Look for the "Auto" button in the Basic panel (next to the Exposure controls)
2. When clicked, the program analyzes your image and applies automatic adjustments
3. Advantages: Can give you a solid base to continue editing manually
4. Tip: Use "Auto" as inspiration and then customize values to your taste
5. Not all automatic edits work equally well, but it's worth trying

2. Basic Panel - Fundamental Adjustments

Temperature and Tint

1. Adjust the white balance to get the color you like best
2. More blue (low temperature 3000-3800K): cooler, more spatial look
3. More purple/magenta (add tint toward magenta): purple tones in the Milky Way
4. Recommendation: Try different combinations until you find your style

Exposure and Tones

Adjust these controls according to your specific image:

1. Exposure: Increase if the photo came out dark (normally +0.5 to +1.5)
2. Contrast: Add contrast to separate the Milky Way from the sky (+10 to +30)
3. Highlights: Lower to recover details in bright areas (-20 to -50)
4. Shadows: Raise to reveal details in the foreground (+30 to +70)
5. Whites: Adjust the brightest stars (+10 to +30)
6. Blacks: Intensify the deep sky (-10 to -30)

Trick: Hold down Alt/Option while moving Whites and Blacks to see clipping (blown/blocked areas).

Presence

1. Texture: Increase to give more definition to the stars (+20 to +50)
2. This control is key to making stars sharper and more defined
3. Clarity: Add carefully for more punch (+10 to +25)
4. Don't overdo it or halos will appear around stars
5. Vibrance: Raise to enhance the subtle colors of the Milky Way (+20 to +40)
6. Saturation: Adjust moderately to avoid over-saturation (+5 to +15)
7. Better to use Vibrance than Saturation for more natural colors

3. Detail Panel - Sharpening and Noise Reduction

Sharpening

1. Amount: Increase to define the star scene more (40-70)
2. Radius: Keep low for small stars (0.8-1.2)
3. Detail: Raise to capture fine details (30-50)
4. Masking: Hold Alt/Option and adjust to sharpen only the stars

Noise Reduction

1. Luminance: Reduce noise while maintaining detail (20-40 for high ISOs)
2. Color: Remove color blotches (25-50)
3. Luminance Detail: Keep high to preserve stars (50-70)

4. Optional Advanced Adjustments

Tone Curve Panel

1. Create a slight S-curve for more selective contrast
2. Lift midtones for the Milky Way

HSL/Color Panel

1. Adjust individual channels (blues, magentas, oranges) to refine colors
2. Useful for enhancing galactic core color (oranges and yellows)

Lens Correction

1. Enable "Remove Chromatic Aberration"
2. Enable "Enable Profile Corrections" to correct vignetting and distortion

5. Save Your Final Image

1. Click "Open Image" (opens in Photoshop) or "Done" (saves changes to RAW)
2. If opened in Photoshop:
3. File > Save As
4. Format: JPEG
5. Quality: 10-12 (maximum quality)
6. Select color profile: sRGB (for web) or Adobe RGB (for print)
7. Also save a copy of the RAW file with settings for future edits