Photographing and Assembling a Lunar Eclipse Composite (2015)

WEBRip | English | MP4 | 1280 x 720 | AVC ~502 kbps | 15 fps

AAC | 128 Kbps | 44.1 KHz | 1 channel | 02:43:53 | 928.1 MB

Genre: Video Tutorial / Photographing

A lunar eclipse is a relatively common astronomical event that always brings out the cameras and the long telephoto lenses. But the next time a lunar eclipse comes around, go beyond just taking a close-up of a darkened moon. Create a composite that shows the phases of the eclipse—and better still, shows the composite in the context of the landscape underneath it.

That's what photographer and educator Seán Duggan did, and in this course, he deconstructs his photographic steps and post-processing procedures.

The course begins with advice on how to plan and photograph the eclipse, with the right gear, the right focusing techniques, and the right exposure. Next, Seán evaluates the images in Lightroom, and then dives into Photoshop and shows how to composite each image into a finished photo. Along the way, he explores blend modes, layer masking, and other compositing techniques.

Content:

Introduction

3m 22s

Welcome

1m 7s

What you should know before watching this course

1m 36s

Using the exercise files

39s

1. Planning and Preparation

18m 37s

Camera considerations for eclipse photography

1m 24s

Lens considerations for eclipse photography

3m 13s

Other essential equipment

4m 21s

Planning test shoots to evaluate exposure and interval times

3m 38s

Choosing a location

6m 1s

2. On Location: Shooting the Eclipse

14m 50s

Focusing procedures for sharp night photography

4m 11s

Adjusting the exposure of the moon during the shoot

3m 42s

Shooting the landscape elements

5m 11s

Using a second camera to get a reference for the position of the moon

1m 46s

3. Processing the Moon Shots

46m 24s

Evaluating focus and exposure of the moon shots

6m 34s

Processing images in Lightroom or Camera Raw

9m 47s

Opening raw shots as layers in Photoshop

7m 26s

Choosing the best shots to refine the moon sequence

5m 56s

Selecting the moon and removing the background

8m 38s

Creating an evenly spaced sequence

4m 38s

Prepping the position-reference sequence

3m 25s

4. Processing the Foreground Landscape Image

39m 9s

Merging two landscapes into a panorama

8m 14s

Creating a selection mask for the sky

6m 37s

Adjusting tone and color for night

8m 33s

Adding a new sky

5m 58s

Perfecting the sky mask

9m 47s

5. Adding the Moon Sequence to the Landscape

39m 52s

Modifying the moon sequence

6m 56s

Adding the sequence layers to the landscape

3m 13s

Using reference shots to determine the correct moon path

4m 55s

Creating a guide layer for the moon arc

5m 14s

Making final adjustments to the moon sequence

5m 34s

Making final tonal adjustments to the moon

7m 23s

Making final tonal adjustments to the landscape

6m 37s

Conclusion

1m 21s

Next steps

1m 21s