Complete Milky Way Tutorial For Beginners

In this video I show how to photograph the Milky Way from scratch using a DSLR camera with a kit lens and a Rokinon 24mm lens. I also photograph the Milky Way with my phone. I cover topics such as planning apps, location scouting, camera settings, stacking, and processing.
www.lightpollutionmap.info
Sequator: sites.google.com/view/sequato...
Starry Landscape Stacker: apps.apple.com/us/app/starry-...
Support me on Patreon: www.patreon.com/user?u=58719176
Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:53 Cameras and Lenses
02:16 Planning Apps
03:16 What time of year to shoot the Milky Way
03:46 Stellarium
05:05 When and where to shoot
05:55 Astrospheric
08:13 Light Pollution Map
08:39 Clear Outside App
09:32 Camera Settings Yay!
13:33 Calculating exposure time with Photo Pills
15:49 Tripod
16:18 Location Scouting and framing with Photo Pills
17:45 My Practice Spot
19:20 Focus on the stars
19:53 Shooting with 18-55mm kit lens
20:22 Shooting with the Rokinon 24mm
20:54 Shooting with a Samsung Galaxy Phone
22:21 Stacking
25:20 Processing Intro
25:45 Stacking in Sequator
27:38 Stacking with Starry Landscape Stacker
29:30 Editing in Lightroom
34:04 Outro
35:03 Final Images

[@bakerfx4968]

I’m not a ‘beginner’ anymore I just like your content!

[@deltaastrophotography]

Thank you! I try my best to make content for all skill levels.

[@jbruner4263]

Without a doubt the best comprehensive guide for photographing the Milky Way. This will be my goto guide I use to prepare for my shoots. Thanks for the great video!

[@deltaastrophotography]

Haha! Thanks!

[@NunyaBizness2k]

Welcome back Walt - we missed you!

[@deltaastrophotography]

I missed all of you wonderful people too! It's great to be back!

[@NunyaBizness2k]

@@deltaastrophotography seriously Walt your work and wit got me through some very dark times. I also learned all my astro from you. Thanks again.

[@boneknacker]

Brilliant Walt! as ever, great educational value and entertaining as well, my night photography has come on leaps and bounds since discovering you. You truly show what is possible with basic kit!

[@ashishsinojia3793]

Great to see another Milky Way video! Your work is always amazing. It's been a while since your last post-hope everything is going well with you! Love from India 🇮🇳

[@deltaastrophotography]

Things are great. I just got really busy with my job and wasn't able to make a video for a while. It's good to be filming again.

[@andylevel]

Brand new beginner here. Absolutely love your content. Learning so much and your videos are extremely enjoyable.

[@deltaastrophotography]

I'm so glad you are able to get something out of this madness!

[@ianmacdonald2307]

Great to see you back. I continue to learn from you (one of the best on YT) 🤝

[@craiglowery4427]

I always learn from you Walt and you make it fun

[@deltaastrophotography]

Thank you! I try not to make this technical hobby too boring.

[@jesuschrist2284]

Glad you're back, ty for another great video

[@Wheeljack678]

The value of your videos are next level. Not only in terms of education, but also entertainment. Keep it up for as long as you have fun making these.

[@MichelleEagan]

Love your videos, they help alot and straight forward and to the point.

[@ld1897]

I think you've done a few of these milky way tutorial, and I'm truly grateful you up date it every now and then, with new apps and tricks. Really well done!

[@deltaastrophotography]

Always trying to learn something new.

[@One_Bar]

The irony that I took my 15 Pro Max out last night to shoot the Milky Way, got some great shots on the stock camera app, and was coming here for the editing video and see this xD Since I have Sequator, I might actually try some phone stacks.

[@mariopereira8261]

It's good to see you again Walt with nightscape photography. I want to see these desert photos soon

[@kpravinkumar]

Thanks for sharing such beautiful information....Love from India

[@unknownspot1306]

Love this video, the edtiting part was the most interesting for me

[@gilgemash]

Wow! I like your roll top desk!

[@robertsipes7391]

Really enjoyed this. I've been following you for some time now. Can't wait to try this out! Thanks for sharing!

[@211milkman]

The lens correction works only on un-stacked images. I'll usually import them to lightroom first before stacking. Then I'll use the lens correction on the first image and maybe a few other tweaks. Then sync them to the other images. Then I'll export them to a file on the desktop for Sequator to stack. Just a little extra step to keep in mind. Great video Walt. Glad to see you going back to your roots. Clear skies!!!!!!

[@deltaastrophotography]

Thank you! That makes sense.

[@bobar84c]

still keep 'em raw for stacking ?

[@jojogivens7475]

Hey Walt, good to see, it's been a while since you posted the video.

[@deltaastrophotography]

I know! I had to pretty much work non-stop in April and May. Things are going back to normal now.

[@geckoram6286]

This is a great video, your channel was the first one I found last year when seeing what astrophotography was and it was great. Apart from that, how many instruments do you have??? A flute, guitar, piano, AN OTOMATONE, man you've got everything

[@tullyfisher]

Great tutorial Walt! Clear skies

[@deltaastrophotography]

Thanks! Clear skies to you as well!

[@privateprivate8244]

Can definitely identify with going street light ninja. Always informative always entertaining.

[@keithhanssen7413]

You can bring up the clock in Stellarium and click to change time and date faster.

[@jillratanapan2606]

As usual, informative, descriptive and easy to follow along. Thank you so much for another awesome video!

[@ivanpierce479]

Great breakdown. Thank you

[@GardenAstronomy]

Thank you so much! This is a great help.

[@alancandy7569]

Great to see you back Walt. Another fantastic tutorial. Thanks,

[@deltaastrophotography]

Thank YOU!

[@eyemazing1]

This is great!!!! Thank you!!!

[@invader_viv]

I actually saw your older videos just a year ago when I was waiting for my DSLR to arrive, also I have the s21 lol

[@robertcranford6434]

Walt!!! Miss you guys! Love the videos!!! Good stuff bro

[@deltaastrophotography]

Thanks man! Come see us some time!

[@wilsonxyz92]

If you using DSLR for long exposure shot, don't forget to close your rear viewfinder. Canon and Nikon provide rear viewfinder cover in the box (or built in the camera). The cover will prevent light leaking to the sensor from the viewfinder, especially when you use headlamp 😃

[@deltaastrophotography]

Oh yeah! Good advise! I usually keep all of that off when I'm not making videos.

[@AmatureAstronomer]

Nice.

[@souldrago8462]

great video....love from Pakistan

[@roadjook2743]

Thank you for posting good videos often. I'm using a Sony A7R4 camera, The lens uses a Samyang 14mm wide-angle lens. By the way. When you take pictures of star trajectories or the Milky Way and look at the results, moiré often happens. I wonder if there is a way to prevent moiré phenomenon, or if there is a solution to remove it. Please understand that the question may be wrong because it was translated into a translator and written. Thank you.

[@dw.in.michigan]

Sounds like that Rokinon 24mm F1.4 is a newer lens for you. You'll really enjoy it. I have the cine version of it, so a declicked aperture. I've noticed I can't typically shoot wide open with mine, or that I have to decrease the exposure time. The sweet spot for mine is about F1.8-2.0. I've found that my cine lenses are more forgiving with focus - a slight bump won't throw the focus off. The lens not showing up in LR is also something I've experienced intermittently. I keep it up-to-date, so I don't know what gives. If you figure it out, please do a KZbin Short video on it.

[@deltaastrophotography]

I'm loving this lens and I'll talk more about it in my next video about shooting in the desert. I used f/2.0 with the star tracker and it turned out great! And someone in the comments mentioned why the lens didn't show up in LR. For me it was because the image was stacked already.

[@GediAstro]

Nice :) I envy your Bortle 3 :)

[@SilverLoggerhead]

❤❤❤

[@Olbensen]

Hey Walt! Would you consider doing a video on PC specs needed in a post processing Astro computer?

[@deltaastrophotography]

That's not a bad idea!

[@user-qg3zh7pe3z]

How’s everybody doing today?

[@jesuschrist2284]

Pretty good ty. Just taken my best image so far and its partly thanks to walt :)

[@superearth5256]

Can you please capture stephan's quintet other targets like ring nebula crab nebula etc

[@jackthair8311]

I use Ventusky

[@Schabik1990]

How much dark frames You need to do? Is it the same quantity as the light frames? So 80LF=80DF with the same Aperture, Shutter Speed and ISO?

[@deltaastrophotography]

For dark frames i usually take about half the amount of my light frames for Milky Way. With Deep Sky stuff I always take thirty. I usually don't bother with any more than thirty.

[@jobluer7119]

Hi Walt, do you find just using dark frames ok. Or would the overall result be better with bias and flats included?

[@kevinashley478]

Hey Walt. Quick question. I have tried multiple intervelometers, but every time i go over 1 minute, it will take the shot, but when it starts the 2nd, it changes to 99:59:59 and starts counting down. I have followed yours, and others, on how to set up the intervelometer, i have used multiple different ones, and they all do the same thing. I can get it to work just fine at 00:00:59 but as soon as it goes to 00:01:00, it does what i said. Any ideas?

[@kevinashley478]

I do use Magic Lantern now, or the SA2i app, and that works just fine. It only gives me problems with an external intervalometer.

[@josephbradley7216]

I have a Canon t7 and I have trouble getting bright stars to appear on my live view. My way around that is to focus on the only thing around which is a lit up window that is a little bit of distance from me but I'd really love to do it the "right" way. Also how do you frame up your shot? I usually set my iso all the way up and use 10 seconds or so for my shutter speed and then take a photo and adjust it until I've got it framed up but there HAS to be a better way!

[@deltaastrophotography]

I have the hardest time with my t5i. I sometimes use distant street lights or towers to get me close. Then I search around for a star.

[@josephbradley7216]

@@deltaastrophotography I've tried to just "adapt" and figure out ways around whatever my problem may be. The framing thing like I say I take a short exposure and then reframe and try again. I'd love to have a teacher or someone I could watch in person and ask questions. If I'm not mistaken didn't you do a video collaboration with "AstroDanno"? I like his content and hope he sticks with it and succeeds!

[@kevinashley478]

Hey walt, i found a 135mm F2.8 manual lens on Temu. It claims to have 2 ED glass elements. How can i verify that?

[@kevinashley478]

Also, i have a cellphone, android, that came with pro controls AND takes imafes in RAW format. Can you take longer exposures than the preset times (8,15, 25 seconds, etc)? Would you still need calibration frames? How do you figure out the FL and Aperture for a cellphone camera?

[@noreaction1]

How do you figure how many exposures to take? Do you just take extra and hope for the best? Or is there a calculation you can make based on how much light is being emitted vs how much light you capture per pixel? In other words, how do you know if it would be better to take thirty 5 second exposures vs five 30 second exposures, vs something in the middle (assuming you won’t get the streaks either way, and assuming your lens is sharp at all settings)?

[@deltaastrophotography]

I like to take longer exposures instead of many short ones. I like to get the photo as bright as possible before post. And I try to think of how many minutes I want on the Milky Way. Usually 5 to ten minutes is good for me, so that's how I decided how many photos to take.

[@unixHR81]

hi...whats the best way to stack the raw files if they're CR3s? Sequator only supports CR2s...should I save them as TIFFs and then do the stacking or what? Thank you very much :)

[@Bozozaclown]

What settings should I use to bring cat back in?

[@deltaastrophotography]

Probably f/4

[@jesuschrist2284]

No flats or biases needed for this?

[@deltaastrophotography]

Only if you have a lens with really bad vignetting. But most of the time they aren't needed. Just push up the vignetting slider in Lightroom or Camera Raw Filter in Photoshop and you are good to go.

[@jesuschrist2284]

@@deltaastrophotography cheers i hope to give this a go sometime next month or two. Bortle6 but no harm in tryin :)

[@DS-iu9ut]

When I started, I had to use what was free, couldn't afford pay software

[@haxexd2830]

walt im in love with you

[@pksacoma]

well done