stacking pics for long exposures -

[stuttgart1837]

how can you achieve stacking pics for long exposures in photoshop. i heard that it was a long process.

i have seen people post their long expos with brilliant results. how can i do that. my basic need is to capture streaks of stars and traffic.
another question would be - how long should i wait to take the next exposure during the series of long exposures that i would be taking.

and during those shots i also found it very hard to focus manually in the dark. how do focus to get a sharp image of stars at night.

thanks for reading my query, and thank you very much for replying to it

 

[TheReef]

how can you achieve stacking pics for long exposures in photoshop. i heard that it was a long process.

i have seen people post their long expos with brilliant results. how can i do that. my basic need is to capture streaks of stars and traffic.
another question would be - how long should i wait to take the next exposure during the series of long exposures that i would be taking.

and during those shots i also found it very hard to focus manually in the dark. how do focus to get a sharp image of stars at night.

thanks for reading my query, and thank you very much for replying to it

For focusing on very distant objects, just slide the manual focus ring to infinite.


I'm not sure how one would blend many short exposures in Photoshop, I'd generally just get all it in one exposure.
I'll guess, saying each image would be a layer, and you erase out the common pixels on each layer leaving the ones that change with varying opacities.

For long exposures, put the camera in Tv (shutter priority) mode and choose a long shutter speed.
Alternatively just leave it in Aperture priority and bring your ISO down to it's lowest and adjust the aperture until your meter gives you the shutter speed you want.

For longer exposures (eg star trails), you can use bulb mode, and a cable switch that has a shutter lock feature. Put the camera on a tripod and let it capture for hours.

 

[BertyBoy]

Read the manual for your camera.

Multiple exposures in the same shot has been standard on my Nikon cameras for many, many years.