Photographing and Assembling a Lunar Eclipse Composite

Learn how to shoot a lunar eclipse and create a composite photo showing all of its phases in a single image, using Lightroom and Photoshop.

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.

Introduction

• Welcome
• What you should know before watching this course
• Using the exercise files

1. Planning and Preparation

• Camera considerations for eclipse photography
• Lens considerations for eclipse photography
• Other essential equipment
• Planning test shoots to evaluate exposure and interval times
• Choosing a location

2. On Location: Shooting the Eclipse

• Focusing procedures for sharp night photography
• Adjusting the exposure of the moon during the shoot
• Shooting the landscape elements
• Using a second camera to get a reference for the position of the moon

3. Processing the Moon Shots

• Evaluating focus and exposure of the moon shots
• Processing images in Lightroom or Camera Raw
• Opening raw shots as layers in Photoshop
• Choosing the best shots to refine the moon sequence
• Selecting the moon and removing the background
• Creating an evenly spaced sequence
• Prepping the position-reference sequence

4. Processing the Foreground Landscape Image

• Merging two landscapes into a panorama
• Creating a selection mask for the sky
• Adjusting tone and color for night
• Adding a new sky
• Perfecting the sky mask

5. Adding the Moon Sequence to the Landscape

• Modifying the moon sequence
• Adding the sequence layers to the landscape
• Using reference shots to determine the correct moon path
• Creating a guide layer for the moon arc
• Making final adjustments to the moon sequence
• Making final tonal adjustments to the moon
• Making final tonal adjustments to the landscape

Conclusion

• Next steps