First attempt at stacking Milky Way photos – Looking for advice before my next session!
Hi everyone,
Yesterday I did my very first attempt at stacking astrophotography images. The goal wasn't to get an amazing final image, but rather to learn the workflow before my next session, where I'd like to photograph the Milky Way above an old house.
Here's the gear I used:
- Sony A7 III
- Samyang 18mm f/2.8
- Tripod
- Intervalometer
- Sequator for stacking
Camera settings
- Aperture: f/2.8
- ISO: 3600
- Exposure: 20 seconds (Bulb mode)
Intervalometer settings:
- Delay: 2 s
- Long: 20 s
- Interval: 3 s
- Number of shots: 40
At the end of the session, I also captured 20 dark frames by putting the lens cap on while keeping exactly the same settings.
I then loaded everything into Sequator.
First results
My first stacked image honestly looked pretty disappointing.
After reading another Reddit post, someone suggested that instead of feeding the RAW files directly into Sequator, I should first import them into Lightroom, export them as 16-bit TIFFs, and then stack those in Sequator.
While doing that, I also adjusted the white balance (although I'm not sure if that's actually something I should be doing before stacking).
The second result was definitely a bit better, but I'm still somewhat disappointed. Even after editing the final stack in Lightroom, I can recover a little more detail, but nothing particularly impressive.
So I'd really appreciate some feedback on my workflow.
A few questions:
- Does my overall workflow make sense, or am I doing something wrong?
- Should Lightroom adjustments be done before or after stacking?
- Is Sequator good enough for someone at my level, or would another stacking program make a noticeable difference for wide-field Milky Way shots?
- Are 40 light frames enough, or should I aim for 80–100+?
- Are dark frames sufficient, or should I also be taking flats (and maybe bias frames)?
- Is ISO 3600 a reasonable choice? Would increasing the ISO capture more signal, with the extra noise being reduced through stacking? Or is it actually better to stay at a lower ISO?
One last question about exposure time:
I initially used the 500 rule, which suggested about 27 seconds with an 18mm lens. Then I checked the NPF rule, which suggested something closer to 20–25 seconds, so I chose 20 seconds.
However, I'm still getting slightly elongated stars—they're more oval than perfectly round. Is that expected with this setup, or should I shorten the exposure even further (maybe 15–18 seconds)?
My main goal is to learn and improve before my next Milky Way shoot, so I'd really appreciate any advice, corrections, or suggestions. Even if I'm making beginner mistakes, I'd love to know what I can improve.
Thanks in advance!