Startrails problem - DPChallenge Forums

Sigma 12-24mm f/4.5-5.6 EX Aspherical DG HSM for Nikon

11/09/2013 08:11:04 PM · #1

I was attending a video workshop and tonight we've had a pizza together. Before eating our teacher/video maker explained how to create a time-lapse video. I already know this technique so I brought my camera and made it.

I'm currently waiting Lightroom files export, but meanwhile I tried to process 90 out of more than 400 files to see if I had the chance to create a stratrails photo as well. The result is ok in the terms of trails but there is a pattern/squares you can see in this photo. I've done it with starstax on my iMac. I usually use Startrails.exe on the PC but I wanted to try the software I have on the iMac. Any clues? Why I got this strange result?

bohemka

Nikon D700

11/09/2013 08:41:17 PM · #2

Nice photo, Alex. My only suggestion would be to open the screen door next time?

pamb

Canon EOS-5D Mark III

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM II

11/09/2013 09:41:06 PM · #3

I thought he'd left the pizza box on it.

vawendy

Sony Alpha 1

Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS

11/10/2013 10:37:42 AM · #4

Originally posted by pamb:

I thought he'd left the pizza box on it.

Naw -- Bohemka looks right, in this case. Definitely looks like a screen door. At least he knew enough to turn off the inside lights!

No screen door? No idea, then. But I'll bump it for ya'.

Message edited by author 2013-11-10 10:38:11.

Garry

Canon EOS-7D

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II

11/10/2013 10:46:26 AM · #5

So, do I have this right...the squares aren't there in the individual photo's, but only there in the combined/merged image?

Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM

11/10/2013 10:55:54 AM · #6

Originally posted by Garry:

So, do I have this right...the squares aren't there in the individual photo's, but only there in the combined/merged image?

Only in the combined ones.

I immediately thought of the pizza box :)

kirbic

Canon EOS R5

Canon RF 24-70 f2.8 L IS

11/10/2013 11:43:26 AM · #7

My first inclination would be to look carefully at the list of source files to make sure that you didn't include something unintentionally.
I do note that the "grid" is not completely level, but tilted right by about 0.7°. Has the image been cropped at all? If not, that tilt might be a clue.

Cory

Canon EOS-1D Mark IV

11/10/2013 12:24:05 PM · #8

Originally posted by kirbic:

I noticed exactly this, then read Kirbic's comment.

Did you rotate this at all? If not, then it's SUPER weird.

If you did rotate/crop this, did you do it before or after the stacking?

(Try this for a test - rotate all of your images 45 degree (yes I know it'll look small cropped), then stack them again, if the grid appears at 45 degrees, then it's in your source files, if it appears at 90, then it's in the processing software..[unlikely if you didn't rotate/crop the image you posted AFTER running the stacker))

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

11/10/2013 12:35:19 PM · #9

I did a crop in Lightroom before the export process. I processed all the files and then copied the settings. I tried to exclude the first files, but I can clearly see how even from the second image the pattern appears.

I'll try to rotate the images, but it will take me a few time and I'm leaving, so I'll give it a try tomorrow.

Thanks guys :)

DrAchoo

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5

11/10/2013 12:35:19 PM · #10

Try doing it manually. Load all the photos on separate layers in Photoshop and set all but the bottom layers to lighten blending mode. If your camera was stable on a tripod it should work fine. You can mask off the land in all but the bottom layer as well to avoid blurring.

Canon 12x IS USM (S3 IS built-in Lens) -- 36-432mm (35mm EQ)

11/10/2013 12:37:59 PM · #11

Originally posted by DrAchoo:

The tripod was stable, the time-lapse is perfect. I didn't want to upload 400+ files, but if there's no solution that's what I'll do :)

GeneralE

Canon PowerShot S3 IS

11/10/2013 12:42:19 PM · #12

Can't help much with the time-lapse of the sky (though I want to try it myself) but I did fix the thread title ... :-)

Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 DL Macro for Nikon

11/10/2013 12:44:37 PM · #13

Originally posted by GeneralE:

Can't help much with the time-lapse of the sky (though I want to try it myself) but I did fix the thread title ... :-)

What did I write? :)

I should sleep more...

Nadine_Vb

Nikon D2X

11/10/2013 01:07:18 PM · #14

Originally posted by Alexkc:

Originally posted by GeneralE:
Can't help much with the time-lapse of the sky (though I want to try it myself) but I did fix the thread title ... :-)

What did I write? :)

I should sleep more...

"statrails" I think it was :)

Made me wonder which new word I would learn today.
But the picture made it clear: I would not extend my English vocabulary today.

GeneralE

Canon PowerShot S3 IS

Canon 12x IS USM (S3 IS built-in Lens) -- 36-432mm (35mm EQ)

11/10/2013 01:25:25 PM · #15

Originally posted by Alexkc:

Originally posted by GeneralE:
... I did fix the thread title ... :-)

What did I write? :)

I should sleep more...

Stratrails -- perhaps guides for moving around high-end electric guitars? :-)

DrAchoo

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

11/10/2013 05:26:46 PM · #16

Originally posted by Alexkc:

Originally posted by DrAchoo:
Try doing it manually. Load all the photos on separate layers in Photoshop and set all but the bottom layers to lighten blending mode. If your camera was stable on a tripod it should work fine. You can mask off the land in all but the bottom layer as well to avoid blurring.

The tripod was stable, the time-lapse is perfect. I didn't want to upload 400+ files, but if there's no solution that's what I'll do :)

Ya. That's a few. Why so many?

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

11/10/2013 05:37:36 PM · #17

Originally posted by DrAchoo:

Originally posted by Alexkc:

Originally posted by DrAchoo:
Try doing it manually. Load all the photos on separate layers in Photoshop and set all but the bottom layers to lighten blending mode. If your camera was stable on a tripod it should work fine. You can mask off the land in all but the bottom layer as well to avoid blurring.

The tripod was stable, the time-lapse is perfect. I didn't want to upload 400+ files, but if there's no solution that's what I'll do :)

Ya. That's a few. Why so many?

The goal was to create a time-lapse and not a startrail photo. The filmmaker was showing that technique for the others attending the workshop but I decided to try mine since I already knew how to do a time-lapse. We were beside the pizzeria where we were going to eat, so we left the cameras there and went to eat. In 3 hours the cameras took a lot of shots ^_^

Tomorrow I'll show you the video sequence.

DrAchoo

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5

11/10/2013 06:08:49 PM · #18

Ah. That makes perfect sense.

alohadave

Pentax K-5

Pentax DA 16-45mm f/4.0 ED AL AF

11/10/2013 10:41:35 PM · #19

Originally posted by Alexkc:

Originally posted by Garry:
So, do I have this right...the squares aren't there in the individual photo's, but only there in the combined/merged image?

Only in the combined ones.

I immediately thought of the pizza box :)

It's likely something that StarStax is doing. I've found that the Startrails (//www.startrails.de/html/software.html) application does something similar, but much finer. Which is part of why I stopped using it.

11/11/2013 02:12:24 AM · #20

Originally posted by alohadave:

Originally posted by Alexkc:

Originally posted by Garry:
So, do I have this right...the squares aren't there in the individual photo's, but only there in the combined/merged image?

Only in the combined ones.

I immediately thought of the pizza box :)

It's likely something that StarStax is doing. I've found that the Startrails (//www.startrails.de/html/software.html) application does something similar, but much finer. Which is part of why I stopped using it.

I tried that but I got the same squares :/

rezolution101

01/07/2014 04:39:11 PM · #21

Little late to the party on this one, but i was having the exact same problem with a grid showing up after starstax processing. My images looked the same as the one Alexkc posted. After much consternation i figured it out. When using lightroom or any other program to make corrections before exporting images as jpegs, or tiff, make sure you do not crop or rotate the image, or do anything to play with the geometry of the image...do that step after starstax deals with the images. I found that if i didn't crop/rotate beforehand then the images no longer contained that annoying grid pattern. Hope that helps, good luck!