STEP BY STEPhttp://www.digitalcameraworld.com AUGUST 2019 DIGITAL CAMERA^77
1
Load up your actions
Copy the DCM 219 Star Trails.atn
file from the disc. Now open
Photoshop CC and go to Window >
Actions. You’ll see the Actions panel appear on-screen. Click
on the four-line icon in the top-right of the panel, and from the
flyout menu, choose Load Actions. Now navigate through your
system to find the DCM 219 Star Trails.atn file you placed on
your computer hard disk: after clicking on it, click Open.
You’ll see the Action Set called DCM 219 Star Trails
appear at the bottom of the list in the Actions panel.3
Blend your trails into a night scene
Press Ctrl/Cmd+A, Ctrl/Cmd+C and Ctrl/Cmd+W to select,
copy and close the star trail. Go to File > Open and load your
night scene (or use Night Barn.jpg). When it’s on-screen, press
Ctrl/Cmd+V to paste in your star trail. Change the layer’s
Blending Mode to Lighten. Now press Ctrl/Cmd+T to enter
Free Transform mode, and drag the star trail into position. To
change its size, drag the corner handles around the bounding
box. If the trails form as dots rather than streaks at the edge
of the picture, click on the layer thumbnail of the star trails
and go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur. Use a Radius of 1-2px.2
Create your star trail image
There are two Actions in the set, which can be expanded or hidden
with the arrow alongside. The Star Trail Creator will generate a
star trail effect from scratch. To run it, simply click on it and click
the Play Selection button (black triangle) at the bottom of the
panel. Alternatively, open a shot you’ve taken of the night sky
(or use Starfield.jpg): when it’s on screen, click the Star Trail
Rotator action, followed by clicking Play Selection. Whichever
route you take, the Action chosen will then take over, and
will create a star trail effect. Don’t worry if nothing happens
immediately – it may take a minute or two to produce the image.4
Mask off the
trails from the foreground
Your star trails will spill over your foreground. To restrict them
to the sky, click the Add Layer Mask icon in the Layers panel.
A white rectangle will appear alongside the star trail’s layer
thumbnail. Press D followed by X to set black as the foreground
colour, and select the Brush Tool (B). Paint over the trails in any
areas you want to hide them. To alter the intensity of your star
trails, click on the layer thumbnail (not the mask), then press
Ctrl/Cmd+M to open Curves. Pull the curve downwards to thin
out the trails, or push the curve up to increase the intensity.