{"id":289,"date":"2025-03-19T20:29:29","date_gmt":"2025-03-19T12:29:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shirui.me\/blog\/?p=289"},"modified":"2025-03-30T23:54:15","modified_gmt":"2025-03-30T15:54:15","slug":"hdr-moon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shirui.me\/blog\/2025\/03\/19\/hdr-moon\/","title":{"rendered":"HDR Moon 03-19-2025"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Technical Approach:<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Preparation of Source Images<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    \n
  • Capture Three Photos:<\/strong>\n
      \n
    • Full Moon:<\/strong> Take a clear photograph of the full moon.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Two Waning Moons:<\/strong> Photograph the waning moon twice.\n
        \n
      • Overexposed Waning Moon:<\/strong> For one of the waning moon images, apply an exposure compensation of +3 levels to create an overexposed effect, which will enhance the halo effect around the moon.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

        Image Alignment<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

        Due to the natural rotation of the moon, the full moon and waning moon images may not align perfectly. Follow these steps to achieve the best possible fit:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          \n
        • Maximal Fit Alignment:<\/strong>\n
            \n
          • Import all three images into Photoshop as separate layers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • Select the waning moon layers and reduce their opacity to approximately 50%. This transparency adjustment will help in visually aligning the moons.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • Use the Move Tool<\/strong> (V) to adjust the position of the waning moon layers, aligning them with the full moon as closely as possible.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • Once aligned, restore the opacity of the waning moon layers to 100%.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

            Masking and Blending Adjustments<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

            To seamlessly blend the different moon phases and eliminate any harsh transitions, perform the following adjustments:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              \n
            • Removing Backgrounds:<\/strong>\n
                \n
              • Select each waning moon layer and remove the black background using the Magic Wand Tool<\/strong> (W) or the Select Subject<\/strong> feature, followed by masking.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              • Creating Mask Layers:<\/strong>\n
                  \n
                • Add a Layer Mask<\/strong> to each waning moon layer.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                • Apply a Curve Adjustment<\/strong> within the mask to darken specific areas of the full moon, ensuring a balanced exposure across the composite image.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                • Smoothing the Junctions:<\/strong>\n
                    \n
                  • Select the mask layer and choose a soft brush with low opacity.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                  • Gently paint on the mask to smooth the transition between the full moon and waning moons, eliminating any noticeable seams or harsh edges.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                    Incorporating the Overexposed Moon for the Halo Effect<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

                    Enhance the halo effect around the full moon by integrating the overexposed waning moon image:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                      \n
                    • Adding the Overexposed Layer:<\/strong>\n
                        \n
                      • Place the overexposed waning moon layer below the full moon layer in the layer stack.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                      • Blending the Halo:<\/strong>\n
                          \n
                        • Apply a Soft Light<\/strong> or Overlay<\/strong> blending mode to the overexposed layer to naturally integrate the halo effect with the full moon.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                        • Adjust the opacity as needed to achieve a subtle and realistic halo.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                          Final Touches<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

                          Ensure the composite image looks cohesive and visually appealing by performing the following final adjustments:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                            \n
                          • Color Correction:<\/strong>\n
                              \n
                            • Apply overall color balance adjustments to harmonize the tones between the different moon layers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                            • Sharpening:<\/strong>\n
                                \n
                              • Use the Unsharp Mask<\/strong> filter to enhance the details of the moon surfaces without introducing noise.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                              • Cropping and Framing:<\/strong>\n
                                  \n
                                • Crop the image to remove any unwanted edges and to focus the composition on the moon.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                                  Workflow Summary<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
                                    \n
                                  1. Capture Images:<\/strong>\n
                                      \n
                                    • Full Moon<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                    • Two Waning Moons (one overexposed with +3 exposure compensation)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                    • Import and Align:<\/strong>\n
                                        \n
                                      • Place images in Photoshop as separate layers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                      • Adjust opacity and position for maximal alignment.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                      • Masking:<\/strong>\n
                                          \n
                                        • Remove black backgrounds.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                        • Apply curve adjustments on mask layers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                        • Smooth transitions with soft brushes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                        • Enhance Halo:<\/strong>\n
                                            \n
                                          • Add overexposed layer with appropriate blending mode.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                          • Finalize:<\/strong>\n
                                              \n
                                            • Perform color correction, sharpening, and cropping.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                                              Technical Approach: Preparation of Source Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-289","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-notes","category-photos"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shirui.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/289","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shirui.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shirui.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shirui.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shirui.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=289"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.shirui.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/289\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":312,"href":"https:\/\/www.shirui.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/289\/revisions\/312"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shirui.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=289"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shirui.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=289"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shirui.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=289"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}