Why Does the Moon Look Different in My Photos?

Question

I’m having a problem when editing Moon photos in Adobe. The Moon often looks too bright, while the craters and surface details become difficult to see. If I reduce the brightness, the rest of the night sky becomes too dark. What is the best way to balance the exposure and bring out the Moon’s natural details without making the photo look unrealistic?

I’d also like to keep the Moon looking natural rather than overly sharp or edited. What editing settings or workflow would you recommend for this type of photo?

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JohanElzenga · Accepted Answer

The moon is reflecting sunlight, so you will have to expose your photo as if it was taken during daylight. Inevitably that means a night sky will be very dark, so the best moment to shoot the moon and not have a black sky is when a fullmoon is visible during the day.

mglush · Answer

Hi!Ifyou edityour moon photos in Camera Raw, you can bring down the highlights so the moon is not too bright, bring up the shadows to get detail in the craters, and I have found that when I add light to the shadows, to increate the contrast just a bit to give it a little pop and eliminate some of the flatness that Is introduced when you add light to the shadows. Using this technique works well because then you are not disturbing the dark areas and only affecting the brightness and the shadows.I have used this process when I am correcting photos of wedding dresses, and it is amazing how pulling down the highlights to bring back the detail in a wedding dress makes the photo have so much more texture and beauty. I am sure it will do the same for the moon too!Let us know if you have any questions!Michelle

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