can jpeg images be used to make star trails? First time trying and screwed up. I was shooting raw+jpeg for the first time and when I downloaded the images to my computer, I didn't...

iampewter Loc: Bason, TX

First time trying and screwed up. I was shooting raw+jpeg for the first time and when I downloaded the images to my computer, I didn't realize that I had to download each card separately so I lost the raw images. I spent 3 nights in big bend and got really good images, but unfortunately they are jpeg. can I stack them to create star trails?

jkm757 Loc: San Diego, Ca.

iampewter wrote:

First time trying and screwed up. I was shooting raw+jpeg for the first time and when I downloaded the images to my computer, I didn't realize that I had to download each card separately so I lost the raw images. I spent 3 nights in big bend and got really good images, but unfortunately they are jpeg. can I stack them to create star trails?

Your stacking software should tell what file formats it can work with. I have not done stacking for astro photography, but I would think jpeg files would be ok.

SonnyE Loc: Communist California, USA

Yes.
In fact jpg is all I use for startrails.
They work faster, and save me from having to convert thousands of files.

I'm surprised you did just try it.

Here, but don't get lost....

https://youtu.be/fWlD_acJKVg

(Best viewed full screen)

iampewter Loc: Bason, TX

SonnyE wrote:

Yes.
In fact jpg is all I use for startrails.
They work faster, and save me from having to convert thousands of files.

I'm surprised you did just try it.

Here, but don't get lost....

https://youtu.be/fWlD_acJKVg

(Best viewed full screen)

thank you for your reply. I shot these images last Nov and didn't have software to stack or computer with enough ram to download software. I now have a new computer, a card reader and Adobe CC. I still don't know how to use it, but I am learning.

SonnyE Loc: Communist California, USA

iampewter wrote:

thank you for your reply. I shot these images last Nov and didn't have software to stack or computer with enough ram to download software. I now have a new computer, a card reader and Adobe CC. I still don't know how to use it, but I am learning.

Star Trails Program:
http://www.startrails.de/html/software.html

Star Trails Search results: (Google)
https://www.google.com/search?q=Star+Trails&rlz=1C1CHBH_enUS779US779&oq=Star+Trails&aqs=chrome..69i57j69i61l3j0l2.6167j1j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Prepare to have a LOT of fun!

iampewter Loc: Bason, TX

iampewter wrote:

thank you for your reply. I shot these images last Nov and didn't have software to stack or computer with enough ram to download software. I now have a new computer, a card reader and Adobe CC. I still don't know how to use it, but I am learning.

The video was awesome!

rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA

iampewter wrote:

First time trying and screwed up. I was shooting raw+jpeg for the first time and when I downloaded the images to my computer, I didn't realize that I had to download each card separately so I lost the raw images. I spent 3 nights in big bend and got really good images, but unfortunately they are jpeg. can I stack them to create star trails?

Absolutely. StarStax, the stacking software I use for star trails, requires JPEGs to work.

https://www.markus-enzweiler.de/software/software.html

JimH123 Loc: Morgan Hill, CA

iampewter wrote:

First time trying and screwed up. I was shooting raw+jpeg for the first time and when I downloaded the images to my computer, I didn't realize that I had to download each card separately so I lost the raw images. I spent 3 nights in big bend and got really good images, but unfortunately they are jpeg. can I stack them to create star trails?

Just want to point out that the SW to stack images and the SW to stack star trails is not the same. If I were shooting images of something, let's say a galaxy, the images have to be auto aligned so that they fit right on top of each other and the stacking helps to reduce the noise by raising the signal to noise level. For star trails, you objectives are different and you want to paint a trail showing the movement of the stars which means no stacking. Just accumulation.

dlmorris Loc: Loma Linda, Ca

If you have enough images, you can stack them into a star trails shot, also you can sequence them into a time lapse movie. Jpegs work just fine, although I found some software has trouble if you use full size (resolution) images, especially for the movie. But yes, all I use are jpegs.