Foregrounds in night sky and Milky Way photography need different processing to reduce noise than star captures. Here is the process I use for that. Also, in case you missed them, check out my previous articles on Planning and Capture and Processing Stars for this year’s Milky Way Huntin’ Season. Foreground noise mitigation Photoshop is my go-to for subjects that are still. You’ll often want to increase the ISO to save time on foreground exposures. Add to that you are often working in super low-light conditions and noise comes to the fore. Here’s the fix. Process your files in 16 bit for best results. Our secret here is to Load Images Into Photoshop Layers. Select All Layers > Create Smart Object. Next in the Layers Menu > Smart Objects > Stack Mode > Median Filter. Once this is complete, Rasterize the layer. You now have your foreground with mutely reduced noise. The next step is to go to Filter > Noise > Dust and Scratches with a Radius of 1-2 and a Threshold between 8-12. Use the smallest radius possible as the results become blurred if you use too high a number. Using this filter will target the tiny little light spots left behind during the noise reduction process. The blend Blends are the way to enable detail in the foreground of your night sky or Milky Way image without triggering star trails. In this case, I made a set of exposures for the foreground and a second set of images for the sky. As they were processed as explained above, they now need to be combined for a complete final photo. I usually leave the foreground image as the base layer. Place the sky layer on top and apply a Mask to allow the foreground to show through. Final touch Many times a in a blend the foreground and sky don’t look as if they “live” together. They are usually shot at different times so the color temperature is different on both. One way to help tie them together is to add a Color Look Up Table. You find it under your adjustment layer and called Color Lookup. When activated, choose “Load 3D LUT” and select a table. Often, I choose MoonLight.3DL or Night from Day.cube. Turn that layer from “Normal” to “Soft Light.” Don’t be worried about the look. Lower the opacity to taste. Additionally, you might want to slightly mask out the star section of the image if it turns your sky too blue. Sedona Milky Way Workshops I lead three-day Milky Way Workshops in Sedona, Arizona. More information can be found at my successful-photographer.com website. Yours in Creative Photography, Bob