How I process my stacked photographs

[Antonio Correia]

A quick and modest description - perhaps a clumsy one - of my procedure when making stacked photographs. I do like the final result of most of the time. I always try to avoid a harsh HDR which I am not very found of.
Comments welcome. Thank you for your attention.

A - Settings in camera
My camera is so far, an Olympus 5 Mark II and I use this process mainly with the 7-14 (14-28mm FF) which for this purpose, I find a convenient choice.
The camera is set to Continuous Photo and the Exposure Bracketing set to 3, 5 or even 7 photographs depending on the scene.
I have tried once the ISO Bracketing along the Exposure Bracketing, but I have to try again. Hope to write about it later on.

B - Hand held photographs
I photograph most of the time without tripod. I hold my breath and try not to move while making the stacking. I am not very worried about a small movement in the scene or of myself.
As an example here are 5 photographs taken in RAW and with only one adjustment in LR

C - Exposure bracketing in Light Room
After importing the files in LR, I choose Control+H and let the program do it's job.

D - Final image
The 5 files are stacked. (on the right, the final one previously posted and at the left the new one)

E - Developing photograph
Now in the Develop mode, LR returns me a photographed automatically adjusted.

F - Time to play
Now it is time to play until I like the image.

G - Done
This image has been posted in Sacristy . Thank you Julian for the comment. It motivated me !

[Shadowman]

Hi Antonio,

I would probably setup the same way for the optimum exposure, one notice I usually get from the camera though is to use flash if the camera sensor is not optimum for the lighting scenario. I know that flash gives you one stop of light, so my assumption would be that if my camera's dynamic range is 14.5 then the scene at least 15.5 stops, I could measure with the camera's exposure meter to confirm, so I could also determine how many exposures would be needed to get an acceptable focus stacked image.

[Antonio Correia]

John, I did not use flash here.
And for all those measurements you need not only time, but you must have the equipment which I do but never use. Shame on me !

And sometimes, the opportunity arrives and there is no time for such adjustments.
When the scene demands more images to stack I just try to guess.
Thank you for your valuable comment !

The image above was also stacked and adjusted to taste in LR with a small cloned area in Photoshop. The lady praying had some lamps above her head...
If you see something "strange" on her head, it's only her glasses

[Shadowman]

Antonio,

I agree, sometimes flash is not allowed or can be distracting to the subject and sometimes the scene especially if there are shiny objects or the person is looking directly at the camera and redeye develops. Both images very dramatic.

[Antonio Correia]

From the other thread

Thank you Julian for your observation.
You made me go and have a look at the settings of the different photographs.
As we can see in the other thread the ISO is Automatic. OK. It is limited but that is not important now.

Until this moment I didn't realize the camera - set to Exposure Bracketing - was slightly changing the speed (I was in Aperture Priority) and changing the ISO !

I have to test this because I want to know more !
Not today. Soon ! Thank you Julian !

-
Thank you John !