Focus stacking

[KoKo]

My camera doesn't have a focus stacking feature so I thought about trying it on layers in PS but was surprised to find that my images didn't align as shot (on tripod) - Oddly with each focal distance I captured, it was zoomed in or out a touch. What gives?

Any free software on OSX that manages this?

[rpcrowe]

The easiest focus stacking with any of my cameras is with the Canon 6D Mark-ii combined with the 10-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS ii lens. I don't seem to get much focus breathing (which I suspect is the culprit in your problems) with this combination.

I use live view and select the focus point and shoot the image using the touch screen with the camera tripod mounted. The camera doesn't combine the images but, I have no problems making the composite in Photoshop CC...

[xpatUSA]

My camera doesn't have a focus stacking feature so I thought about trying it on layers in PS but was surprised to find that my images didn't align as shot (on tripod) - Oddly with each focal distance I captured, it was zoomed in or out a touch. What gives?

"Oddly" might be a bit inappropriate, @KoKo. That "zooming" effect is inevitable, especially if a significant "depth of focus" is involved. To combat that, most stacker apps have image alignment as part of their action. Smart ones find common details called "control points" in each image of the stack and distort the images so that those control points line up.

I don't what PS does but there are several apps available that work like the above.

[Geoff F]

What exactly do you mean by PS ?

Adobe CC Photoshop has excellent focus stacking ability, although it isn't a feature which is instantly obvious. Some other editing software also has this option and there are specialist focus stacking programmes available although at some cost. When I tried Zerene (free trial) against Photoshop CC I couldn't see any difference in the results although I found Photoshop a bit easier to use.

Stacking is something which I use frequently for insect and flower photography many times every week.

[DanK]

Koko,

Welcome to CiC. Could you please go to your profile (top right of the screen) and add your location and name? We use real names here, and location information can sometimes help people provide relevant information.

As Ted said, this zooming effect is to be expected, and it is discussed in most tutorlals about stacking. Stacking software generally can deal with this, as long as the subject does not move horizontally or vertically much, if at all.

There are several different mathematical algorithms used for stacking, and they will sometimes provide different results. Photoshop provides one, if I recall correctly. Zerene provides two, which behave quite differently (and can be combined in a single image). I have never used Helicon, but I think it offers three methods. The old free software is the "combine" software, which I think might be up to Combine ZP at this time. I used an earlier version years ago, and it was considerably less capable than Zerene in dealing with the change in angle of view that you mentioned, occasionally leaving radial streaks near the outside of the image. However, many people use it successfully.

[Antonio Correia]

Erased photo because it was not accordingly with the thread.

[DanK]

Antonio,

I think there is some communication error here. Koko posted about focus stacking—combining images with different focal points. As far as I know, Lightroom does not do focus stacking, although there is at least one plugin that I think can. Lightroom can combine images with different exposures but the same focal point, which is entirely different. Or am I missing something?

Dan


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[pnodrog]

Antonio,

I think there is some communication error here. Koko posted about focus stacking—combining images with different focal points. As far as I know, Lightroom does not do focus stacking, although there is at least one plugin that I think can. Lightroom can combine images with different exposures but the same focal point, which is entirely different. Or am I missing something?

Dan


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I think you maybe missing a LR update. I understand it now does focus stacking.

[DickyOZ]

Focus stacking software has a lot of 'smarts' to cope whit minor misalignment of images. Once you get some some stacking program your problems should be solved. Don't be too aggressive with you focus increments, try to make them all the same.

[DanK]

I think you maybe missing a LR update. I understand it now does focus stacking.

Can you point me to this feature in Lightroom? I have the most recent build of LR Classic installed, and focus stacking is not in the photo merge menu, which still has only three options: HDR, panorama, and HDR panorama. It is not listed as one of the new features in version 8.2, https://helpx.adobe.com/lightroom-cl...ew/2019-2.html.

[KoKo]

Thanks to all for many great replies. Focus breathing indeed sounds like the thing I was experiencing.

If it's an automated feature in LR or PS CC I haven't found it yet - though I have just switched over and still learning the differences from version 6 of these. I suppose in theory it would be too bad manually as long as the layers could be aligned perfectly.

[DanK]

Thanks to all for many great replies. Focus breathing indeed sounds like the thing I was experiencing.

If it's an automated feature in LR or PS CC I haven't found it yet - though I have just switched over and still learning the differences from version 6 of these. I suppose in theory it would be too bad manually as long as the layers could be aligned perfectly.

Do a web search, and you will find many explanations of how to stack in photoshop. It's very simple. For example, here's a link that shows how to export images from Lightroom into Photoshop and then stack them there: https://briansmith.com/how-to-use-li...ng-auto-blend/. I use Zerene, and the company has a lightoom plugin that creates the format you want to stack (I use 16-bit TIFs in ProPhoto) and loads them into Zerene automatically.

The hard part is not stacking itself. The difficulties arise elsewhere in the process--making sure that the framing is loose enough to accommodate the most enlarged image, making sure that your stack includes the full range of focus points you will need, making sure that the focus changes between images are sufficiently small, and dealing with the not infrequent artifacts stacking can cause. The first three just require caution and practice, but the last can be a real pain. The most common of these problems is halos that arise when an edge is far in front of the surface behind it, which is a common problem in taking macro shots of flowers.

The different stacking algorithms are not all equally prone to these problems, and they offer different approaches for correcting them. One reason I use Zerene is that it handles these problems well.

[Antonio Correia]

I am sorry if I have posted non-focus stacked photos in this thread.
It was a mistake.
I erased all my photographs corresponding to the wrong technique.
All of you, excuse me. Thank you Dan for calling my attention.

[DanK]

I am sorry if I have posted non-focus stacked photos in this thread.
It was a mistake.
I erased all my photographs corresponding to the wrong technique.
All of you, excuse me. Thank you Dan for calling my attention.

No reason to apologize. I was just trying to sort it all out.

[Geoff F]

With Photoshop CC, Koko, the stacking option is under the Edit menu; but like so many PS features it isn't instantly obvious and there are several ways to achieve the same result. To begin the exercise, try with just two shots.

Very basically, this is what I do.

Open Raw images and adjust. Select All and open to main edit window. I use Bridge so I never bother with Lightroom. If you have a lot of images, or aren't working in Raw, or are working on pre saved images you may find Load Scripts to be a better option for you. Or even copy and paste. Choosing your image import option is probably the most difficult bit of this procedure.

Anyway I now have my images on the main work screen with their names showing along the top Toolbar. Click on Windows in the top Toolbar and select Arrange and tile all images vertically (or horizontally). Go to the image thumbnail (you need to have selected this option) click and drag each image thumbnail in turn on to what will be the base background layer. Then close those images. You should end up with just one base image and the other images stacked as layers.

Right click the Background image and select Layer from Background. This will turn your base image into a layer. Select all layers and go to the Edit menu (top toolbar). Select Auto Align Layers (check that Auto Projection is chosen in the pop up box).

When your layers are aligned, click Edit again and select Auto Blend Layers (check that Stack Images, Seamless Tones and Curves are chosen; this is the default setting). Layers will be auto masked to produce one stacked image.

Merge layer masks if required. The masks can be changed if there are problems with the result; but let's not get too advanced at this stage.

The whole procedure becomes very quick with just a few flicks of your finger once the basics are understood. In reality it is much easier to do than to describe how to do it.

[DanK]

re getting images ready to stack: you haven't said whether you use Lightroom. If you do, and if you want to stack in Photoshop, the page I linked earlier shows an extremely simple way to get the photos loaded as layers, ready for stacking. It's simpler than what Geoff describes, but you have to be a lightroom user to take advantage of it.

Likewise, if use lightroom and you want to use Zerene, the process is extremely simple and fast. As I mentioned, there is a plugin for loading images into Zerene from Photoshop. You can customize this however you want--e.g., file type, color space, whatver--or you can use the defaults. You just select the images you want in Lightroom, choose export, and from the export menu, choose Zerene. That's it. Lightroom creates the files, and Zerene will open itself and load them into a stack. When you exit Zerene, all of these temporary files disappear. the only extra step is that when you save the composite, you have to go back to Lightroom and sync the directory again to read it into the Lightroom catalog.

I normally will correct white balance on one image, and occasionally I may make a few additional edits to that one image. I then sync those settings to the rest of the images I want to stack and send them on to Zerene. It's extremely simple and fast.

IMHO, Zerene has several important advantages, but if you are only looking for free software or for software you already own, I won't bother describing them, as the software isn't free.

[pnodrog]

Can you point me to this feature in Lightroom? I have the most recent build of LR Classic installed, and focus stacking is not in the photo merge menu, which still has only three options: HDR, panorama, and HDR panorama. It is not listed as one of the new features in version 8.2,

https://helpx.adobe.com/lightroom-cl...ew/2019-2.html.

Ooops. You are right (at this point in time ) Our local camera club recently held a workshop on focus stacking saying they were using LR. I did not go but assumed it was a feature available sometime after my old LR 5.7. I have just got hold of the notes handed out and it is clear LR uses Photoshop to achieve it. A slightly misleading outline/brief for the workshop.

[KoKo]

Thanks much again to all - this has covered it nicely, now off to PS to experiment!

Very helpful.

[joebranko]

With Photoshop CC, Koko, the stacking option is under the Edit menu; but like so many PS features it isn't instantly obvious and there are several ways to achieve the same result. To begin the exercise, try with just two shots.

Very basically, this is what I do.

Open Raw images and adjust. Select All and open to main edit window. I use Bridge so I never bother with Lightroom. If you have a lot of images, or aren't working in Raw, or are working on pre saved images you may find Load Scripts to be a better option for you. Or even copy and paste. Choosing your image import option is probably the most difficult bit of this procedure.

Anyway I now have my images on the main work screen with their names showing along the top Toolbar. Click on Windows in the top Toolbar and select Arrange and tile all images vertically (or horizontally).

Right click the Background image and select Layer from Background. This will turn your base image into a layer. Select all layers and go to the Edit menu (top toolbar). Select Auto Align Layers (check that Auto Projection is chosen in the pop up box).

In reality it is much easier to do than to describe how to do it.

Hi Geoff: Trying to follow this in photoshop but having problems; I have my layers set up and tiled vertically but the "auto align layers" feature cannot be selected as it's not highlighted, nor can the auto blend feature. I would appreciate your help.

[Manfred M]

Hi Geoff: Trying to follow this in photoshop but having problems; I have my layers set up and tiled vertically but the "auto align layers" feature cannot be selected as it's not highlighted, nor can the auto blend feature. I would appreciate your help.

Have you selected all the layers you want aligned first? Unless you do so, Photoshop will not know which layers to work on.