Focus Stack on the Nikon D850

[ccphoto]

First time I've tried using this new feature of in-camera focus stacking. I wanted a shot that would require numerous focal sets. Focusing first on the tiny bush in the immediate right foreground using another new feature called focus peaking, though I gave the camera the latitude of 35 frames, it only needed seven to complete the mission. While it is not as exciting as another focus stacked flower posted previously, the scene did fit my experimental needs.

[bje07]

The result is Ok, but for me for a landscape I suppose that three images are sufficient if you choose around f/11 for each.

[ccphoto]

I've tried it the old way and had mixed results. Open it in Photoshop and follow it from front to back.

[xpatUSA]

Good job. I am reminded of the bench shot here:

https://www.tawbaware.com/tufusepro.htm
.

[DanK]

Am I right that it gives you a JPEG as the composite? That would be a deal-breaker for me.

[bje07]

Dan,
For me you can choose any type of file you want.
I tried photoshop but was not happy with th result, and use Helicon focus (much more faster than PS CC). I was told that Zerenne is another good software.

[DanK]

Jean,

Sorry, I wasn't clear. I was referring specifically to the in-camera focus stacking that Chris posted about. I do a great deal of focus stacking, always using Zerene. Zerene will not accept operate on raw files, but it does accept and produce 16-bit TIF files in ProPhoto color space, so it doesn't lose data the way an in-camera JPEG does.

Dan

[ccphoto]

I was thinking of getting Zerene. Does this mean you have to edit in your RAW editor then save each file as a tiff then load into Zerene? This will not output to a jpeg. Actually, I have not shot as a fine jpeg and seen of it would stack accordingly. I will test it later and post the results.

[ccphoto]

According to all the Nikon threads you can indeed shoot in jpeg fine and stack from there.

[DanK]

I was thinking of getting Zerene. Does this mean you have to edit in your RAW editor then save each file as a tiff then load into Zerene? This will not output to a jpeg. Actually, I have not shot as a fine jpeg and seen of it would stack accordingly. I will test it later and post the results.

My workflow for Zerene is as follows. I shoot only raw.

1. import the images into Lightroom. Inspect them there to cull the ones not needed.
2, Adjust white balance to the first and sync to the rest.
3. Export to Zerene. Zerene provides an LR plug-in for this. I customized it so that it exports as 16-bit TIFs in prophoto. This automatically opens the exported images as a stack in zerene.
4. Do my stacking, stack repairing, etc.
5. Save the composite from Zerene. There are several options for this, but among other things, I stay in 16-bit prophoto.
6. Go back to LR and sync that folder to import the composite
7. Edit the composite however seems best, in LR, photoshop, Nik, or whatever.

One can also do other edits in step 2, but one would want to do only edits that affect each of the images to be stacked. Occasionally I will adjust tonality. The author of Zerene suggests that some sharpening at this stage can help the stacking algorithms, but I have never found it necessary to sharpen at this stage beyond whatever capture sharpening LR has as a default, and in fact, I may have zeroed that out. (I am not at that computer now.)