Focus Stacking - How to accomplish?

robb01 · Oct 18, 2011

Im wanting to try my hand at focus stacking. I'm a bit confused as to how to do this. Do I need to shoot at all aperatures available, or would say 3-5 (f4,f8,f13) shots work okay?

enzodm · Oct 18, 2011

Those are not focal lengths, but different apertures. However, both are not what you need to do for focus stacking, you "just" have to focus at different distances.

tirediron · Oct 18, 2011

As enzodm alluded to, focus stacking does not rely on different apertures or focal lengths, but rather on focusing on different points on the subject. Start by determining what your DoF is; let's assume for the sake of argument, that it's 3mm. Focus on your nearest point, and then change your focus point by about 2mm and work your way along the length/depth of the item. Once you have your series of images, use a software application such as ZMCombine to combine the stack of images into one, sharply focused image.

889Media · Oct 18, 2011

Wow. A little bit amazed now. That you have over 500 posts at a forum for photographers from different levels of skills, you have your own web page with a photo portfolio - with some nice shots actually - but you fail at some of the most basic terms?!

Not trying to be mean in any way, so please do not be offended! Just got a little bit baffled by your post

tirediron · Oct 18, 2011

889Media said:
Wow. A little bit amazed now. That you have over 500 posts at a forum for photographers from different levels of skills, you have your own web page with a photo portfolio - with some nice shots actually - but you fail at some of the most basic terms?! Not trying to be mean in any way, so please do not be offended! Just got a little bit baffled by your post

Missed this the first time around.... Please tell me HOW you can become a member of PPA and not understand such basic concepts as those in your OP???????

robb01 · Oct 18, 2011

I'm not good with terminology

I am much more technical minded, sorry.

robb01 · Oct 18, 2011

So anyways, I start at say 24mm then take numerous photos the same until I get to 100mm, and then use photoshop to stack them all?

tirediron · Oct 18, 2011

Did you even bother to read my first post?

robb01 · Oct 18, 2011

tirediron said:
Did you even bother to read my first post?

yes, it confused me even more. From what I've read other places you want to use different aperatures and then stack them all, nothing mentioned changing the focal point

Overread · Oct 18, 2011

Focus stacking is about stacking the focus of the lens - not its aperture nor focal lengths - the focus.

At its most basic you start with your focus set to the closest point that you want in focus in the photo. You then take a shot. You then shift the focus a tiny bit into the scene (enough to change the focus, but whilst also ensuring that the depth of field will overlap slightly between the two shots) and then take another shot.
You take a series of shots like this until your scene that you want in focus is covered from the closest to the furthest point.

You then run a program (Zerene Stacker - Helicon Focus - Photoshop CS5 or if you want a good free option CombineZP) to stack the shots into a single photo which combines the depths of field at the various focus points into a single photo.

You don't want to be changing the focal length of the lens at all and, in the strictest of use in macro work you don't adjust the focus either (you keep it the same and shift the whole body and lens closer to the subject in small stages).

480sparky · Oct 18, 2011

You simply change to focus point. You don't change the aperture or focal length.

+

Focus stack into:

robb01 · Oct 18, 2011

Thanks Sparky, thats what I needed

Overread · Oct 18, 2011

robb01 said:
tirediron said:

Did you even bother to read my first post?

Click to expand...

yes, it confused me even more. From what I've read other places you want to use different aperatures and then stack them all, nothing mentioned changing the focal point

The above post I made details the common use of focus stacking and is where most people get to and start with. There are however 2 uses of aperture change within the focus stacking method:

1) The first is an extension of the first method in that you retain the same method of shifting the focus from the nearest to the furthest points in the scene that you want in focus. However because this can create a very sharp in focus to out of focus line in the shot one trick is to use wider apertures for the majority of the shots; but as you near the ends of the stack (ie the closest and furthest points) you use smaller and smaller apertures so that the break down into out of focus occurs more smoothly.

eg you might go f13, f10, f8, f5.6 f5.6 f5.6 f5.6 f5.6 f8, f10, f13
Dropping the first series of changes if your scene has no out of focus parts in the foreground.

2) the other use is a two shot method mostly there to get sharper results when using wider apertures. Its a simple method of first taking a shot with a small aperture - eg f16 or f22 and then taking a shot (without changing the focus) at a wider, sharper aperture such as f8. Then you stack the results giving you the depth of the wider aperture, but with the increased clarity and sharpness (in key areas) of the wider aperture.

robb01 · Oct 18, 2011

Would I be correct in saying that there are somewhat different uses for this. One being macro, and one being landscape. I'm more interested in landscapes, having everything in focus as much as possible. Starting with the foreground and going to infinity.