rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA

Scott;

Focus stacking allows you to have an image that is in focus from right in front of the lens to infinity. Think about it, if I got down low and set the 16-35 to minimum focus distance, the foreground would be sharp, but the hills in the background would be out of focus. The only way to do this with a Nikon, prior to the D850 was to take a series of images with manually set focus distances; foreground, mind ground and far distance. The D850 allows you to set the lens to closest focus, indicate what the steps are between focus points, and the max number of images. You hit start, and the camera starts exposures, stopping at your max number or when the lens reaches infinity.

Focus Stacking is also applicable to macro, but I don't do that.

Take a look at the images below and compare . You can see that in the first image, the foreground is in focus but the far hills are not. Focus stacking fixes this. The final stack is the second image.

Oh, after everything is captured, you still need to bring everything into Lightroom and tell it to open as layers in Photoshop. Edit/Auto-Blend creates focus masks on each exposure and the result is a complete, everything in focus image.

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Paul Moshay Loc: Los Angeles, CA

At first look I didn't like the stacked image, being an "old timer", but the more I examined the image the more I liked it. It really has the look of how our brain sees the scene when scanning it. Since we can only focus our eyes on a particular spot in the scene our brain thinks all is in focus, but it is not really. The focus stacking makes the scene the way our brain thinks it looks. I now really like the process and the resulting image. Maybe trade my D800 for the D850???
Thanks, Paul

tpelczy

why! when you can do the same thing with one image.

rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA

Seriously? Tell us how.

Paul J. Svetlik Loc: Colorado

How many images you put together this time RG? The combo is looking very good!

I am sure that it depends on the area being potographed, but I wonder, if I reduce the number of images - let us say - to only three or four images focus stacked, if I would be able to see the "jumps" from one focus plane to another?
As you mentioned, this assembly technique has been here for some time - except it was always done manually.
Any camera (preferably on a tripod) can do focus stacking - with some patience.
If you use the tilt and shift lenses, you can have everything in focus, too - without the labor on your computer.

Thank you for another good example, this time showing both images, so people can see the difference.
Focus stacking is one of the very useful tools.

UTMike Loc: South Jordan, UT

Beautiful work!

LeeK Loc: Washington State

I've tended not to do a lot of PP but when I see pictures like this, I start thinking I need to start learning how to do it.

rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA

There were 12 images in this "stack." I told the camera to do a max of 40, but it stopped at 12 when the camera reached infinity. Photoshop, when you execute the Edit/Auto Blend/Stacked Images, the program decides what portions of each image are in focus and builds a mask to isolate that section then does its thing. All you have to do, once the green bar stops moving, is do an Image\Merge Visible to collapse the layers. Pretty neat, 'eh?

DickC Loc: NE Washington state

Very nice vista, thanks!!

Paul Moshay Loc: Los Angeles, CA

Good use of FS with your D850. I feel there is way too much sky which takes away from the subject which is the sand shapes. Reducing the sky will emphisize the dunes and make the background hills appear higher and the lighter sky draws the eye up and away fron the main object which is the dunes.

rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA

Thank you, but I like my crop.

alx Loc: NJ

I have to agree with you. I still remember that pic from your original post. I doubt I would have looked twice at the revision above. Great original.

BrentHarder Loc: Southern California

Speaking of "stacking".........with that image you should be able to stack up some blue ribbons in any photo contest. WOW! Nice work!