will47 Loc: Indianapolis, IN

I am practicing photo stacking and starting from ACR. I am not using Lightroom. Once I have chosen the images I want to use how do I get them into PS as layers?

In one of the tutorials I watched I also saw a way that if you make an adjustment to one image you can apply it to all of them. How do you do that?

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

Neither ACR nor Lightroom is currently capable of focus stacking.

But this is the workflow I use, which works equally well for ACR/Photoshop and Lightroom/Photoshop. I find Lightroom to be more seamless and intuitive.

1) Shoot my stack
2) Import into Lightroom (or I suppose you can open the multiple images in ACR)
3) Adjust one image, sync other images in the stack sequence to the adjusted image so that the edits to the adjusted image are copied to the rest of the sequence.
4) In Lightroom, I select the images that I want to open in Photoshop as layers, then I use the "edit in" option by right clicking inside the picture area of one of the thumbnail images in in the selected set. At the bottom of the flyout menu is the option to open as layers in Photoshop. This assumes that you have not changed the default external app - which should be Photoshop.

If you won't consider using Lr, then you can do pretty much the same thing using Bridge ACR and Photoshop

Open Bridge, select the images you want to stack, open the selected images using Adobe Camera Raw, then edit one of the images, select them all and press Alt-S to sync the adjustments among the selected images, then click "done". This will create an xmp file for each edited image. Open Photoshop, then use the script to load files into stack, use files, browse for your files for stacking, and once they load into the script you can automatically align source images, press ok. They will open as layers.

I had to go back and do it in Photoshop and search the internet for a procedure, because ever since adopting Lr as part of my workflow, I have only used the edit in approach - faster, easier more intuitive.

Cany143 Loc: SE Utah

Gene51 describes the workflow I typically use (doing so in Lr is a lot easier, and a good deal more elegant), but he's only partially accurate when he writes that ACR is not capable of doing focus stacking. While its true that ACR itself cannot create a stack, once your image has been 'opened' in ACR, that now opened image will transfer into Ps. Do the same with the remaining images intended to go into your final image, and in Ps, load them into a stack (>File >Scripts >Load Files into Stack). Once that's been done, make active each of the layers by left-clicking on the first, then scroll down to the last of the layers and Shift-Click on it. Under 'Edit' in the top bar, you'll first want to 'Align' those active image layers, then 'Blend'.

There may be a way in ACR or Ps to carry adjustments you made in one image to the others in your stack, but short of writing down each and every slider adjustment and applying them equally to each of the other layers, I don't know how one would do it.

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

Gene's procedure is pretty much what I have followed. ACR and PS are the best combination. Phlearn has a very good video on photo stacking. Check YouTube for that.
--Bob

DavidM Loc: New Orleans, LA

Google On1 focus stacking for tutorials using the software and method.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

I really don't understand your statement. You claim I was only partially correct when I stated that ACR (and Lightroom) cannot do stacking, yet you contradict your claim in the next sentence, when you say "While its true that ACR itself cannot create a stack . . ." I don't understand your objection, especially when you contradict your own words . . .

On the other hand, built into ACR, Lightroom, (and DXO Photolab, Capture One, On1 Raw, etc) is the ability to sync the edits from one image to one or more other images. Or you can copy the edits and apply them one by one - but only while you are in a raw editor. The minute you export these to raster format, you lose the ability to do that. I hope this clarifies things for you. . .

Cany143 Loc: SE Utah

Its not my intent to get into a semantic debate, Gene. Its that I take ACR to be a subservient part of Ps, making what's done in ACR become a cause/effect result in Ps.

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

Cany, I tend to agree with you. I've viewed ACR as developing the negative. Ps is the enlarger and using in making the "print".
--Bob

POVDOV

I find this route the best for me. Have all your photographs in Lightroom. High light them and press: ctrl E and they will open up in Photoshop and your images will be in layers. (this is for Windows operating system) Go to the FILE menu up top and select AUTOMATE and then press PHOTOMERGE. You want the AUTO option for lay out. Make sure no other options are activated. Uncheck the option BLEND IMAGES TOGETHER. Press OK and Photoshop will start to work getting things ready to stack. Look in the LAYERS PANEL and make sure all your photos are selected. Go to the EDIT menu and pick AUTO BLEND LAYERS. Leave STACK IMAGES ON and press OK. When it is thru SAVE AS and give it a name and your finished product should be open in Lightroom and you can do all your editing then.

TGanner Loc: Haines, Alaska

Here is the method I use: In Photoshop go to FILES and select SCRIPTS > LOAD FILES INTO STACKS (check "Attempt to Auto Align." Then select all the layers, go to EDIT > AUTO BLEND LAYERS > STACK IMAGES (Check "Seamless tones and colors." ... and away we go!

Blair Shaw Jr Loc: Dunnellon,Florida

Thanks to all who contributed to this tutorial. I found it very helpful and encouraging to what can be a very stressful experience for we novices. Thanks again guys.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

That's fine. But it wasn't semantics I wrote to about. It was about your contradiction - in your own words. The two applications are totally different and raw converters in general cannot do layers in a way that can do stacking, which is why your post initially caught my eye. No semantics here, just facts. If you want to regard ACR or any other raw converter in your own interpretation, be my guest. But to say I was wrong, even partially wrong, is incorrect. Generally speaking, raw conversion is the first step in a raw-based workflow, and there is no subservience involved, unless you want to consider every step as subservient to the result - which I would totally accept. I am even more confused by your reply. A simple oops!, I was wrong, was all that was required. Doubling down is rarely a good response . . . Just sayin'

Cany143 Loc: SE Utah

Ok. Oops. I was wrong. You were right. Will that suffice?

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

If you are being sincere, sure. Otherwise, whatever . . .

bwana Loc: Bergen, Alberta, Canada

All the Focus Stacking options seem rather complicated when you can simply use software like Affinity Photo or Zerene Stacker to do the job...

bwa