How do you shoot macro and stack photo's for focus?
Nov 10, 2014 19:39:40 #
lighthouse wrote:
I have never stacked a true macro image so take my comments for what you think they are worth.
All the upper level stuff I have read, says that you do not adjust your focus, you should adjust your camera to subject distance instead.
A train of thought also echoed by the best macro photographer I have met. He uses a Canon MP-E 65mm for his up coming book on some tiny type of bugs he is studying.
All the upper level stuff I have read, says that you do not adjust your focus, you should adjust your camera to subject distance instead.
A train of thought also echoed by the best macro photographer I have met. He uses a Canon MP-E 65mm for his up coming book on some tiny type of bugs he is studying.
thanks lighthouse. Hmmm, back to the drawing board.
Nov 10, 2014 19:41:37 #
lighthouse wrote:
I have never stacked a true macro image so take my comments for what you think they are worth.
All the upper level stuff I have read, says that you do not adjust your focus, you should adjust your camera to subject distance instead.
A train of thought also echoed by the best macro photographer I have met. He uses a Canon MP-E 65mm for his up coming book on some tiny type of bugs he is studying.
All the upper level stuff I have read, says that you do not adjust your focus, you should adjust your camera to subject distance instead.
A train of thought also echoed by the best macro photographer I have met. He uses a Canon MP-E 65mm for his up coming book on some tiny type of bugs he is studying.
Very true about not adjusting the lens but the camera distance instead!
Nov 10, 2014 19:45:15 #
Greenguy33 wrote:
What is involved in shooting macro's and shooting several shots with a different focal point and stacking the photo's?
..... What kind of software program do you need?
..... What kind of software program do you need?
CombineZM or CombineZP are a couple of dedicated, free, no time limit stacking programs.
Set the lens to minimum Focus and move the camera.
Nov 10, 2014 19:56:36 #
Nov 10, 2014 19:58:36 #
I invite you to view the UHH True Macro-Photography Forum at http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/s-102-1.html .
This is the forum to ask questions or discuss macro equipment and macro techniques, as well as share macro images.
Before posting macro images to the Macro Forum, please read Introduction to True Macro-Photography Forum at http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-22447-1.html .
Each & every thread must contain at least one true macro-photograph.
To place Macro Forum on your UHH home page, you can subscribe here: http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/section_list.jsp .
This is the forum to ask questions or discuss macro equipment and macro techniques, as well as share macro images.
Before posting macro images to the Macro Forum, please read Introduction to True Macro-Photography Forum at http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-22447-1.html .
Each & every thread must contain at least one true macro-photograph.
To place Macro Forum on your UHH home page, you can subscribe here: http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/section_list.jsp .
Nov 11, 2014 05:57:00 #
Greenguy33 wrote:
What is involved in shooting macro's and shooting several shots with a different focal point and stacking the photo's?
It sounds like a very time consuming process. What kind of software program do you need?
It sounds like a very time consuming process. What kind of software program do you need?
There are several parts to this. Setting up the shots, and post processing.
Shooting:
Use a good macro lens (not hard, most macros I've used are quite sharp), and set the lens to the sharpest aperture, usually F8. Then either advance the focus from before the closest point to beyond the farthest point that you want to have in focus, or mount the camera on a rack and pinion rail that you can use to move the camera forward and backward. The advantage of the second approach is that you have a constant magnification, as many lenses are internal focus and will change the focal length, shortening it as you get close to the minimum focus distance, and this will affect magnification and introduce errors.
I like to shoot tethered, I use a TP LInk portable router or a direct cabled connection and a 12.2 Samsung tablet, so I can examine my focusing on a large screen without needing to zoom the preview. Also, I can tap to focus anywhere in the image. The remote capture software I use DLSR Dashbooard or Helicon Remote, will advance the camera's focus any number of steps and by any increment, automatically. The free version of Helicon Remote only shoots jpg, the paid one does raw. DSLR Dashboard is donationware, and it supports raw shooting.
Helicon Focus, Zerene, Combine, Photoshop, and I am sure other software applications will stack your images in post processing. The better ones will have easier correction for image ghosting, exposure blending, etc.
If you stack in Photoshop, there are two ways - one using smart objects and the other involves loading the individual images as layers, aligning and stacking under the edit command. With smart objects, you can follow this quick tutorial:
http://garunaliu.hubpages.com/hub/Focus-Stacking-Photoshop-CS5X-Extended
Nov 11, 2014 06:59:53 #
Greenguy33 wrote:
Is there a less expensive dedicated program for this process?
Not sure of the cost, but I believe that Serif's "Photo Stack" might be what you are looking for.
Nov 11, 2014 08:07:02 #
Allen Hirsch wrote:
If you're just going to do this as a one time deal, you can get a trial Creative Cloud Photoshop use for 30 days for free.
I'm not familiar with the dedicated stacking programs.
I'm not familiar with the dedicated stacking programs.
I use GIMP photo editor, It's a free download and it does everything that photoshop does! I will admit, it takes a little time to learn the program though! (but so does photoshop!)
You start with an out of focus background and layer on top of that. And Yes, it is a little time consuming since you have to remove the background of every layer that is placed on top of the one below it!
Nov 11, 2014 08:11:22 #
lighthouse
Loc: No Fixed Abode
Tom Brownell wrote:
I use GIMP photo editor, ......... it does everything that photoshop does! ........it is a little time consuming since you have to remove the background of every layer that is placed on top of the one below it!
So, it doesn't do everything that photoshop does then?
Nov 11, 2014 08:15:04 #
lighthouse wrote:
So, it doesn't do everything that photoshop does then?
:XD:
It's the same, but different . . .
Nov 11, 2014 08:22:20 #
Gene51 wrote:
:XD:
It's the same, but different . . .
It's the same, but different . . .
It pretty much does, but it's just a little different in the tools and how you use them. Photoshop has a few features that are easyer for removing background for example. But You can do pretty much everything in GIMP that you can in photoshop.
The thing of it is, It's free vs photoshop costing several hundred dollars!
Nov 11, 2014 08:40:05 #
Tom Brownell wrote:
It pretty much does, but it's just a little different in the tools and how you use them. Photoshop has a few features that are easyer for removing background for example. But You can do pretty much everything in GIMP that you can in photoshop.
The thing of it is, It's free vs photoshop costing several hundred dollars!
The thing of it is, It's free vs photoshop costing several hundred dollars!
In photoshop, there is no removal - you just stack the images, and it automatically does all the masking. Takes just a couple of seconds to merge.
Nov 11, 2014 08:48:36 #
Gene51 wrote:
In photoshop, there is no removal - you just stack the images, and it automatically does all the masking. Takes just a couple of seconds to merge.
Yup, that is one of the good things about photoshop, you have to do it manually in Gimp, and there are a few other more user friendly options in photoshop. That being said, you can still do everything in GIMP that you can in photoshop. I just couldn't afford to lay out several hundred dollars for photoshop when GIMP is free!
Nov 11, 2014 08:54:23 #
lighthouse
Loc: No Fixed Abode
Tom Brownell wrote:
Yup, that is one of the good things about photoshop, you have to do it manually in Gimp, and there are a few other more user friendly options in photoshop. That being said, you can still do everything in GIMP that you can in photoshop. I just couldn't afford to lay out several hundred dollars for photoshop when GIMP is free!
No. You can't do it automatically in Gimp but you can in photoshop - as you say.
So therefore Gimp DOES NOT do everything that photoshop does.
And photoshop does not cost hundreds, it costs $10 a month and you get Lightroom as well.
Nov 11, 2014 09:00:33 #
lighthouse wrote:
No. You can't do it automatically in Gimp but you can in photoshop - as you say.
So therefore Gimp DOES NOT do everything that photoshop does.
And photoshop does not cost hundreds, it costs $10 a month and you get Lightroom as well.
So therefore Gimp DOES NOT do everything that photoshop does.
And photoshop does not cost hundreds, it costs $10 a month and you get Lightroom as well.
Ok, Well, I guess all I can say is "Go for it!" They wanted 0ver $200 from me after using their free trial. To each their own!
Besides, I never said that you could do it automatically in GIMP! And I did say that photoshop was a little more user friendly!
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