Another Accidental Focus Stack - this time only 2 shots
Jan 30, 2018 00:02:21 #
After the other Accidental focus stack posts I exchanged a series of PMs with someone (I removed all ID info for the person.) who argued that what I had wasn't focus stacking.
PM # 1) Morning Robert: I'm confused (nothing new there).... Saw your original post where you described combining 'burst' photos you took in the past in your efforts to get the right exposure*. You're calling your efforts to combine these burst images that are just changing exposure "focus stacking". If I'm understanding you correctly, they aren't focus stacking at all. Those images need to actually have incremental changes in their focus points rather than just changes in exposure values. Again, if I'm understanding what you are describing, what you are doing is combining different exposure values which is called HDR or high dynamic range stacking results, not focus stacking. Big difference. Thoughts?
* It was to get "one sharp shot" with the subject in focus, not correct exposure.
PM #2 (Me answering #1) No, not HDR, these plants were moving in the breeze and I was using macro lenses or others with shallow depth of field. I did bursts because it is so hard to time the shot when the subject is in the DOF zone. The exposure stayed the same. I learned focus stacking last year. This last week while culling shots to clear up HDD space I realized some of the shots in the bursts would work for a focus stack so I selected them and ran them from LR to PS. That is why I called them "accidental focus stacks".
2nd query I understand your explanation Robert, but it's not accurate to call what you are doing focus stacking, especially since you did not intentionally change where you were focusing in each image. Much more like combining images in HDR where you aren't looking to increase DOF, just DR. I'm not sure what your intent is by doing what you doing. What is the result you hope to achieve since its not depth of field or dynamic range?**
**I believe I made it plain that it was to get more depth of field and a sharp subject. And what has it being intentional or not got to do with it? I named them "Accidental Focus Stacks".
3) (me replying to PM #2)
OK, three ways to change focus point for focus stacking.
1. refocus between shots
2. move the camera by hand or a focus rail
3. move the subject - the breeze did that for me, I did not do it on purpose so "accidental"
Each frame does have a different focal point and they combine to give a stacked image with greater DOF - so it is focus stacking, just not planned. The exposure settings did not change. Accidental or on purpose combined frames with different focal points are "focus stacking". Or would you care to invent a new word for it?
Ha! OK, I'll concede a portion of what you are saying, but show me where in the images you are posting that the depth of field is increased?*** Pieces of an image moving around and then combining them doesn't make them focused stacked, even accidentally. Not trying to be argumentative here Robert, just trying to figure out what the heck the results are of what you're doing. I've looked carefully at all your posts on this topic and, for the life of me, I can't see where there is any increased depth of field.*** OK, I'll stop because I'm probably frustrating you and that's not my intent. It's an interesting exercise you're going through and I'm sure you are learning some things from it.
***Since all I posted was the blended stack I fail to see how anyone can or cannot see where the depth of field increased. I would need to post all the frames that went into the stack. Way more posting than I want to do.
So I found two frames with a Monarch cat where one has the right side in focus and the other has the left side in focus. (still a bit out of focus to the left of center. But it is plain that each frame has a different focus point and the blended image is more or less all in focus - so it is a focus stack. I just didn't do it on purpose so it was an accident.
Picture #1 Frame with the right side in focus
Picture #2 Frame with the left side in focus
Picture #3 Blended image - still a bit of out of focus to left of center - but mostly in focus. So consider it a focus stack.
Am I wrong??? Or do we have case of myself and the other guy talking "at" each other instead of "to" each other?
PM # 1) Morning Robert: I'm confused (nothing new there).... Saw your original post where you described combining 'burst' photos you took in the past in your efforts to get the right exposure*. You're calling your efforts to combine these burst images that are just changing exposure "focus stacking". If I'm understanding you correctly, they aren't focus stacking at all. Those images need to actually have incremental changes in their focus points rather than just changes in exposure values. Again, if I'm understanding what you are describing, what you are doing is combining different exposure values which is called HDR or high dynamic range stacking results, not focus stacking. Big difference. Thoughts?
* It was to get "one sharp shot" with the subject in focus, not correct exposure.
PM #2 (Me answering #1) No, not HDR, these plants were moving in the breeze and I was using macro lenses or others with shallow depth of field. I did bursts because it is so hard to time the shot when the subject is in the DOF zone. The exposure stayed the same. I learned focus stacking last year. This last week while culling shots to clear up HDD space I realized some of the shots in the bursts would work for a focus stack so I selected them and ran them from LR to PS. That is why I called them "accidental focus stacks".
2nd query I understand your explanation Robert, but it's not accurate to call what you are doing focus stacking, especially since you did not intentionally change where you were focusing in each image. Much more like combining images in HDR where you aren't looking to increase DOF, just DR. I'm not sure what your intent is by doing what you doing. What is the result you hope to achieve since its not depth of field or dynamic range?**
**I believe I made it plain that it was to get more depth of field and a sharp subject. And what has it being intentional or not got to do with it? I named them "Accidental Focus Stacks".
3) (me replying to PM #2)
OK, three ways to change focus point for focus stacking.
1. refocus between shots
2. move the camera by hand or a focus rail
3. move the subject - the breeze did that for me, I did not do it on purpose so "accidental"
Each frame does have a different focal point and they combine to give a stacked image with greater DOF - so it is focus stacking, just not planned. The exposure settings did not change. Accidental or on purpose combined frames with different focal points are "focus stacking". Or would you care to invent a new word for it?
Ha! OK, I'll concede a portion of what you are saying, but show me where in the images you are posting that the depth of field is increased?*** Pieces of an image moving around and then combining them doesn't make them focused stacked, even accidentally. Not trying to be argumentative here Robert, just trying to figure out what the heck the results are of what you're doing. I've looked carefully at all your posts on this topic and, for the life of me, I can't see where there is any increased depth of field.*** OK, I'll stop because I'm probably frustrating you and that's not my intent. It's an interesting exercise you're going through and I'm sure you are learning some things from it.
***Since all I posted was the blended stack I fail to see how anyone can or cannot see where the depth of field increased. I would need to post all the frames that went into the stack. Way more posting than I want to do.
So I found two frames with a Monarch cat where one has the right side in focus and the other has the left side in focus. (still a bit out of focus to the left of center. But it is plain that each frame has a different focus point and the blended image is more or less all in focus - so it is a focus stack. I just didn't do it on purpose so it was an accident.
Picture #1 Frame with the right side in focus
Picture #2 Frame with the left side in focus
Picture #3 Blended image - still a bit of out of focus to left of center - but mostly in focus. So consider it a focus stack.
Am I wrong??? Or do we have case of myself and the other guy talking "at" each other instead of "to" each other?
Right side in focus
(Download)
Left side in focus
(Download)
Blended, mostly in focus shot - a two shot focus stack
(Download)
Jan 30, 2018 00:17:20 #
Looks like the definition of a focus stack to me. From what I read here, and common sense.
Jan 30, 2018 00:21:07 #
GalaxyCat wrote:
Looks like the definition of a focus stack to me. From what I read here, and common sense.
Thank you.
My money is on a misunderstanding caused by us talking "at" each other.
Jan 30, 2018 00:38:31 #
Definitely focus stacking, and yes, accidental!
This is just great. Thanks for posting about it for us. I am going to try to have those sort of accidents intentionally when the season comes. It is so common to have a flower head gently waving in the breeze and that is a problem. Even of you freeze the motion, did you get the focus right? Not easy.
If the camera is set up so that the focal plane is 90 degrees to the motion of the plant in the wind (the motion is often in one plane only) and then a series of shots are taken in burst mode, I bet some images for stacking will be the result.
Great stuff. Thanks again.
Mike
This is just great. Thanks for posting about it for us. I am going to try to have those sort of accidents intentionally when the season comes. It is so common to have a flower head gently waving in the breeze and that is a problem. Even of you freeze the motion, did you get the focus right? Not easy.
If the camera is set up so that the focal plane is 90 degrees to the motion of the plant in the wind (the motion is often in one plane only) and then a series of shots are taken in burst mode, I bet some images for stacking will be the result.
Great stuff. Thanks again.
Mike
Jan 30, 2018 01:57:28 #
Blenheim Orange wrote:
Definitely focus stacking, and yes, accidental! br... (show quote)
Thanks, you are welcome.
Jan 30, 2018 02:01:26 #
Jan 30, 2018 02:38:18 #
Jan 30, 2018 09:44:30 #
Jan 30, 2018 12:36:58 #
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