lsupremo Loc: Palm Desert, CA

If you take let’s say 4 images up one stop, and with 4 focus settings and PP them with LR HDR conversion will they focus stack? Is there any way to accomplish this end?

To complicate this even further, is it possible to do both of the above and stitch a set of these combinations into a panarama?

John Howard Loc: SW Florida and Blue Ridge Mountains of NC.

It would be a big coincidence if this worked. The hdr software will select parts of each image based on exposure / brightness. And focus stacking merges slices of the image based on sharpness. Unlikely the two will be similar selections. I believe you can merge the hdr images in to a pano. Maintaining consistent exposure might be difficult.

williejoha

I don't think the focus will stack the way you would like it. The HDR program looks strictly at the exposure parameter which is most likely quite different from the focus parameter.
WJH

speters Loc: Grangeville/Idaho

HDR conversion and focus stacking are two different processing steps and should be done separately!

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

Yes, it is possible to do all of these, but it must be done in stages and will take a lot of time, work and careful prep (like make a check list and follow it like your life depends on it).

First-plan your panorama
Second-shoot each section of the panorama - probably three sets of bracketed exposures each focused on a different distance
Third-Process each string separately for the HDR part
Fourth-now process each string for focus stacking (you can reverse steps 3 & 4 but the focus will be easier to see on the finished HDR images)
Fifth-take those images (HDR and Focus Stacked) and stitch them into a panorama.

Careful prep, a lot of time making sure you do everything as planned (that check list) but it should work.
No I haven't done the whole thing myself, I have done the separate sections on different projects. I am lazy and don't have any image I want badly enough to follow through on the whole thing.

Here is a fairly good article on doing the HDR and Focus Stack part. For the Panorama you just do these two steps for each of the overlapping pano shots.
http://blog.sigmaphoto.com/2013/hdr-photography-focus-stacking-by-david-fitzsimmons/

I would recommend a couple of trial runs on something simple like your yard etc before doing a full fledged run on a scene you want.

If nothing else it will keep you busy, off the streets and out of trouble for several hours.

rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA

HDR and focus stacking are mutually exclusive. You would have to take the 3 bracketed images, change focus, repeat process, change focus and repeat process. Then in post, you would merge the 3 sets of 3 images into individual HDR composites, then open as layers in Photoshop and Auto Align. And, during all that some foreground or mid ground object would move, ruining the exercise.

You would be better off doing a focus stack set, merging in Photoshop and then process in the Topaz Labs Adjust filter to get an HDR feeling in the final product.

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

I think you are somewhat confused with all of this.

HDR is a technique to expand the dynamic range of an image of a scene.

Focus stacking is a way to expand the depth of field

Panorama stitching is a way to seamlessly composite a series of overlapping images into a single larger image with a wider and/or taller field of view.

Yes, it is possible to focus stack 4 images taken at different focus distances, and have each of those be a pair or more of images at each focus distance that were shot at different exposures, so now you have 8 images. Oh, and you want to turn this into a panorama, then you'd have to have a minimum of 2 sets of overlapped stacked and HDR'd images, making a total 16 images. If you want to encompass a wider/taller view, or more dynamic range, then you'd have to take more images.

So the answer is yes, you can do it, no you can't do focus stacking in LR.

These two images are HDR/stitched panos.

(Download)


(Download)

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

They are not mutually exclusive, and I have done all three, for a single image, but I just can't put my finger on them at the moment. I have, however, posted two pano/hdr stitched images, which is something I do more often.

Domtom999

Gene

Really beautiful shots.

Kmgw9v Loc: Miami, Florida

Gene does it right.

Mike Adams Loc: Connecticut

I agree with robertjerl. I have done this routinely in my work, but you really need to plan ahead. A recent shoot was a 3x5 panorama, each location was a stack of 20 focus points, with each of them having 5 exposure settings. My usual sequence is to do HDR first, then stack the resultant HDR shots, then use the final 15 to create a pano. I should say this is simplified by all of this being done indoors with a macro setup on a copy stand and using both Helicon Remote/Focus and Cognisys rails to control the 3D XYZ movements.

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

Thanks!

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

Thanks!

gvarner Loc: Central Oregon Coast

Focus stacking requires physically changing the focus in very small increments from shot to shot. HDR requires changeing the exposure from shot to shot. You can't get one from the other.

via the lens Loc: Northern California, near Yosemite NP

NO, LR does not focus stack, it is not set up to do that. The LR HDR will not "notice," for lack of a better word, the areas of focus. You can focus stack in Photoshop and other programs. I use Helicon Focus, very simple to use. Maybe Photoshop will do this, but I do not know about focus stacking in PS. You can stitch anything together by hand in PS. LR only stitches one way. I once stitched together two panos across in LR and then put the two pieces together in PS.