Photo Stacking-depth of field

Discuss everything including the optimal equipment, seasons, techniques and tips for capturing excellent photos.

Moderators: Brenda, Kelly

Post Reply
User avatar
ApproachingLight
Board Expert
Board Expert
Posts: 871
Joined: Thu Jul 29, 2010 9:19 am
Location: Rochester
Contact:

I really love this picture that was in a dp review photo challenge. The composition and shooting at 1/50th is a cool effect, yes, but the depth of field really takes me into the picture and across the cliff. The clarity over all distances has to be photo stacked.

So does anyone have any experience with this? Any tips to offer?

Here is what I found out. You need at least 3 pictures of the same composition (use a tripod, keep all settings the same except focus point) at three or more focal points. Then you do two things. First Align those pictures, second stack them.

Align them
Bring all (will assume 3 pics from here on) three up into PS in layers. Select all 3 layers. File/Automate/Automerge/ select "blend images together." Click ok/enter

When done Stack images
Select all 3 layers. Edit/Auto blend layers/ stack images/ Click ok/enter
Attachments
OceanFurysml.jpg
User avatar
Matt
President
President
Posts: 13374
Joined: Sun Apr 23, 2006 5:01 pm
Camera Model: Olympus OMD EM-1 m1, m2; Panasonic GM5, Osmo Pocket
Location: Rochester, NY
Contact:

yes, i have done photo-stacking for focus, and you really have to have patience for it. I don't think it was done here, as for DOF it is really only beneficial for very narrow DOF, as with macro photos. There's free focus stacking software available.
I can see in this pic the focus was most likely not changed between exposures, but the aperture was. The foreground waves are shot at a lower shutter speed than the mid-ground waves (which are frozen).

Actually, high-crop factor cameras have vast DOF. Which is why I chose Olympus for landscapes. I can't nail those super narrow DOF pics that have been so cliche and popular with photographers these days, but when it comes to foreground focus, a lens like my 12-60 and my 7-14 cannot be topped (unless you use a tilt-shift lens - which is how to wide format photographers do landscape DOF).
I always try to include sharp foregrounds in my portrait-oriented landscapes, as it creates a pic a lot of other photographers can get cleanly with much easy, making mine a bit more marketable. I rarely have to go past f/10 on a 4/3 camera.
http://nyfalls.exposuremanager.com/p/be ... f-falls635
http://nyfalls.exposuremanager.com/p/be ... o-motion55
http://nyfalls.exposuremanager.com/p/be ... ach2-4x631
http://nyfalls.exposuremanager.com/p/wi ... winter_2_4

In this case, I think you are seeing the detail and sharpness brought out by one type of photo-stacking: HDR, which will enhance sharpness and detail that already exists across all layers.

The stacking method you are using... i can't tell if it is for focus or exposure.
User avatar
ApproachingLight
Board Expert
Board Expert
Posts: 871
Joined: Thu Jul 29, 2010 9:19 am
Location: Rochester
Contact:

Thanks Matt,
I haven't taken the time to figure out how to upload anything but really reduced pics. So here is the link

http://masters.galleries.dpreview.com.s ... i%2b3Fs%3d

Gosh it seems like DOF stacking with the detail in the background and cliff. You are probably right.With the canon 16-35 L lens i can not get that clarity in all DOF. So yes i sense HDR formatting, and noticed the different "motion"/blurr in the water foreground. But the idea intrigues me.

The youtube video when explaining this photo stacking did use a macro example. Still very cool! So what is interesting, what i hear you saying is, multi- aperture, multi f stop layering with photo stacking.

I need a cup of coffee!
User avatar
ApproachingLight
Board Expert
Board Expert
Posts: 871
Joined: Thu Jul 29, 2010 9:19 am
Location: Rochester
Contact:

p.s. Eagle Cliff Falls shot is beautiful.
User avatar
Matt
President
President
Posts: 13374
Joined: Sun Apr 23, 2006 5:01 pm
Camera Model: Olympus OMD EM-1 m1, m2; Panasonic GM5, Osmo Pocket
Location: Rochester, NY
Contact:

if it were just true photo stacking, then the photographer would use the same exposure and just adjust focus.
It's certainly HDR, and software will often select portions of one image and some from another, explaining the difference in waves.
The HDR process is sloppy as the shutter speed should have stayed the same for a moving object.

Photo stacking can be great. I haven't gotten much into focus stacking, but we all know HDR, which is stacking difference exposures.
It can be used for noise reduction (my camera actually has this built in), resolution enhancement, removing moving objects, duplicating removing objects (I didn't really buy all that baloney), and object clarification... which i was going to use to capture Jupiter ...

Here's a nice astrophotography app that will stack
http://www.astronomie.be/registax/
macnmotion
Senior
Senior
Posts: 169
Joined: Thu Jul 10, 2008 10:58 pm
Camera Model: Canon 5D2
Location: Bangkok, Thailand
Contact:

I tried focus stacking today for the first time for a macro shot. I posted about it here:

http://nyfalls.com/board/viewtopic.php?f=70&t=4710

Andy
Post Reply