Focus stacking

[Hawk]

I have just started experimenting with focus stacking for increased depth of field. 

Here are my two first attempts: 

 

 

 

I use a Canon G12. The picture taking part of the process is totally manual. 

I set the camera to manual focus and focused on the closest  part of the motive. I moved the focus 8 "clicks" for each exposure. With the G12 this results in around 14-15 exposures. The images were shot at f 5.6.

 

All the magic is done in Photoshop CS4. This version of Photoshop was the firs version to include this functionality, and I would guess that the last version of the software gives even better result

First I  used the "Load files into stack" function. Then is uses the "Auto Align Layers". This is not really necessary if you have a good tripod, but I sometimes use a small flimsy tripod and then the camera often  shifts a little between exposures. The auto align takes really good care of this!

 

"Auto Blend layers" is next, I just use the preset settings, and almost like magic the layers are blended into one image with tremendous depth of field. 

 

But I would guess that there could be more to this process than my simple procedure. I would love to hear from others that have tried focus-stacking for model railway photography! Feel free to post your own results in this thread. 

Edited November 3, 2015 by Hawk

[ParkeNd]

I'm new to focus stacking myself - and have become quite interested in it to the point of using it for all my layout photos. I use Zerene Stacker which I have found produces no artefacts whatsoever. Good stuff in my book. This is just one photo taken in the last month. It's an N gauge layout - just 5 exposures. Camera is a nikon D810 full frame DSLR and this shot used a Nikon 24-70 f/2.8 lens and a sturdy tripod.

 

Edited November 3, 2015 by ParkeNd

[Arun Sharma]

I use Helicon software for focus stacking - Mainly to photograph 0gauge models. An example is in the Tramway>trackless trollies area of "Special Interests" where I photographed a 1/43rd scale trolleybus. Pretty impressed with the software and I suspect it might have rendered my old Nikon 85mm tilt/shift lens obsolete.

[Jon Fitness]

An excellent result! I too have a G12, bought with the same intention to have a go at focus stacking. When your camera is on the tripod, do you move the focus using the camera's controls or do you have a remote device for controlling the focus?

Jon.

[Hawk]

An excellent result! I too have a G12, bought with the same intention to have a go at focus stacking. When your camera is on the tripod, do you move the focus using the camera's controls or do you have a remote device for controlling the focus?

Jon.

 

I use the cameras controls only. When I use my fairly stable tripod usign the "align layers" command show no signs of the camera moving between exposures.

 

But when I use my "gorillapod", a small tripod that I use when I want to place the camera on a layout, it is clear that there are minor movements in the camera between exposures. But "align layeres" takes care of this. A remote would be really nice, though. But those I have seen are only for shutter release, you can not change manual focus, exposure etc.

 

What would have been perfect is a function that takes a series of pictures with 8 clicks further focus for each of them. Would speed up things tremendously!

[4630]

.

Edited November 12, 2016 by 4630

[ParkeNd]

Although Photoshop CS4 will do the job, the two main specialist stackers, Zerene and Helicon, are easier to use and are free of disconcerting artefacts - little digital distortions like melted solder blobs in odd places.

 

I trigger the shutter with the delayed action and focus on five or six definite points on the layout working from near to far, and take RAW files. Then I process one of the images only in Aperture 3 with no sharpening then lift the metadata and adjustments and stamp them on the other files giving me identical images except for focus point. Then whilst all 5/6 images are selected I export them to the desktop. I then line them up on the desktop in file number order with the closest focus image (lowest file number) at the top.

 

I then start Zerene Stacker and slide the files in order into the input box. Align and Stack is a single command - though there is an option to use DMax, PMax, or both stacking algorithms. Alignment and stacking is then automatic and the image builds a file at a time in front of you. Then save the completed image to desktop.

 

All that remains is to import the image into Aperture 3 and process it in PTL to correct lens distortion and verticals. I apply only moderate sharpening - in my view too many images are grossly over sharpened making them look artificial.

[Hawk]

You might want to try using chdk with your Canon G12.  That would give you the extra functionality that you're looking for.

 

http://www.utrainia.com/87-a-complete-guide-to-automatic-focus-stacking-with-chdk-and-a-canon-a2400

 

Thanks! I have heard about CHDK but found it a bit overwhelming,  but the tutorial you linked to made things a bit more comprehensible. Will definetively try it.

[Hawk]

Tried an DSLR (Canon EOS40D) for some model shots for the first time. I used a 60mm Macro, and while I knew that depth of field would be far less than the G12 due to the much larger sensor, I was shocked to see how little d-o-f I got!

Even for a straight shot taken from around 20cm away I had to use 5 images even at f8.0.

 

 

I really do not know if it is worth the hassle to use the EOS instead of the G12. Even in print, I think the G12 holds up remarkably well. 

 

But If I decide to use the EOS/60mm macro, I have to optimize my workflow. For studio shots it seems that i would need to use Live View and Helicon Remote if I shall not go mad from all the manual focusing. I would guess that most motives would need 10-15 images to get sufficient dof.  

 

Have anyone tried Helicon remote and got experiences they would like to share?

[Quarryscapes]

This was something I'd forgotten about on my new laptop as I don't do any kind of exposure blending very often, but I just got round to trying LR.Enfuse

 

http://www.photographers-toolbox.com/products/lrenfuse.php?sec=quickguide

 

Haven't got any stacked focus shots to try with but it did a very neat job with some exposure blending. Will be interesting to see how it handles my macro lens and it's focus breathing. 

[Tony Teague]

Tlthough nothing has been posted here for several years, it felt like the right place to put this query.

 

I posted a small version of this image on my thread but later, during a discussion on focus stacking I showed this larger version of it to my camera club - and it was only then that I realised that it has some flaws:

 

 

In particular, if you look at the chimney and at the top of the dome, you can see that there are bits of the loco missing!

 

My camera club colleagues felt that this was either a fault in the way that Helicon Focus has put the image together, or perhaps that at the close end of the focus spectrum, my images were too far apart. The image is a composite from 39 images taken automatically by an Olympus E-M1 and then compiled in Helicon; the distance from camera to front end of the loco was about 3" or 4" whilst the discance to the far end of the layout would be around 26 feet.

 

I wonder if anyone on here or perhaps @AY Mod can give me their thoughts on what has gone wrong and how best to avoid it in future?

 

Tony

[Kylestrome]

4 minutes ago, Tony Teague said:

39 images taken automatically by an Olympus E-M1 and then compiled in Helicon

 

All my focus stacked images are taken with a similar camera and the same software. I've noticed that sometimes it's necessary to try alternative stacking methods (ie. Method A, B or C) within Helicon Focus to get the best results and avoid artifacts.

 

Problems tend to occur when foreground elements are a long way in front of the background, as is the case with the chimney and dome in your photo.

 

David

[Tony Teague]

2 hours ago, Kylestrome said:

 

 I've noticed that sometimes it's necessary to try alternative stacking methods (ie. Method A, B or C) within Helicon Focus to get the best results and avoid artifacts.

 

 

Thanks David

I confess that because I hadn't noticed the problem, it hadn't occurred to me to try an alternate method.

In much earlier versions of Helicon I sometimes used to get the software to render the result more than once before I was happy but this hasn't been necessary recently.

Best wishes

Tony

[AY Mod]

3 hours ago, Tony Teague said:

perhaps @AY Mod can give me their thoughts on what has gone wrong and how best to avoid it in future?

 

Hi Tony,

 

This is a regular drawback with stacking software as there is a large distance differential between the chimney for example  and the platform/fence behind. The software can't find clear steps between so it fudges things - in this case very obviously. There's no easy remedy and when I get that I have to manually patch in parts of the original images where the chimney was in focus and the other where the area behind is in focus.

[Tony Teague]

Andy thanks

I guess that I have either not experienced that before, or just haven't noticed!

Since most of my model railway pics are only used on RMWeb I tend to only use very small images where the detail may be less obvious.

Best wishes

Tony

 

[Ducking Giraffe]

I recently came to sell an Evening star on ebay so I snapped a few pics on my phone and used Affinty photo to stack them - dead easy. Twenty years ago I used to be a big Photoshop fan but since they went to a subscription model I thought "stuff em". Affinty is a British program by Serif - the same people that wrote Pageplus.

 

 

 

final result:

Edited November 5, 2021 by Ducking Giraffe
spelling

[Paul A Biro]

I agree - I have been using Affinity for focus stacking and it gives great results!

 

Andrew

 

[Dave John]

I was also outpriced by photoshop and purchased affinity. No regrets. 

 

All the transfers for my recent coach builds were created in affinity, as was the backscene and all the textures for the buildings.