Focus Stacking Basics in Macro Photography
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- čas přidán 5. 09. 2024
- How to get started with macro photography focus stacking! I guide you though some of the basics, like what software and rail/slider to use.
Helicon Focus (software I used in the video): www.heliconsof...
Other stacking software option: zerenesystems....
The Velbon slider I used: amzn.to/2NmuQop
Lens I used: www.venuslens.... (I always buy Laowa lenses from their website - fast and free shipping worldwide)
Camera used for all photos in the video: amzn.to/2IACPex
Video was filmed mostly with this camera: amzn.to/2MuNt9i
Mic used for voiceover: amzn.to/2UBZb1i
Instagram: / mwroll
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📷 lens I used in this video: bit.ly/mwlaowa60 (I always buy Laowa lenses from this link - fast, free shipping worldwide)
I have the same camera and I just bought the same lens you used and I'm looking for the table mount you use. Which do you use?
@@Vicvines some cheap thing I found on ebay. sorry don't remember the seller
But i recommend a regular tripod on the floor instead - the table mount is very hard to work with
Hi Micael, hope you are doing good and I always enjoy watching your videos. Question: Is there any automated way to capture multiple pictures for focus stacking using a Sony camera (maybe A7R3 or A7R4) as they do not have any built-in system similar to Nikon D850/ Z7? I heard about camranger2, have you tried it? I have been using Nikon D850 for about 4 years and my primary area of interest is macro photography. D850 is definitely a great camera for macro, but the biggest problem with a DSLR for me is AF really sucks while using LCD panel. I often like to use LCD (with AF) to capture moving insects on the ground (example: butterflies mud-puddling) and to shoot street and travel (my another are of interest). And I would also like to reduce some overall weight of camera gear that I carry. Considering all these things, I am thinking of moving to mirrorless. I checked Nikon Z7 ii (that has built-in focus stacking option similar to D850), but I am not happy with its AF capability.
@@MicaelWidell I have to say I am jealous of the fast snapping equipment. I have a lumbering truck of a camera in the form of a digital Hasselblad. I own some of the finest glass, 120 mm Macro and coupled with a monster CCD sensor now in my retirement, I'm ready to play. But the deck is heavily weighed against me. The larger the area of your sensor the more shallower the DOF becomes if the image size projected to the sensor is larger. One to one is still one to one. I get that. That demonstration of holding down the shutter and shoving the camera toward your green lady friend is not going to happen in my attempts. Be working with dead bugs first. You can't tell if their little multiple eyes are shut anyway. ( That was humor) I've been a pro since the early '70's. Photography put food on the table and as I spoke of earlier, it's time to play. Part of no, let me restate; the excitement about photography still lies in the thrill of discovering and learning something new. Thanks for thinking positively about your fellow humans to share, and light and edit blah blah blah.
I've been doing focus stacking for years using a range of focal points rather than the slider method. Everything is then exported from lightroom to photoshop to align and merge. Works like a charm every single time.
could you explain or send a tutorial about this technique?
@@bogdanvalentin977 I learned by watching CZcams videos.
@@Dewabarasunderan Really? Gee...I guess I'm unusual then. I typed "focus stacking" in the search and found what I needed. Sorry I can't hold your hand through the process...I'm currently watching a CZcams video on how to use the Art History brushes to turn your image into a watercolor. Good luck.
I am a quite experienced macro photographer (as a hobby and beyond) and I enjoy very much your videos. You are sincere and you try to give the best to our friends. I appreciate it and I like your approach. I am fanatic for micro 4/3 and especially Olympus. Focus bracketing and stacking are built-in functions in Olympus cameras without any extra gear. Plus the magnification crop factor and the depth of field of micro 4/3. Thank you.
Yes I would like to get an Olympus camera this summer and try it!
For those watching and are also beginners. If you want to get easy 'drops' on products, you can buy (or make yourself) a mixture of glycerin and water. The drops will stick, even on vertical slopes and they will stay in place the entire time
I appreciate tips like this
It is covenant the errant images can be found and be removed then the program is run again. Excellent.
One thing that will help a lot is using a cable release so you aren’t jiggling your camera each time you shoot a frame. And I’ve found if I shoot at around f10 I only need 4-6 frames to get it all in focus using PS photo stacking (shutter speed can be much slower if using a cable release). Pre-digital you couldn’t do any of this. It’s amazing what you can capture using this technique.
I've done a couple hundred inexpensive focus bracketing sessions using an iPhone XR, and Moment Macro and Closeup lenses, and focus stacking in Affinity Photo, and gotten beautiful results. In most cases natural light was sufficient to get great results. The best advise I have for easiest shooting of insects is to get out the door first thing in the morning as the sun is just peeking over the horizon and while insects are cold and least mobile. That's also often when the wind speed for the day is minimum.
Hi Micael, I've been playing around with Helicon Focus as well the past few weeks and you could also get rid of the issue with the specular highlight by using the retouching tab. Look for the image where the edge is in focus and paint that in to the 'stacked end result preview'. What I like about helicon is it can read ARW's natively and export to DNG so you maintain the dynamic range in the stacked result.
Also by using Sony Imaging Edge and tethered shooting you can almost completely get rid of any camera-shake because you don't have to set a shutter timer or manually move the camera over a focus-rail (if your lens-setup is able to zoom correctly using the software you can use 3 different modes of accuracy using shortcuts). I do like these focus-rails to adjust the camera without having to physically move the camera+tripod or the subject you're shooting within the frame. I was experimenting with the 40mm reversed setup (from one of your video's) but couldn't get that to work with tethered software zooming. Both elements move further apart but the narrow focus area stayed the same (extension tubes, mk-c-up, step-up-ring, 40mm reversed). It does work fine when using the regular 100mm macro lens from canon.
Thanks for your inspiring video's!
LR and ON1 also is able to keep Raw files after focusstacking images (LR does a DNG). Is there a big difference to Helicon really? Even PS can do a pretty good job and Affinty Photo as well, although these two are not able to keep the RAW.
those droplet photos are delicious !
Thanks for the great points for folks that are looking at doing this on a budget. Just an FYI Fuji X series camera's have focus stacking in camera (XT-2 and XT-3) and can even take 100 exposures in just a few seconds stacking inside the camera (with lens auto adjusting focus points). And Photoshop can be used to import each image as a layer and stack in that if folks have Photoshop. Thanks for the tip on Helicon, I might try that out to see how the workflow might be better or worse than the Photoshop method.
Or micro four thirds... they got focus stacking feature
I compared Helicon Focus to Photoshop and Helicon was a whole lot better. I also tried Helicon remote tethered to the computer, and it was great! You set the first and last focus points, tell it how many pictures to take in between, click start, and step back. It does the rest for you. If you have a cable from the camera to the computer, you may want to try that out too.
Now I have just tried to focus stack when it was daylight.
In such a situation, I have held the camera in my hand and shifted it forward and backward while I spray with pictures and stacked in Photoshop.
It has worked well, but I understand that this stacking program can be more easy to use for better result, but there are auto align layers in Photoshop which helps a lot.
Great explanation.. what is good about you is u covered the problematic areas which made things very clear .. thanks a lot
I got an EOS R7 camera, it has built in Focus Stacking function. The function is excellent and fast , I used it for handheld insect macro photography (magnification around ~0.8-0.9x) using EF 100mm f/2.8L macro. The function uses only electronic shutter with 30 FPS and it does not support flash. After finishing focus stacking, it would give a composite jpg image. Usually I shot in C-Raw format and stack the photos using Digital Photo Professional (DPP by Canon). Most of the composite photo does not need any processing except for butterfly shooting (antenna movement). I know there are many cameras with focus stacking function except Sony, might be you can have a look at it. Try one with fast FPS electronic shutter.
I do simple photostacking in PS CS6. It works wonderfully well! I choose the best two or three photos that offer the widest range of sharpness, then align and blend. Takes only moments, and the result is impressive.
Yes that is a brilliant idea. I did not know it when I made this video, but for simpler stacks photoshop is excellent. Since then I made a video about macro stacking in photoshop :)
Good video. I suggest using Photoshop for focus stacking if you already have the subscription. I know that is not the most popular option, but the focus stacking algorithm works well, and then you can go into your retouching workflow right after that. I also think Affinity photo has a focus stacking feature and works similar to Photoshop. I usually use a tripod and just adjust the focus point so the framing of the subject doesn't move. With this method, you will have to leave some space around the subject in the frame, because when the software aligns the images it will rotate the photo a little leading to empty space, then you just crop the negative space. Your technique is effective and I really like the final result. Thanks for posting.
Affinity Photo is easier to use and very much less expensive.
Congratulations on the photos ... they are beautiful
Good job Micael! I love the images you made. I recently used photoshop to do my first focus stacked macro image, I only shot about 8 photos (hand-held) because I still wanted a shallow depth of field with just the small waterdrop properly in focus and it worked out well!
Thanks for this video.
I had committed early to the purchase of a focus rail, but was really curious about how it would measure in photostacking; which I have yet to try.
This video inspired and a boost of confidence that I had made the right decision.
All that said, you should really edit the title and add “focus rail”. I was hesitant; thought it might have been just another video on refocusing manually, but to my very grateful surprise.
You made the best focus rail/focus stacking beginners video. 🙏🙏🙏
Thanks :)
I love this DIY stuff!!
If you have a canon camera that can run magic lantern, you can automate focus stacking. The focus rail ought to still give better results, but with ML you can achieve it anywhere, even if you haven't got a focus rail with you. Some newer canon cameras (and some from other makers) also have this built in now. The rail is still optimal, but having never been successful at focus stacking myself by trying to do it focusing manually, bracketing, or moving the camera handheld, i have been able to get it to work quite well by using Magic Lantern's automation. I find affinity photo does a pretty good job stacking the photos, better than photoshop did.
Which camera do you have magic lantern installed on?
@@MrWiseinheart I did have it on a 6D, but I don't have that anymore, now I use an EOS RP which doesn't run ML, but it can do the focus stacking natively.
I'm so glad that I've found this video and this channel today just because of youtube recommendations! For some reason I didn't even thought that's something like this is possible. I was struggling with extremely shallow depth of field on my photos where it's like just a 32x32 pixels point in focus. I'm gonna try to make some macro photos again, thanks
Thanks. I just started doing macrophotography, but I'm on a budget so I've been using extension tubes and reverse rings until I can save up for a macro lens. I'll probably wait until I get a macro lens before I attempt stacking. But this was cool and informative. Subscribed. Thanks.
You can test the idea with a normal lens out in the field, focus as close as possible take a shot, focus a bit further, take a shot....... stack them. Put a lens on backwards, if you have a motorwind on your camera, gently sway backwards and forwards with the shutter pressed, Five shots a second should be enough. Check them for position of focus before adding to the software, a Monopod is a handy tool for this out in the field as in the micro world any movement can be huge. Strobe lighting might be needed if your camera can do 15 a second.
@@spex357 Thanks.
NOW, I understand how to create great images. You are the best!
Great & informative video, Many thanks. I like the quieter music !
Thank you very much. I will be investing in a macro lens and focus slider soon
I'm so glad my camera has built-in focus stacking. Makes it possible to even take advantage of IBIS with focus stacking handheld. I too prefer using Helicon. PhotoShop gave me problems that Helicon simply handled automagically.
That is nice. What camera?
@@MicaelWidell Fuji X-H1
Hey Micael, I've been watching a bunch of macro photography related videos on CZcams lately and there are a lot of photographers who have loads on content on this topic. Just want you to know that I found your content to be one of the most informative and honest content from the lot. Thanks for all the information you've put out there. :)
Thank you for the kind words :) I strive to be honest and informative.
Beautiful video Micael. Thank you so much. You actually got me able to start shooting macro’s with my Sony 90mm macro lens. New sub.
Thank you Micael. I really enjoy your videos!
Bra jobbat med en så pillig metod för att få så mycket som möjligt i skärpa!
Jag saknar tålamodet för så mycket pill jobb!
Very informative and great for newbies like me. Thanks.
Very good video... As an additional piece of information; using a bit of glycerin combined with water for the drop will give you a better formed drop that will also last longer...
Very helpful tutorial style.
Another very informative video. You have a great way of passing on information.
Maybe give the Zerene Stacker a second chance? First look at their how to videos (or even read the help), it helps... If correctly set the automatic stacking methods of Helion and Zerene got you similar results. The biggest difference is in retouching. Zenere is best of all in that department. Your small blurry "problem" can be resolved in Zerene 10x faster than Helion or Photoshop and the result looks flawless if you put a bit of effort to it.
Micael thank you , nice job.
I love the swenglish!
Loved the yellow flower image, awesome. I'd try it but I know I don't have the patience for it.
Nice video again! Thanks to share your focus stacking experiences!
A very nice video, well explained. Instead of focus slider, I prefer to have a camera body which supports focus bracketing, and of course, an AF macro lens. However, I don't know any suitable macro lens with 2x magnification.
Great video! Sadly had to return my oly 60mm macro because there was some white spec inside the lens. But will buy it again along with the sliding tool like yours!
Hi tx for this video. Have you tried moving your focus point for focus stacking or do you think the slider works better?
Adjusting focus, rather than moving camera, probably eliminates the changes in geometry between shots. However, depending on the lens it can also change effective focal length and that also introduces complication.
how do you adjust focus without moving the camera, sorry i'm a biginner
@@Philip-tp6fz "how do you adjust focus without moving the camera"
It requires a lens that permits this function. If your lens has a focus ring, just turn it slightly. If your camera is fully automatic then moving the camera for focus stacking isn't going to work since the camera will still maintain focus on the same spot, defeating the idea.
@@thomasmaughan4798 oh, my macro lens doesnt have such la focus ring
I see that others have already said this, but it would seem that you would change the focus, incrementally - not move the camera. You probably figured that out after this video.
Good shots. I bought the Velbon slider however I found that the two adjustment knobs got in the way of each other. I paid the extra and got the Manfrotto rail. Although this lacks the Velbon's lateral movement it is more stable. The focus knob has an allen key socket. If you place a key in the socket you can make very fine adjustments and you get a visual reference (like a clock finger) to show how far you are rotating the screw.
Yeah the Velbon is almost too basic. I really miss having some kind of scale and more options for fine tuning. But at least it works and is of decent quality.
Micael, we need an update on a suggested rail: the product you're suggesting is not easily available online (not available on Amazon anymore, on eBay you can find it only from US vendors, etc...)
If you want a manual rail, I think you should buy one from NISI. They usually have good quality at a decent price.
I'm tempted to get further involved, but all my photography (regular and macro) is on a tiny budget - I can't afford any 'real' macro gear (especially a lens), so I've been fiddling about with homemade racks and rigs, cheapo extension tubes and lens-reversing mounts. My camera's a Nikon D3300 (don't laugh, you snobs!🤭)
The stacking software looks great, but I'd have to search around for a freeware version (GIMP, maybe?); my other difficulty is my 2005-vintage PC, which is single core, optimised for music production, and still runs Windows XP! Would rendering a stacked image take days/weeks, or would it simply not cope?
I know people will be shouting at their screens that I should just stop whining and spend £17,000+ on a proper macro setup like they have, but I've got no spare cash; they might as well be telling me to buy another helicopter for my super-yacht.
It can be a bit disheartening trying to do this kind of specialised photography on the cheap, but it makes the occasional good result all the more satisfying.
Thank you so much for the video.It was completely useful
Good video
I’ve always wanted to do this, thanks for showing!
what is the technical reason we must use a rail vs focus ring for macro focus stacking? Is it lens aberration at macro scale?
thank you easily understood
glycerine is very helpful for water drops
Thanks for the great video class.
Killed the flowers. Deal Breaker
The flowers he picked are coming out of our ears here in Europe. Hell, we even make wine from dandelions.
Be careful Micael - it's a slippery slope! Before long you'll want to automate the capture process and end up buying a StackShot, then begin to search for smaller and smaller objects to photograph, which requires even more equipment for higher magnification... ;-)
That's what I did, the whole nine yards. The tiny parts of a flower are much more interesting and beautiful than the flower itself. Up to 5X macro is where I'm headed.
you have a great technique about macro photography i've learned more things from you
Thanks, I appreciate your kind words :)
Why not just use the focus ring instead of the slider? Although it’s small, sliders introduce a slight variance in perspective, confusing the stacking software if you moved too much.
Hi, just 2 stupid questions from a beginner. 1 why not just focus stacking in Photoshop and 2 why not just simply use a normal tripod and adjust the focus manually instead of using that macro tool you used. Thanks in advance if you would like to reply. : )
Great job!
You can DIY a macro rail for $150-$200 easily using parts off the internet that offers far more precision (
Ide be very interested in this video!
@@ttonAb2 Alright, I'll make it. Should be up by tomorrow.
that is super cool
Thanks
Thank you for the donation ❤️
8:05 your focus slider wiggles a LOT, that's why many shots were not stackable.
What if we use focus bracketing instead ? Also we may be able to use electronic shutter in order to minimize mouvement ?
Interesting setup, however the square light source reflected in the raindrop is distracting
1:22 Hello! what's the difference between a slider and a focus ring? using the focus ring, you can automate the process with programm on your phone, Helicon remote
You can use both methods!
@@MicaelWidell 😄
Dont move the camera just change the aperture.
Some cameras can be connected to the pc for pc control.
What james harris said.
Every lens has a sharpest aperture. You want to choose that aperture for the whole sequence.
Thank you very much!!
So cool!
Does the program know when to stack in focus sections?
Have you tried stacking photos with foreground background etc as main focus points? Primarily for landscape. Macro you want certain sections only in focus while landscape you want from toe, to infinity in focus
it just stacks what ever you put in the que
Hi, may I know if focus breathing affects the results of stacking?
Great info, what is the difference with the helico light vs pro? I did not see anything when I read it.
I found this www.heliconsoft.com/helicon-focus-versions-licensing/
Exelent
Thank you!
I have seen in other videos they use glycerine to stabilize water droplets. Have you ever try that_
What i dont understand, after the first photo, and move the camera towards 1mm, after 10 photos my subject is way bigger, and some parts are already out of the picture, can you explain what i do wrong?!
Yes this is what happens when you do deep stacks. Best method to avoid that problem is probably to start in the most zoomed in state, so you see what the final frame will look like, and then go backwards from there.
@@MicaelWidell so in that order the first photo is just a part of the subject?!
Hello sir! How can I get handheld stacking focus? I've taken the standing spider and always got the result with many head, legs, eyes,... please! Thank you!
Nice job, why do you don’t use photoshop for the stacking 🤔
Al picture in Lightroom than send it to photoshop.
I use focus stacking mostly for landscape for macro I try mosli i forgot that technology. Is not in my system het 🤪😂
Nice video
Thank you so much:0
Is using a slider better than using manual focus without moving the camera?
The slider can offer more precision than the focus ring, especially if the lens' focus ring has a short throw (common on non-macro lenses and lenses primarily designed for use with autofocus)
If you have a Canon camera, check out the Magic Lantern firmware. It can actually drive the lens' autofocus and take photos automatically to create a focus stack for you (i.e. nudges the AF forwards, takes a pic, nudges it again, takes another pic, up to a configurable number of shots). If you're shooting with your camera tethered to your computer, you can do the same thing with Helicon Focus' capture tool (with the bonus that the photos are downloaded to your computer while shooting, so you don't even have to stop to copy them over!)
The object changes in size more drastically when using the focus ring instead of moving the camera in almost all macro photography circumstances. This doesnt play a large role if you used the focus ring in a landscape photo and I believe the term is focus breathing.
It also allows you to maintain magnification to focus, having a slider is great for video specifically as it allows for more stable shot as you're moving the camera back and forth to focus. I use a gx85 which has IBIS with lenses that lack IS, and Dual IS with lenses that support it (I really want to get the Panasonic Macro 30mm f/2.8 specifically because of this) which is awesome as it allows for steadier handshots without a tripod(I'm just not sure if it'd be enough for focus stacking like this).
Yes.
I prefer to change my focus point each time instead of moving the camera. I also shot tethered most of the time with my tablet to keep the camera as still as possible. I think the technique is less important than the final result though.
what are you using that the slide rail is attached to? I have seen you use this on other videos and it seems to be a better alternative than a mini-tripod
In the end I attached it to a regular tripod. Worked best for me.
Very good. Try the focus peaking on Sony.
I have used Helicon for ages but with my EOS 90D it makes all the photos purple :( I will check pout the other you name, I've never heard of it before, so thanks.
Hi Micael !
I want to purchase Helicon, but what version should I take ?
I shoot mainly with Fujifilm cameras, so I don't need the remote, but is the Lite enough, or do you think the Pro has important features ?
Thanks for helping !
Water droplet looks very awesome. Can focus be done in camera not with a software? This is interesting hobby.
Some Olympus cameras can stack in camera
Great video nice job
I notice the camera is shaking while you push the shutter button, what is exactly the unstably shaking component? the tripod or the rail itself?
Probably the tripod
Hi, why does Canon EOS R not have "Focus Bracketing", present in Canon EOS RP? Could it be introduced through the Firmware update?
Well done! Looks overwhelming 😵 what is the difference between photo stacking and post focus on panasonic cameras or are they the same thing?
Can't you do that automatically with your camera and a macro lens? Also, what you do is not focus stacking, but stacking multiple images with fixed focus. I am not saying that what you do is wrong, but there are better and easier ways. Maybe not with your camera, I don't know.
Can you try the focus stacking on a free software?
GIMP is a free program that you can use to get a similar result.
Hugin can presumably accomplish it but I've had better results from simply cloning the sharp bits by hand.
Why not Photoshop? I find it excellent!
I never said you couldn’t use photoshop. But I wanted to show the method that is easiest for a beginner to get started with. Use whatever works for you :)
If you do focus stacks with a lot of fine detail you may find that Helicon is not better. Zerene is harder to learn to use, but it does a better job and more importantly it gives you the tools to fix problem areas. I have used both programs quite a bit. To show an example, I could not get a usable image out of Helicon with this spider but with Zerene I had one minor problem to fix and then I had a great image: live.staticflickr.com/1846/43465618245_97e9c53ce4_o.jpg
The spider was so small that it could easily fit on my pinky fingernail. I will say though that it has been a couple of years since I did macro and used either program, so maybe they could have changed.
That's a great image!
@@LieslHuddleston Thank you! Looks like you have a nice channel for me to binge watch this evening, lol.
adamaj lol I hope you enjoy some of the videos, they’re really fun to make! :)
Helicon actually has good tools to fix and correct the stack afterwards, I just didn't have time to show that in this video.
@@MicaelWidell Ah, gotcha. Like I said, it's been a while since I used it.
Hi Micael. What was your lighting set up for this video?
I used a Godox 1000C czcams.com/video/gEFrP_JPqog/video.html
I'm trying to avoid the focus slider, and so avoid moving the tripod or camera. The focus slider is good for shots of the moon with a long lens.
0:17 He just killed the plant!
I am a terrible person
take it easy man.... he did not kill anything.
Hi Micael. Can I begin by saying what a really good video this was. I know this is an old post, but, I too do a lot of Macro shooting. But I'm taking a non photography shot in the dark here. The music piece from the beginning of the video to around 4:30. Do you by any chance remember the who, what and where of that piece? I've been searching for that for sometime now and it would be great if you remember. Once again, great video. Ben
I’m sorry but I cannot remember the track name or artist. But I am 100% certain I found it on epidemic sound. They have playlists on Spotify so it could be there somewhere.
@@MicaelWidell Thank you. I'll give that a try.
Thanks! What software do you use to merge the images?
My favorite these days are Helicon Focus for rail stacks, and Photoshop for handheld stacks
Does the velbon focus rail hold up the weight of the camera and the lens in its vertical position without sliding down?
Can I do the stacking using the focus ring, instead of the slider? Thanks.
Yes you can! But it can be harder to get even focus distance between the photos.
Really helpful video. One question, does the Marco slider not act as a zoom. Does Helicon take this into account when processing the images?
Yes it is handled automatically. One thing I didn't mention in this video is that it is probably best to begin with the most "zoomed in" position and back out of it, because that will represent the final framing.