Macro Exercises #3 Focus stacking - Page 4

Unbrok3n · Jan-01-2009, 08:33 PM

Heres another example...this is a little more obvious. This one was on auto.
I just dont understand how it could be this bad...

http://provethesunshine.smugmug.com/...3_j4FML-XL.jpg

Lord Vetinari · Jan-01-2009, 09:09 PM

The last one is more like double imaging etc.
Spiders in webs are very difficult as the subject is often geting blown around slightly.
Did you try manually aligning the images before stacking them ?
Any evidence of subject movement in the stack sequence ?

Sometimes reversing the stack helps with this (Stack\Reverse order)- sometimes several times.

These shots do look like there has been some movement somewhere either by the subject or perhaps in the act of focusing of the lens. I do not use tripods and prefer the fixed focus move camera method for taking the shot sequence. Often I'm simply resting the front of the lens on a surface when doing this. I do however sometimes get stack sequences that will not stack in the prog normally from misalignment and if I really want the stacked pic I will stack the pictures by hand in PS

Like Phil above I do not use czm now I've had too many problems with background blotching- the older CZ5 is better from this POV. I haven't really tried CZP - but on my limited trials it worked well but seemed more painful to use.
Brian V.

Unbrok3n · Jan-01-2009, 09:23 PM

Is manually aligning the process you described in the beginning of this thread? If so, yes, these were manually alligned.
Could you quickly explain what the "fixed focus move camera method" is?
I cant get a working download of cz5 to work...do you think czp is ok??
I just see all these beautiful stacks on here, and I have no idea what im doing wrong!! haha.
Sorry for all the questions...

ps. when you do the reversing stack do you do that in place of the regular or after it? Thanks!

Unbrok3n · Jan-01-2009, 10:19 PM

AFter a lot more trys tonight, Ive realized that ALL the results are bad, and pretty much all of them are like double imaging...and I dont understand why. I use manual alignment...
Is there a way to get the points in the exact spot on each image? Because I pretty much just eyeball it...
I dont know. Im just trying to understand whats goin on...sorry for being so annoying here.

**GOLDENORFE** · Jan-02-2009, 04:06 AM

i think the frog pic has too large an area for the software to handle!
try stacking 2 or 3 frames of the left hand frog, then do same for r.h.frog then merge in ps with layer mask.

you may also be focusing too far between each frame, the subject size changes as you focus,if there is a big difference in size that may be too much for software to align.

phil
http://www.flickr.com/photos/goldenorfe/

Unbrok3n · Jan-02-2009, 07:35 AM

So youre saying to do half the pic at a time and that to try and make the points closer together? Thanks for the help!

Lord Vetinari · Jan-02-2009, 10:34 AM

Regards the manual alignment - I try to do this pretty accurately- normally by picking some bright small spots in the middle stack image and then aligning them on the other shots. Bright spots are normally easy to locate the centre of even when they are OOF. When making the choice of alignment spots on a shot in the middle- make sure you can find the "spots" in the first and last shot before you start the aligning process. When you've done this you shouldn't see any realignment by the prog larger than about 5 pixels and normally 0 or 1 pixel.

CZ5 requires a dll in the same working folder as the .exe file namely fftw3.dll - you should find it on the download page.
Brian v.

leaforte · Jan-13-2009, 12:37 AM

I am NOT a macro shooter, but really wanted to try this. I used a 50mm with an extension tube and shot a rattle I own.

1st shot SOOC

stack of three SOOC

And curve and level adjustments to bring to realism.

It really is hard to get rid of the halos, and this is a great exercise for a non macro shooter like me to spend some time with focus issues.

I shot in raw and did a straight convert to JPEG so of course the WB is whack in the stacked shots. I should have taken the time to adjust in raw, but I didn't. I wanted to learn the software. Really quite simple...I just wish I had a good macro lens.

leaforte · Jan-13-2009, 10:44 AM

I used a mirror to help with WB here. I really like the software. I am going to try to do a rattle snake vertebrae next, and maybe a black background.

A 24-70 with extension.

Lord Vetinari · Jan-13-2009, 11:27 AM

Stacks look good leaforte :)

Brian V.

jaswebpics · Feb-04-2009, 02:20 AM

Thanks for the tutorial! Here's my first attempt with some small images. 7 raw shots, contrast & colour cranked up for style. Single shot on the left, stack on the right...

Lord Vetinari · Feb-04-2009, 06:29 AM

Looks like it worked well Jason :)
Brian V.

bret · Feb-04-2009, 10:07 AM

Here's one I took of a Pentium chip using Helicon Focus.
(I gave up on the last row)

limited60 · Feb-05-2010, 02:35 PM

Does anybody mind adding what lenses they used in some of their pictures?

I'm a Nikon D90 owner, but pretty new to the craft and am looking to buy some glass on top of the kit 18-55 and 55-200VR lenses from my D40.

sebthedog1 · Aug-01-2010, 08:55 AM

Hello all - I'd read this tutorial and wanted to have a go - went for a walk this afternoon and was lucky to find this exuvium to play with. I know this is far from perfect but I am chuffed!!

**GOLDENORFE** · Aug-01-2010, 10:05 AM

Well done for a first stack.

makes a huge difference in dof compared to a single frame

how many frames? 2 or 3 ?

you can see an oof band just behind the wing cases and posibbly behind the head. you will learn with practise to shoot each frame without missing any pieces.

phil

sebthedog1 · Aug-01-2010, 10:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GOLDENORFE

Well done for a first stack.

makes a huge difference in dof compared to a single frame

how many frames? 2 or 3 ?

you can see an oof band just behind the wing cases and posibbly behind the head. you will learn with practise to shoot each frame without missing any pieces.

phil

Thanks Phil - I am chuffed it nearly works

It was 3 frames - taken at Rixton this afternoon. Got some nasty bites -wading into the rushes to get a pic of a dragonfly and my right hand is so swollen I could hardly hold the camera at all - never mind we all make sacrifices for our art

Lord Vetinari · Aug-01-2010, 09:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sebthedog1

Hello all - I'd read this tutorial and wanted to have a go - went for a walk this afternoon and was lucky to find this exuvium to play with. I know this is far from perfect but I am chuffed!!

Agree- worked pretty well -esp for first try at this.
You have some stacling borders on left and right sides that need cropping off (stripey effect)
Brian v.

sebthedog1 · Aug-02-2010, 03:42 AM

Thanks Brian for the comment and the tutorial - looking forward to learning lots here.

DeVil · Aug-04-2010, 02:35 AM

This is my attempt at focus stacking (Thanks to LordV

)

Single shot

Fokus stacking (Zerene stacker - 11 shot's f/11)

Jan-01-2009, 08:33 PM	#61
Unbrok3n Major grins Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 336	Heres another example...this is a little more obvious. This one was on auto. I just dont understand how it could be this bad... http://provethesunshine.smugmug.com/...3_j4FML-XL.jpg __________________ My site

Jan-01-2009, 09:09 PM	#62
Lord Vetinari Smugbug Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 7,064	The last one is more like double imaging etc. Spiders in webs are very difficult as the subject is often geting blown around slightly. Did you try manually aligning the images before stacking them ? Any evidence of subject movement in the stack sequence ? Sometimes reversing the stack helps with this (Stack\Reverse order)- sometimes several times. These shots do look like there has been some movement somewhere either by the subject or perhaps in the act of focusing of the lens. I do not use tripods and prefer the fixed focus move camera method for taking the shot sequence. Often I'm simply resting the front of the lens on a surface when doing this. I do however sometimes get stack sequences that will not stack in the prog normally from misalignment and if I really want the stacked pic I will stack the pictures by hand in PS Like Phil above I do not use czm now I've had too many problems with background blotching- the older CZ5 is better from this POV. I haven't really tried CZP - but on my limited trials it worked well but seemed more painful to use. Brian V. __________________ Brian V. http://www.flickr.com/photos/lordv/ http://www.lordv.smugmug.com/

Jan-01-2009, 09:23 PM	#63
Unbrok3n Major grins Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 336	Is manually aligning the process you described in the beginning of this thread? If so, yes, these were manually alligned. Could you quickly explain what the "fixed focus move camera method" is? I cant get a working download of cz5 to work...do you think czp is ok?? I just see all these beautiful stacks on here, and I have no idea what im doing wrong!! haha. Sorry for all the questions... ps. when you do the reversing stack do you do that in place of the regular or after it? Thanks! __________________ My site Last edited by Unbrok3n; Jan-01-2009 at 09:45 PM.

Jan-01-2009, 10:19 PM	#64
Unbrok3n Major grins Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 336	AFter a lot more trys tonight, Ive realized that ALL the results are bad, and pretty much all of them are like double imaging...and I dont understand why. I use manual alignment... Is there a way to get the points in the exact spot on each image? Because I pretty much just eyeball it... I dont know. Im just trying to understand whats goin on...sorry for being so annoying here. __________________ My site

Jan-02-2009, 07:35 AM	#66
Unbrok3n Major grins Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 336	So youre saying to do half the pic at a time and that to try and make the points closer together? Thanks for the help! __________________ My site

Jan-02-2009, 04:06 AM	#65
GOLDENORFE Super Moderator Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 2,428	i think the frog pic has too large an area for the software to handle! try stacking 2 or 3 frames of the left hand frog, then do same for r.h.frog then merge in ps with layer mask. you may also be focusing too far between each frame, the subject size changes as you focus,if there is a big difference in size that may be too much for software to align. phil http://www.flickr.com/photos/goldenorfe/

Jan-02-2009, 10:34 AM	#67
Lord Vetinari Smugbug Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 7,064	Regards the manual alignment - I try to do this pretty accurately- normally by picking some bright small spots in the middle stack image and then aligning them on the other shots. Bright spots are normally easy to locate the centre of even when they are OOF. When making the choice of alignment spots on a shot in the middle- make sure you can find the "spots" in the first and last shot before you start the aligning process. When you've done this you shouldn't see any realignment by the prog larger than about 5 pixels and normally 0 or 1 pixel. CZ5 requires a dll in the same working folder as the .exe file namely fftw3.dll - you should find it on the download page. Brian v. __________________ Brian V. http://www.flickr.com/photos/lordv/ http://www.lordv.smugmug.com/

Jan-13-2009, 12:37 AM	#68
leaforte Major grins Join Date: May 2007 Location: Pacific Northwest Posts: 1,883	I am NOT a macro shooter, but really wanted to try this. I used a 50mm with an extension tube and shot a rattle I own. 1st shot SOOC stack of three SOOC And curve and level adjustments to bring to realism. It really is hard to get rid of the halos, and this is a great exercise for a non macro shooter like me to spend some time with focus issues. I shot in raw and did a straight convert to JPEG so of course the WB is whack in the stacked shots. I should have taken the time to adjust in raw, but I didn't. I wanted to learn the software. Really quite simple...I just wish I had a good macro lens. __________________ Growing with Dgrin

Jan-13-2009, 10:44 AM	#69
leaforte Major grins Join Date: May 2007 Location: Pacific Northwest Posts: 1,883	I used a mirror to help with WB here. I really like the software. I am going to try to do a rattle snake vertebrae next, and maybe a black background. A 24-70 with extension. __________________ Growing with Dgrin

Jan-13-2009, 11:27 AM	#70
Lord Vetinari Smugbug Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 7,064	Stacks look good leaforte :) Brian V. __________________ Brian V. http://www.flickr.com/photos/lordv/ http://www.lordv.smugmug.com/

Feb-04-2009, 02:20 AM	#71
jaswebpics Aussie Aussie Aussie Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 11	Thanks for the tutorial! Here's my first attempt with some small images. 7 raw shots, contrast & colour cranked up for style. Single shot on the left, stack on the right... __________________ Cheers, Jason www.gadgetaus.com/photos www.ausmotorsport.com

Feb-04-2009, 06:29 AM	#72
Lord Vetinari Smugbug Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 7,064	Looks like it worked well Jason :) Brian V. __________________ Brian V. http://www.flickr.com/photos/lordv/ http://www.lordv.smugmug.com/

Feb-04-2009, 10:07 AM	#73
bret Big grins Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 57	Here's one I took of a Pentium chip using Helicon Focus. (I gave up on the last row)

Feb-05-2010, 02:35 PM	#74
limited60 Big grins Join Date: Feb 2010 Posts: 17	Does anybody mind adding what lenses they used in some of their pictures? I'm a Nikon D90 owner, but pretty new to the craft and am looking to buy some glass on top of the kit 18-55 and 55-200VR lenses from my D40.

Aug-01-2010, 08:55 AM	#75
sebthedog1 Big grins Join Date: Jul 2010 Posts: 25	ooh I'm excited - first focus stack Hello all - I'd read this tutorial and wanted to have a go - went for a walk this afternoon and was lucky to find this exuvium to play with. I know this is far from perfect but I am chuffed!! Last edited by sebthedog1; Aug-01-2010 at 09:01 AM. Reason: 1st photo was invalid link

Aug-01-2010, 10:05 AM	#76
GOLDENORFE Super Moderator Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 2,428	Well done for a first stack. makes a huge difference in dof compared to a single frame how many frames? 2 or 3 ? you can see an oof band just behind the wing cases and posibbly behind the head. you will learn with practise to shoot each frame without missing any pieces. phil __________________ Phil http://www.flickr.com/photos/goldenorfe/ moderator - holy macro

Aug-02-2010, 03:42 AM	#79
sebthedog1 Big grins Join Date: Jul 2010 Posts: 25	Thanks Brian for the comment and the tutorial - looking forward to learning lots here.

Aug-04-2010, 02:35 AM	#80
DeVil Major grins Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Serbia, Smederevo Posts: 112	This is my attempt at focus stacking (Thanks to LordV ) Single shot Fokus stacking (Zerene stacker - 11 shot's f/11)

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