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I have read a little about this and thought I would give it a try. I have CS5 and watched several tutorials on it, and this weekend invested in some flower shop flowers and gave it a try.
I have tried to stack several images, ranging from 7 to 11 images. The best I ever get is that it uses 3 of the pictures, and the ones CS5 uses are really not the best in focus of the group.
Question: Has any one done this with CS5? And if they have what process do they use?
Rick
Rick, I've done this a bit, using CS5, so I'll give you some pointers from what I've learned.
You mentioned flowers. How did you shoot the flowers? Horizontally? From a "top down, looking into the flower?"
For macro shots, most people will shoot down, into the flower. Depending on what your f/stop is, and how close you are to the flower, you may have to take many shots.
The technique I use is as follows: tripod mount your camera. Use a remote switch for shutter release. Put the lens in manual focus (IS off). I use the viewfinder for focus, then find the closest portion of the scene (if a flower, the top petal or similar part of the flower). Take a shot. Then, manually refocus further into the flower. Take another shot. Continue this for as far as you'd like the flower to be in focus.
Then, in CS5, open all the images (I shoot RAW, so I'll open the images and do minor adjustments, such as lens corrections, exposure (if needed), etc., then open them in CS5.
Run a script. File, Scripts, Load files into stack. When the window opens, choose "add open files" and be sure to check the box that says to attempt to align the images.
When they've finished loading, select them all, then Edit, Auto-Blend Layers. You'll choose the option that is not "panorama."
CS5 will find the OOF areas, then display the various images in the stack. Then, "Flatten layers." This should give you your final stacked image.
At this point, you will see your image with some fringes of blurriness, but this is easily removed by cropping the image slightly.
After that, do some further adjustments on the image (sharpen, etc), and your image should be ready for saving.
For multiple images, I usually choose f/5 or f/4, if the lens can handle it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Alan
Alan
Thanks
One tutorial I read said to go to File Automate -->Photomerge (instead of Load Files in Stack) then go to Edit Auto Blend Layers and this is how I have tried.. I read another that said to do it the way you describe. However doing it the way you describe after I merge the photos, and I go to Edit, the Auto-Blend Layers choice is not available. The link for that tool you can't engage it is lightened out to show you its not available. I can't figure out if I am missing something here. I have tried to do this with PSD and TIFF files so far with no luck.
Not sure what I am doing wrong.
Rick
Rick, in order for the "add open files" to be available to click on, you need to have the images open in CS5.
You don't have to open the files to stack the images. If you don't want to open the files directly, you can still run the script using the Browse. File, Scripts, Load Files into stack, then choose Browse. Find the images from there, then they will show up in that same window.
If you're not seeing the Edit, Auto-Blend layers, it's because you haven't selected all the images in the layer palette.
In Photoshop CS%, over on the right, you'll see your images as thumbnails. When they are loaded into a stack, only the bottom image is highlighted. Select all of them with your mouse, then the Auto-Blend layer will be visible in the Edit.
When you Auto-Blend layers, you'll see the bottom option selected: Stack Images (leave the seamless tones box checked).
Now, CS5 will go to work on the images. When it's finished, you'll see the differences between each image, compared to the others.
What you want to do now is to go Layer, Flatten Images.
Your stacked image is now ready to do further work on in CS5.
Alan
<span style="font-size: small;"]Quote:
Originally Posted by Alan
<span style="font-size: small;"]Alan
<span style="font-size: small;"]Thanks. I am at work right now so not able to check it, but this might be the problem. I turn all the layers on but I didn't highlight all the layers.
<span style="font-size: small;"]I am sure my method of taking the pictures will need improvement. I used my Gitzo 2541EX Tripod w/ GH2750QR with the 5D II and 180mm macro. I had done like you described earlier,the shots wereinlive view with manual focus using a quick release cable at 10x magnification. I read an article that says it is better to use a focusing rail and set a focus point then gradualy move it foward or back to get the rest of the pics and not refocus it each time. I may have been expecting to much with CS5 and need to learn its limits with respect to the pictures I try to combine.
<span style="font-size: small;"]I will try it again tonight. Thanks
<span style="font-size: small;"]<span style="font-size: small;"]Rick
Quote:
Originally Posted by HDNitehawk
Rick, this is the problem.
As far as the rail, and what you're doing, the method you describe should work. Your depth of field will be very short with this tightly framed macro, so it might be that if you just manually focused, moving in closer and closer, you'd end up with a lot of shots that wouldn't be focused, and the stacking would throw those out.
You could still manually focus, but you'd have to be very careful to move incrementally into the scene.
Alan
Alan
Thanks for the help, that was exactly what I was doing wrong. I knew it would be something simple I couldn't figure out.
Here are the results for my first try:
Shot with the 5D II, 180mm Macro L off a tripod using the 24ex at 1/64th on both
Shot in the evening in the house, very little ambient light mostly flash, 13 pictures combined F9, shutter .8, ISO 400, Cropped maybe 10% off (very little)
[View:http://community.the-digital-picture...neric/utility/http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5221/...1cc6ef75_z.jpg]
5 Pictures combined, F5.6, 1 second, ISO 400, No Crop
[View:http://community.the-digital-picture...neric/utility/http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5105/...d0e844ab_z.jpg]
I know they could use some improvement, but this is a good start
Thanks
Rick
Rick, those are great. You're too modest. That's more than a good start. It's a great start.
You used a water spray to get the "rain effect." I like it. I bring one with me, when I'm shooting flowers, too.
All of sudden, you're looking for things to shoot macro, I'll bet. [:)]
Alan
Thanks, macro was the first thing I really got in to. Its been a long winter with nothing real interesting to shoot. I am glad spring is here, the flowers are coming out and there are plenty of insects.
These photos are truly beautiful! Very nice job, Rick! This seems way to hard for me to even attempt but I sure like the results when done correctly!
Denise
Denise
Thanks
It wasn't hard at all once I figured out which buttons to push. CS5 did all the work and once I figured out which sequence to go through it only took about 3 or 4 minutes.
Most of the time when I am out doing Macro I have always did multiple shots with different focus points. I just made a lot of work for myself because I have two years worth of Macro to go back through and see if I have any candidates for this. Thats why we shoot in RAW so we can go back I guess.
Rick
Photoshop does a very poor job at focus stacking compared to almost any other alternative. CombineZ, which is a free program, gives much better results. There