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Focus Stacking 101

Focus Stacking 101

What is Focus Stacking?


  • Focus stacking is the process of taking several (if not a shitload) of pictures and slightly adjusting the focus between each shot.


Why do Focus Stacking?

 When you shoot macro photos, typically your depth of field (DOF) is very (if not extremely) shallow.  If you don't know what "depth of field" is, skip this post as you don't belong here.  In fact, leave this site and never come back as 99% of my posts are about or about taking photos.

Are you still here?

Now that the people who actually know a few things about photography and especially things about depth of field, I will continue on.

Since the DOF is shallow when shooting close ups, it is hard to get what you actually want in focus and that is where focus stacking comes in.

I took 35 pictures of the same subject and started my focal point at the object in the front.  Each subsequent picture moved the focal a butt hair until either infinity was reached or the amount of pictures were achieved.

Lucky for me, my camera has a built in setting where I can setup focus stacking.  My Nikon Z6 will take up to 300 individual frames.  The picture part is easy.  In post, you have to use Photoshop or other merging software to "stack the photos" and then blend the focus.  Depending on your Mac Computer (notice I didn't say Windows PC as I hate Windows) the process could take a few minutes.

The following pictures were my first attempt at doing focus stacking.









My next post will be after our next visit to the Denver Botanic Gardens.  

Until then...




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