In the Library, click the grid view and select the photos you wish to focus on. Using your optimum aperture (can easily be determined for a given camera/lens combo using focus charts, however you will most likely find that f/8 is a good starting point), take the required number of images focussed at different points throughout the frame.Ī minimum of two images are required, i.e. First, upload the files from your shoot into Lightroom. Therefore, it is best to have the camera positioned on a tripod and use a remote release. In the field…Īs you will be stacking the images into one, aside from the point of focus, you want the individual photographs to be identical in all other respects. It isn’t as laborious as it sounds and can give really good results, rendering scenes far sharper than possible in just one exposure. Most lenses are at their sharpest when used at apertures between f/8 and f/11 and whilst hypefocal focussing may allow you to capture an entire scene acceptably sharp in one image using these apertures it is always still a compromise between a number of factors and there will be times when you cannot generate enough depth of field to capture a whole scene at optimum sharpness.įocus stacking is the technique of stacking (or blending) a number of images that have been focussed at different points throughout a scene to give a final image that contains the sharpest portions of the originals, seamlessly blended into one. Mount your camera on a tripod and compose the image. Here are the steps to do focus stacking: 1. Most DSLR and mirrorless cameras fit these criteria. Whilst maximising the depth of field is a good intent, using such a small aperture will actually result in softer images due to an effect known as diffraction. You can do focus stacking using a camera with exchangeable lens and the lens has to have the ability to focus manually. A camera in highspeed continuous mode ( and an on-camera. A typical set I use for stacking in the field. f/22, to obtain the largest depth of field. Of course it is ambitious to compete with an actual focusing rail, but with a bit of practice and the right technique, creating a good focus stack becomes a simple task that works well, even at extreme magnification ratios. Or, more typically, further processing via 'focus stacking' is required. Each set of images can be used to simply select the single best-focused option. One approach that is often taken is to use the smallest aperture available, e.g. Focus Stacking After Capture All of the images captured by Focus Bracketing are stored on the memory card.

This can prove to be challenging and, if not achieved with the click of the shutter, cannot be corrected later during post processing. Usually, it is desirable to ensure that all elements of a scene, whether close or far, are captured in sharp focus. ISO100, f/8, 2 secsĪ key aspect of successful landscape photography is image sharpness. The initial image, shot at f/8, lacked front-to-back sharpness as there was not sufficient depth of field.

Dslr focus stacker