Mark, it's been an honor to watch you learn, change, and grow as you teach us. We've learned a lot about technique and philosophy from you, but maybe the most important lesson has been that you can change your mind based on experience and even show us where you think you made mistakes in the past. Bravo for your commitment to all of it!
Wow, this is unbelievable. Thank you for sharing all of this. Honestly, the most powerful thing you said was about not having to focus stack everything. The example with your hand really hit me. It made me realize that natural blur isn’t something to fear-it’s part of the depth of the moment. It’s something you only understand through real experience, and I feel like you’ve just saved me from that long, slow process of figuring it out myself. I’ll never forget this. Always appreciate your content.
I've never had the privilege of sitting in one of your workshops, Mark, but this video made me feel like it must feel being on location and listening to you explain different aspects of photography. I personally loved the WHY and WHY NOT explanations of photo stacking as much, if not more so, as your explanation of HOW to photo stack. Your reasoning of how we view the natural world was spot-on and makes perfect sense; it also helped prevent me from rushing out to start "photo-stacking everything" as you mentioned doing yourself. As always, your instruction was crystal clear and very helpful, and I greatly appreciate the time and effort you put in to helping us improve our photography. Thanks again!
Brilliant, Mark. Agree 100%. I have just come to this same realisation regarding accepting fall off of focus from the key objects of the image. Our search for ever more detail has obscured a more natural rendition of a scene. I also use the GFX system, and using the 100-200mm in particular makes it nigh on impossible to get everything in focus even at f/22. I found myself relentlessly focus stacking every image, and hating it! I am now embracing the natural fall off in one shot and getting less uptight about it.
Mark, very appreciative for the comprehensive presentation on this topic. Oddly, for me, it wasn't the process of how, but rather the explanation of making the selective choice of need that really hit home. Sometimes it's easy to get caught up in feeding yourself an overload of information before you think through the practical nature of trial and error. It's a pleasure to listen/watch your lessons that are delivered in a common sense manner that can find purpose regardless of the level of ability a viewer may possess in the moment.
Two comments: this is a very helpful video. I have a very long row of day Lillie’s in my yard, and I want to focus stack the row from front to back (or maybe just a few…) Second comment: your communication skills are excellent. You explain everything so simple and clearly. Thank you. I’m excited to give this a try.
This presentation is very helpful. I'm one of those who is preoccupied with FOCUS and frets about parts of the photo are soar. Mark zeroes in on how the reality of our ways of seeing with our eyes and how my photography needs to also recognized the reality aligned with our eyes and brain. Thank you for easing my preoccupation.
Thanks for all these focus stacking videos you have done. Helped me a lot. I agree we can use focus stacking to much. The most important thing is that our subject is in sharp focus. Landscapes are one thing - but we also take portraits etc. There are many situations when the focus fall off is used to make the subject pop. Every scene calls for a different approach, that is part of the art of photography. I learned photography initially in the film age, 1970's, and we learned how to estimate the dept of field at various f/stops, focal lengths, and distances to subject. I have forgotten that skill in recent times. Also, we used the depth of focus preview button a lot back in those days.
I add this very minor point as an English teacher. At 15:00 ... a "mute" point versus the correct "moot" point. I love your work and videos. You are the photographer I am looking for first for all the info I need for my photography. Thanks for being there.
This is the best video on focus stacking out there. Going through the process of opening and saving between different pieces of software was great. No other video I have seen has done that.
Excellent video!! What you've concluded with, namely that our eyes don't see everything in perfect focus from foreground to infinity, is a point that was emphasized many decades ago when photographers struggled with the same depth of field issues in the analog domain. Back in the pre-digital days, we used calculations based on hyperfocal distance, near and far limits. Today, focus stacking is the norm. As you've emphasized, some landscape images with perfect focus from a flower that's inches from the lens to a distant snowcapped peak don't look natural. The people viewing the image have to stand way back in order to process the image in their brains. The best viewing distance for a printed image is that which closely resembles the POV from where the photographer shot the scene. With a perfectly focused image from foreground to infinity, the viewing distance will not approximate the photographer's view of the scene.
Appreciate the clarity of your explanations. I focus stack mostly for outdoor floral macro images. Such requires calm conditions, which usually means early morning captures. Patience is certainly a virtue in such endeavors.
Thank you so much for another excellent, detailed and clear talk through of this process, as well as reminding novices like me that it isn’t always required. I really appreciate your sincere and genuine approach.
Mark, You knocked another one out of the park. Very Very good explanation of the focus stack process. I too don't use focus stacking very often, but there are times when it is extremely helpful. I wish I possessed the teaching skills you have. You are a blessing to the photography enthusiasts such as myself. Job well done my friend.
Great video. Well communicated start to finish with thorough explanations and details regarding various scenarios and uses! Another well articulated and very helpful video.
Excellent!!! 5 stars! I will be getting into focus stacking, never done any PP before. This video is bookmarked for future reference! Thank you for putting this together.
Right on! From the beginning of this video I was saying to you (/the screen😀) "Because everything doesn't always need to be in focus; we don't see that way." Maybe because I come from the "Film Era" that I rarely use focus stacking. If I slavishly adopted the idea that everything needs to be in focus from front to back, I'd have to throw out some of my best work from decades back. As you showed, focussing 1/3d in to choose a basic hyperfocal distance will often get you where you need to be ... from a human viewpoint.
This is a great video Mark, i like your explanation, very clear for me as a beginner and in a normal life, nothing as to be full sharp. Thx for your help.
Thank you . Always prefer images that we would naturally see. Love the photos taken by photographers last century where they did not have all these digital tools to manipulate the beauty of Mather Nature.
Thank you, Mark! I was trying to watch videos on this subject (some specific to my camera) and was getting more and more mixed up. It was like they were chunky soup and your video showed up as a clear broth of understanding. It’s going to be exciting to see the images I can create using your clearly explained and much simpler system. Thank you for adding the joy back into this process. ❤️
I have seen other videos on focus stacking and this one was the easiest to understand. You answered some questions that had been left unanswered in other videos. I also like your argument for leaving some portions of a scene slightly out of focus. Great job! Thanks. And yes, I am one of those who is intimidated by Photoshop.
Enjoyed the video, Mark. Many modern cameras have Focus Shift shooting built in, so if you select a focus point a little way into the scene, the camera will automatically shift focus through to infinity, taking several images. The number depending on the aperture you select and other options in the Focus Shift menu. It is normally used for macro, but if you set it up correctly, can be used to take as few as 2 images in Landscape photography.
I have often used Focus shift shooting build in, but I got so different result. So I put up a sort of test bench, shifting 2 steps at a time, taking 10 pictures, for all my lenses. There were huge differences! My 'cheap' lenses focused 4 times as far away on the last picture in each series as my more expensive lenses, all Nikon Z lenses except one F-mount (with adapter) on my Nikon Z 6 camera. So if you don't get along with your settings using this function, check out how "long" each focus step is on your lenses.
Hi Mark. Very nice explanation of focus stacking. You could do a whole series on this topic. I have learned that there are compositions that do not lend themselves well to focus stacking. More specifically when you have objects that are moving through focal planes (a moving branch with leaves) or a foreground object like a shrub that crosses focal planes from the foreground to mid or background. Photoshop doesn't handle these situations well with its auto stacking algorithms so you ether have to manually brush out your stack (which can be painful) or use Helicon Focus with its advanced stacking algorithms. Forest compositions where you may have to shoot at a wider aperture because it is dark or for a faster shutter speed because of wind, can be impossible as objects are crossing focal planes everywhere. You are better off as you stated to just have "acceptable focus" in your background and/or shoot at a wider focal length and crop in post.
I just completed my first focus stack and I used this video to guide me. Thanks Mark! It was quite the challenge, a large 6" bloom but the composition was of the middle 2" around the stamen. Eight images in total. I used a 1980's Vivitar 70-210mm zoom with macro on, 26mm of extension tubes, with an adapter for my crop sensor Sony A6300. With off-camera flashes of course. And it looks great! The next step will be printing in 13"x19" on my Pro 10.
I like the falloff factor, Mark, I really really do I think it's much more interesting and I've been doing that with my GFX camera as well not stacking and actually just having a little bit of subtle fall off at the back of an image is actually really cool and it's a nice technique so I think this is where medium format is fantastic and you can't get that with any other camera
Mark, thanks so very much for this teaching moment. Headed to Monument Valley/Arches NP next week. Looking forward to putting your instruction to good use.
Cheers Mark. Another brilliantly explained and presented video. I’m also going to use this in my product photography too. One tiny bit of feedback; cut back on the use of “super”, especially “super,super”!
This was JUST EXCELLENT Mark. I've been struggling with the process from taking the photos to the final image. This is so organized and clear! I'll be taking this video with me when I go out to do just this. Thank you!!
I am so glad you talked about not doing focus stacking all the time! I did focus stack a few in Oregon but honestly I don't mind everything not being in focus sometimes!
Another brilliant video, thank you Mark. I always get one takeaway from your subject and for me the main one here was focusing on the bottom line of the grid. Can't believe I hadn't thought of this before.
Thanks for a very interesting and informative video! Back in the old days, we used a concept called "hyperfocal distance". I think it's still applicable today...but it does take a bit of math!
great way to explain how we see the world and put it to our photos after edits but! we are fighting now with Ai. not just that but we are also being told by photographers a good pic is best to have everthing in focus from front to back.... again love the video and we can learn from it... cheers Mark..........
Thanks for doing this video Mark I really like the fact that you added in the little stuff like which keys to hit really saves me a lot of time looking around for that stuff. 👍👍
😀 Now that I've watched your video to the end, I see your point about the focus fall off in a scene, particularly in a panorama as grand as the Rockies from a distance. Think I'll try the focus stack approach with a number of points from foreground to background, and see how the image compares to my recent Panoramas. Thanks Mark!
Thank you Mark. Excellent video with everything you need to know about focus stacking. I love your style of presenting, so different to so many others. So calm and informative.
Really helpful thank you. Editing RAW before focus stacking really useful for me but the best part of your video was about not using focus stacking at all - I feel much better about my neglect of this technique!
A well done tutorial. I learned how to process a focus stack series from one of your previous videos which was so helpful. Thanks for broadening my skills.
I don't know what it does to your stats but I always watch the first half a minute of your videos twice. First I take in the scene, and listen to the content on the second run. The setup is always so cosy! 😀
Hi, Mark. I have been doing landscape photography for over ten years and I have never resorted to focus stacking, partly because I don't have Lightroom or PS CC, but rather get by on PS Elements - 2012, I believe - which doesn't have a focus stacking capability, but mostly because I have never really seen the need, because, as you say, the gradual falling off of focus at f/11, f/16, just seems natural. It's the way we see the world. The problem for me, in recent years, has been the perceived need to focus stack images because that's what the You Tube photography content creators were doing, the rationale being, if you want to take your landscape photography to the next level, then focus stacking was de rigueur. So, thank you for making this video and acknowledging that not only do you not need to focus stack every, or even most photographs, but also that the end result ends up looking mosre natural and aesthetically pleasing to boot. That takes the pressure off and makes me realize that I no longer have to feel as if my photography some how doesn't measure up. Cheers from Sudbury, Ontario, Canada!
Thanks Mark. Both for how to go about focus stacking and why it is not needed in most situations. I think the main application is in macro photography, where the depth of field is extremely small, so often you need focus stacking to even render a recognizable image.
Your standard cactus focus stack reference is the best reference for a deep/grand scene focus stack. In person you would see that scene in focus even though your eyes are darting around. Great content as always.
Great advice, both about when to focus stack and to study the LCD to see how many separate images you need. I use Helicon Focus for my stacking. It handles a larger number of images and does it more quickly.
Excellent tutorial. Clear and concise. Explaining the focus area was great. I have taken a dozen shots all over the scene, and never once thought about the focal plane going front to back. This will let me take less pictures should I need to photo stack. Cheers.
🌟QUICK QUESTION: Was this video helpful?
yes! very much so.
@@1717jbs 👍
YES!!!!
Yes !!!!!
Yes, a pragmatic advice.
Mark, it's been an honor to watch you learn, change, and grow as you teach us. We've learned a lot about technique and philosophy from you, but maybe the most important lesson has been that you can change your mind based on experience and even show us where you think you made mistakes in the past. Bravo for your commitment to all of it!
Wow, this is unbelievable. Thank you for sharing all of this. Honestly, the most powerful thing you said was about not having to focus stack everything. The example with your hand really hit me. It made me realize that natural blur isn’t something to fear-it’s part of the depth of the moment. It’s something you only understand through real experience, and I feel like you’ve just saved me from that long, slow process of figuring it out myself. I’ll never forget this. Always appreciate your content.
It was enjoyable to watch not only because of the knowledge but also because you do not rush and talk in a civilised manner !
The best focus stacking explanation i have come across ❤ absolutely enjoyed the content. Thanks Mark
I've never had the privilege of sitting in one of your workshops, Mark, but this video made me feel like it must feel being on location and listening to you explain different aspects of photography. I personally loved the WHY and WHY NOT explanations of photo stacking as much, if not more so, as your explanation of HOW to photo stack. Your reasoning of how we view the natural world was spot-on and makes perfect sense; it also helped prevent me from rushing out to start "photo-stacking everything" as you mentioned doing yourself. As always, your instruction was crystal clear and very helpful, and I greatly appreciate the time and effort you put in to helping us improve our photography. Thanks again!
Brilliant, Mark. Agree 100%. I have just come to this same realisation regarding accepting fall off of focus from the key objects of the image. Our search for ever more detail has obscured a more natural rendition of a scene. I also use the GFX system, and using the 100-200mm in particular makes it nigh on impossible to get everything in focus even at f/22. I found myself relentlessly focus stacking every image, and hating it! I am now embracing the natural fall off in one shot and getting less uptight about it.
Mark, very appreciative for the comprehensive presentation on this topic. Oddly, for me, it wasn't the process of how, but rather the explanation of making the selective choice of need that really hit home. Sometimes it's easy to get caught up in feeding yourself an overload of information before you think through the practical nature of trial and error. It's a pleasure to listen/watch your lessons that are delivered in a common sense manner that can find purpose regardless of the level of ability a viewer may possess in the moment.
I really like the example/demonstration of the hand being in focus and around not so much. Our natural vison well explained, thank you!
Two comments: this is a very helpful video. I have a very long row of day Lillie’s in my yard, and I want to focus stack the row from front to back (or maybe just a few…) Second comment: your communication skills are excellent. You explain everything so simple and clearly. Thank you. I’m excited to give this a try.
This presentation is very helpful. I'm one of those who is preoccupied with FOCUS and frets about parts of the photo are soar. Mark zeroes in on how the reality of our ways of seeing with our eyes and how my photography needs to also recognized the reality aligned with our eyes and brain. Thank you for easing my preoccupation.
Thank you, now I understand it. As always you explain the process so clearly.
Excellent video. Clearly explained as always. Thank you!
I know you made this ages ago, Mark... But you have just made my day, explaining better than Adobe how its done! Gracious thanks, sir!
Thanks for all these focus stacking videos you have done. Helped me a lot. I agree we can use focus stacking to much. The most important thing is that our subject is in sharp focus. Landscapes are one thing - but we also take portraits etc. There are many situations when the focus fall off is used to make the subject pop. Every scene calls for a different approach, that is part of the art of photography. I learned photography initially in the film age, 1970's, and we learned how to estimate the dept of field at various f/stops, focal lengths, and distances to subject. I have forgotten that skill in recent times. Also, we used the depth of focus preview button a lot back in those days.
Thank you for this, Mark. I rarely need to use Focus Staking but it's great to know how. Your demonstration was great ... easy to follow and remember.
I add this very minor point as an English teacher. At 15:00 ... a "mute" point versus the correct "moot" point. I love your work and videos. You are the photographer I am looking for first for all the info I need for my photography. Thanks for being there.
This is the best video on focus stacking out there. Going through the process of opening and saving between different pieces of software was great. No other video I have seen has done that.
Excellent video!! What you've concluded with, namely that our eyes don't see everything in perfect focus from foreground to infinity, is a point that was emphasized many decades ago when photographers struggled with the same depth of field issues in the analog domain.
Back in the pre-digital days, we used calculations based on hyperfocal distance, near and far limits. Today, focus stacking is the norm.
As you've emphasized, some landscape images with perfect focus from a flower that's inches from the lens to a distant snowcapped peak don't look natural. The people viewing the image have to stand way back in order to process the image in their brains.
The best viewing distance for a printed image is that which closely resembles the POV from where the photographer shot the scene.
With a perfectly focused image from foreground to infinity, the viewing distance will not approximate the photographer's view of the scene.
You're always teaching and giving good points of view. Thanks so much
Appreciate the clarity of your explanations. I focus stack mostly for outdoor floral macro images. Such requires calm conditions, which usually means early morning captures. Patience is certainly a virtue in such endeavors.
Best I’ve seen explanation was brilliant, thank you Mark
Thank so much for making this video Mark.. I learned something new today. Iam grateful to you for this.. keep up the fantastic work
Thank you so much for another excellent, detailed and clear talk through of this process, as well as reminding novices like me that it isn’t always required. I really appreciate your sincere and genuine approach.
Mark, You knocked another one out of the park. Very Very good explanation of the focus stack process. I too don't use focus stacking very often, but there are times when it is extremely helpful.
I wish I possessed the teaching skills you have. You are a blessing to the photography enthusiasts such as myself. Job well done my friend.
Great video. Well communicated start to finish with thorough explanations and details regarding various scenarios and uses! Another well articulated and very helpful video.
Thanks for making this tutorial! I've been wanting to learn how to focus stack for a while and this is the first good tutorial I've seen of it.
Thank you! You were able to explain focus stacking so well....can't wait to try it!
Excellent!!! 5 stars! I will be getting into focus stacking, never done any PP before. This video is bookmarked for future reference! Thank you for putting this together.
Right on! From the beginning of this video I was saying to you (/the screen😀) "Because everything doesn't always need to be in focus; we don't see that way." Maybe because I come from the "Film Era" that I rarely use focus stacking. If I slavishly adopted the idea that everything needs to be in focus from front to back, I'd have to throw out some of my best work from decades back. As you showed, focussing 1/3d in to choose a basic hyperfocal distance will often get you where you need to be ... from a human viewpoint.
This is a great video Mark, i like your explanation, very clear for me as a beginner and in a normal life, nothing as to be full sharp. Thx for your help.
Thanks Mark! You touched on a couple points that cleared up some questions I had on focus stacking. Thanks again
Happy to hear this Craig!
Thank you . Always prefer images that we would naturally see. Love the photos taken by photographers last century where they did not have all these digital tools to manipulate the beauty of Mather Nature.
Thank you, Mark! I was trying to watch videos on this subject (some specific to my camera) and was getting more and more mixed up. It was like they were chunky soup and your video showed up as a clear broth of understanding. It’s going to be exciting to see the images I can create using your clearly explained and much simpler system. Thank you for adding the joy back into this process. ❤️
Thanks!
Thanks so much Tom!
I have seen other videos on focus stacking and this one was the easiest to understand. You answered some questions that had been left unanswered in other videos. I also like your argument for leaving some portions of a scene slightly out of focus. Great job! Thanks. And yes, I am one of those who is intimidated by Photoshop.
Enjoyed the video, Mark.
Many modern cameras have Focus Shift shooting built in, so if you select a focus point a little way into the scene, the camera will automatically shift focus through to infinity, taking several images. The number depending on the aperture you select and other options in the Focus Shift menu.
It is normally used for macro, but if you set it up correctly, can be used to take as few as 2 images in Landscape photography.
I have often used Focus shift shooting build in, but I got so different result. So I put up a sort of test bench, shifting 2 steps at a time, taking 10 pictures, for all my lenses. There were huge differences! My 'cheap' lenses focused 4 times as far away on the last picture in each series as my more expensive lenses, all Nikon Z lenses except one F-mount (with adapter) on my Nikon Z 6 camera. So if you don't get along with your settings using this function, check out how "long" each focus step is on your lenses.
Great video. Very very helpful. You explained it in terms easy to understand!! Thanks Mark. I will be watching more of your videos.
Learned a lot about focus staking from this video. Thanks.
Helpful. Good to spend time thinking about why. The cult of sharpness can be out-of-hand
Excellent explanation. I had tried this before but didn't know the "blend" method and the moving back into photohop etc. Thank you!
Hi Mark, excellent video. I'm just starting down this path. I will be referring back to the video as I work through my process.
Thanks, Mark, I appreciate the tutorial and your way of explaining it.
Thanks Mark did not think about how we see as being blurry as your reason need to keep it in mind.
Great video Mark! Very thoroughly explained and something I will definitely learn to use when required.
Hi Mark. Very nice explanation of focus stacking. You could do a whole series on this topic. I have learned that there are compositions that do not lend themselves well to focus stacking. More specifically when you have objects that are moving through focal planes (a moving branch with leaves) or a foreground object like a shrub that crosses focal planes from the foreground to mid or background. Photoshop doesn't handle these situations well with its auto stacking algorithms so you ether have to manually brush out your stack (which can be painful) or use Helicon Focus with its advanced stacking algorithms. Forest compositions where you may have to shoot at a wider aperture because it is dark or for a faster shutter speed because of wind, can be impossible as objects are crossing focal planes everywhere. You are better off as you stated to just have "acceptable focus" in your background and/or shoot at a wider focal length and crop in post.
Mark this video us what I've been looking for !!! Thank you so so much for this sound advice and tips. Absolutely brilliant.
Not used focus stack yet. Good explanation and also helpful to remind us how we see things with natural focus of our eyes.
I just completed my first focus stack and I used this video to guide me. Thanks Mark! It was quite the challenge, a large 6" bloom but the composition was of the middle 2" around the stamen. Eight images in total. I used a 1980's Vivitar 70-210mm zoom with macro on, 26mm of extension tubes, with an adapter for my crop sensor Sony A6300. With off-camera flashes of course. And it looks great! The next step will be printing in 13"x19" on my Pro 10.
You get your choice of the image being focus-stacked or having bokeh. Good point!
Simply fantastic presentation!!!
I like the falloff factor, Mark, I really really do I think it's much more interesting and I've been doing that with my GFX camera as well not stacking and actually just having a little bit of subtle fall off at the back of an image is actually really cool and it's a nice technique so I think this is where medium format is fantastic and you can't get that with any other camera
Mark, thanks so very much for this teaching moment. Headed to Monument Valley/Arches NP next week. Looking forward to putting your instruction to good use.
Cheers Mark. Another brilliantly explained and presented video. I’m also going to use this in my product photography too. One tiny bit of feedback; cut back on the use of “super”, especially “super,super”!
Great video...perfect work!!! Many Thanks!!!!
Thank you. Great explanation of both processes.
This was JUST EXCELLENT Mark. I've been struggling with the process from taking the photos to the final image. This is so organized and clear! I'll be taking this video with me when I go out to do just this. Thank you!!
Excellent video! Thank you very much ! Very well explained!
Thank you for your thorough explanation of this
I am so glad you talked about not doing focus stacking all the time! I did focus stack a few in Oregon but honestly I don't mind everything not being in focus sometimes!
Thank you Mark, I always enjoy your Videos, very informative in layman's terms❤ !
Very clear, Mark. Thank you.!
Hi Mark, thanks for a great demo why and why not using focus stacking. I liked your hand demo of focus view.
Excellent and very helpful video, Mark! As always, very well explained!
Thank you Mark! This is exactly what I wanted to learn and hear about.
Another brilliant video, thank you Mark. I always get one takeaway from your subject and for me the main one here was focusing on the bottom line of the grid. Can't believe I hadn't thought of this before.
absolutely agree with your last point. Focus stacking is a useful tool, but it can very easily end up looking strange and unsettling
Excelled presentation. Thank you.
Thanks for a very interesting and informative video!
Back in the old days, we used a concept called "hyperfocal distance". I think it's still applicable today...but it does take a bit of math!
Thanks Mark for the walk through and explanation, your videos are always very helpful and fun to watch. I appreciate all that you do!
great way to explain how we see the world and put it to our photos after edits but! we are fighting now with Ai. not just that but we are also being told by photographers a good pic is best to have everthing in focus from front to back.... again love the video and we can learn from it... cheers Mark..........
Thanks for doing this video Mark I really like the fact that you added in the little stuff like which keys to hit really saves me a lot of time looking around for that stuff. 👍👍
Very helpful. I agree too that focus stacking every scene isn't necessary. When shooting wildlife especially.
Brilliant. So clear and concise. Thanks
Thank you Sir, very well explained .
😀 Now that I've watched your video to the end, I see your point about the focus fall off in a scene, particularly in a panorama as grand as the Rockies from a distance. Think I'll try the focus stack approach with a number of points from foreground to background, and see how the image compares to my recent Panoramas. Thanks Mark!
Excellent video Mark! Thanks for sharing this topic.😊
Well spoken and explained. Thank you from the Maritimes
Thank you Mark. Excellent video with everything you need to know about focus stacking. I love your style of presenting, so different to so many others. So calm and informative.
Really helpful thank you. Editing RAW before focus stacking really useful for me but the best part of your video was about not using focus stacking at all - I feel much better about my neglect of this technique!
A well done tutorial. I learned how to process a focus stack series from one of your previous videos which was so helpful. Thanks for broadening my skills.
Excellent overview and tutorial Mark. Thanks 👍👍👍
Hi Mark I found this very informative and I learnt something. Thank you for your good work. Ian
I don't know what it does to your stats but I always watch the first half a minute of your videos twice. First I take in the scene, and listen to the content on the second run. The setup is always so cosy! 😀
Hi, Mark. I have been doing landscape photography for over ten years and I have never resorted to focus stacking, partly because I don't have Lightroom or PS CC, but rather get by on PS Elements - 2012, I believe - which doesn't have a focus stacking capability, but mostly because I have never really seen the need, because, as you say, the gradual falling off of focus at f/11, f/16, just seems natural. It's the way we see the world. The problem for me, in recent years, has been the perceived need to focus stack images because that's what the You Tube photography content creators were doing, the rationale being, if you want to take your landscape photography to the next level, then focus stacking was de rigueur. So, thank you for making this video and acknowledging that not only do you not need to focus stack every, or even most photographs, but also that the end result ends up looking mosre natural and aesthetically pleasing to boot. That takes the pressure off and makes me realize that I no longer have to feel as if my photography some how doesn't measure up. Cheers from Sudbury, Ontario, Canada!
So clear and understandable. Thank you!
Very helpful! Thank you for sharing!
Thanks Mark. Both for how to go about focus stacking and why it is not needed in most situations.
I think the main application is in macro photography, where the depth of field is extremely small, so often you need focus stacking to even render a recognizable image.
Really appreciate your insight and tutorials Mark! You have helped my photography grow
Hi Mark....one of your very best videos!
Very nice tutorial. But I love your words in the last chapter!
Helpful video. I had my own general ideas about when to and when not to. This actually helped me refine those ideas a bit. Thanks!
Yes! Very helpful. Thank you Mark.
Excellent - thanks for sharing!
thanks for this great video and well explained as always
Your standard cactus focus stack reference is the best reference for a deep/grand scene focus stack. In person you would see that scene in focus even though your eyes are darting around. Great content as always.
Thanks so much Mark!
Best explanation ever! Thanks
Great advice, both about when to focus stack and to study the LCD to see how many separate images you need. I use Helicon Focus for my stacking. It handles a larger number of images and does it more quickly.
That's a sound philosophy Mark! I have a Nikon D850 and I've never gotten better results using the focus shift function.
Excellent tutorial. Clear and concise. Explaining the focus area was great. I have taken a dozen shots all over the scene, and never once thought about the focal plane going front to back. This will let me take less pictures should I need to photo stack. Cheers.
Great to hear this Michael!
What if the near and far subjects are left to right? Would that not mean going left to right and not top to bottom?