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!
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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. ❤️
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.
Good reminder to review photos in-camera for focus. I probably end-up taking more shots than I need to when a simple in-camera check would probably save me some time in the long run.
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.
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.
I'm eager to learn how to focus stack but I liked your reason why you seldom use it anymore. The human eye doesn't always see everything in perfect focus.
Great video. Well communicated start to finish with thorough explanations and details regarding various scenarios and uses! Another well articulated and very helpful video.
Let me get this straight: &2,500 for a lens with “dreamy bokeh.” The coveted look. The extraordinary quality of the 7-bladed, optically precise, with no aberrations, chromatic or otherwise, to besmirch the 100px x 100px square on the upper right zone just off subject. Review after review. Video after video. Post technique/plugin/tool after post technique/plugin/tool. Bokeh. Bokeh. Bokeh. Okay! Pendulum. Swing. Then we go to extraordinary lengths to focus stack. With the same fricken $2,500 lens. Tack sharp. Tack! Tack! Whip. Lash. Your instruction is great. Keep it up. I really appreciate the perspective you shared on the end. Helps me point my compass in the direction of intentions in my photography: what is it in this scene that I just noticed is a revelation, that I want to share?
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
I've always noticed hiccups of one kind or another using Photoshop to do this -- some major, some minor. I've been using Helicon lately with very good results. Great tip on thinking about whether one really wants to use focus stacking in the first place. Thanks for your helpful videos, Mark!
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!
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.
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.
😀 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!
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”!
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.
I've heard a lot about this but your video explained this very well. I do not shoot in raw because I only play with photography.... all for myself, and almost no one ever sees the pictures. Well, no one ever cares to see them, so...
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.
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.
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.
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!
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!!
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.
I think you may have talked about this in the past, but the focus peaking feature on mirrorless cameras can also be used to tell if you may need to focus stack. With focus peaking on, you can adjust your focus manually and watch which areas are highlighted to get an idea of how much of your scene can be in focus in a single image. Depending on your camera set-up, it's a nice little trick for quickly assessing your focus situation.
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! 😀
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 Mark for pushing home the need to review images for focus. I,m a hobby photographer, and I will admit to trying to make multiple images if I find a good subject/lighting situation. But now I’m learning, one great image is better than several ‘nice’ images. I’ll check the back screen more now rather than chase the next shot.
Very complete video on the topic. I agree that your artistic intent should drive the editing in regard to focus stacking - and everything else! When at a scene though, although the eye may have its own depth of field you also don’t have a shutter limiting your impression to a fraction of a second. I may gaze at a grand scene for a few seconds, focussing on different parts that capture my attention and merging those in my brain to form a stacked image. The human eye is connected to the human brain. I then form an impression of the scene that directs my emotional and artistic choice of whether to focus stack the camera shots or not.
This is why I use a tilt shift lens. 1/3rd into the scene sometimes doesn’t work .So this is where a tilt shift lens Makes life so much easier. Thank you for your input Mark Sniper Photography
Very clear, I've started doing it that way last year. Usually works fine except in windy weather for the obvious reasons. When I use a 100-400 lens it turns out in windy conditions I end up getting some images that are a bit blurry even though the lens/camera are on a tripod. I guess the more area the wind can catch and the longer the lens, the more there's a chance of slight movement due to wind.
Tks for sharing. I’ve always wanted to know how photo stacking worked. Not that I’d use it because I agree with your comments in that to me, having an image that is sharp from front to back, usually doesn’t look natural. Tks again
Nicely explained 👍 My philosophy is that the more photos you have the better if you don't need them then delete them if you do need them but you didn't take enough then too bad your stuffed then.
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 old photographer here …with lenses marked with distance and apertures. I focus on the near point , check distance. Then turn the lens so infinity and near point are between aperture’s marked on the lens. Shoot with that aperture. Hyper focal distance
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.
Spending half my life in post processing and internet updates I never watched RUclips for education at my desk and didn’t get it on my TV until I dumped Dish and got Roku from my lazy boy. Actually, forced to push away from the computer from ruptured neck disks from to much desk time. I started working in PS in 1995 and got arrogant and lackadaisical and fell behind and have been binge-watching RUclips to discover what a dinosaur I had become. I had been following many of the LR updates and getting proficient and maybe overdoing the painting as well as photo stacking as you pointed out here. A couple of questions; I’d guess most of the Post Processors are pushing the TK filtering system favoring major PP in PS instead of LR except for basic edits, then came across your in-depth series in the minutia of LR which is brilliant. I am guessing that the difference between the 2 is there is more than one way to skin a cat and = go with what you know. Like you, it is logical to me to do as much with the RAW file as possible before 16-bit photoshop. Another question, when the D850 and the 46-megapixel system came out we were warned that it captures so much detail that you don’t want to stop down lower then F8 or eleven upper limit because the defraction would be so amplified. Nobody even speaks of that any longer. Is that because defraction can today be mitigated in post? Or was it just a cheap sales point about detail. I have only seen maybe 8 of your videos so far so don’t know, do you venture into PS luminosity and the TK world of photoshop after you do your LR tweaks or is all you cat skinning in LR? Thanks.
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.
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.
Hi Mark , Great video and well explained for someone new like me learning photo stacking . Found it easy to understand 👍. I did like your thoughts on how we all see a photo like the one in the woods on focusing . Something we don't really think about as a photography.
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 how-to video! I also appreciate you sharing your thoughts on why you don't always use this technique. You have a nice easy way about you that makes your videos seem like I'm having a conversation with a friend. Thanks for sharing your secrets with us wannabes. ;)
Impeccable timing Mark, just returned from 10 days shooting in the Utah Badlands. Having used that camera focusing technique, I have a better of what to do with those images now that I am back home. Well explained!
Another sharp(!) video, Mark. I also like to do my basic editing (of any image, not just stacks) in LrC before shipping it off to Ps. Of course, if you bring the image over as a Smart Object, you can still update your Lr edits in ACR. That doesn't scale well with stack or blend images. Call me crazy, but if I don't use a Smart Object (and this would work with a stack of images), I'll circle back to Lr for additional tweaking, then REPLACE that layer (preserving the Ps masking) in Ps. After the blending, I'll do additional local adjustments in Ps.
Nice video! I hope you don't mind me adding a few details: 1. You don't need to look at the back of your camera all the time (and you cannot, for instance, if you use film). You can simply compute the depth of field, (and/or) hyperfocal distance, and define the circle of confusion you are willing to tolerate. In many regards, this works even better than looking at the screen. 2. Often, focusing to infinity is not the best way to get an overall sharp image in landscape photography, there are better ways to improve sharpness (again, hyperfocal and other techniques) 3. Sharpness does change from left to right, not only from top to bottom. That is particularly true for wide angles and this is one of the many reasons why some lenses allow for movement, e.g., tilt and shift. Of course, the scene plays a big role here but angled views at alleys or waterfalls would be an example. 4. Not sure I understood what you said about the 1/3 line on your display. Foreground elements can occur anywhere in the composition. I guess, I probably misunderstood you here. Thanks for the video!
🌟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!
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
absolutely agree with your last point. Focus stacking is a useful tool, but it can very easily end up looking strange and unsettling
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 really like the example/demonstration of the hand being in focus and around not so much. Our natural vison well explained, thank you!
Thank you, now I understand it. As always you explain the process so clearly.
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!
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.
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 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.
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.
Not used focus stack yet. Good explanation and also helpful to remind us how we see things with natural focus of our eyes.
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.
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.
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.
Very helpful. I agree too that focus stacking every scene isn't necessary. When shooting wildlife especially.
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!
Helpful. Good to spend time thinking about why. The cult of sharpness can be out-of-hand
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.
You get your choice of the image being focus-stacked or having bokeh. Good point!
Thanks Mark did not think about how we see as being blurry as your reason need to keep it in mind.
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.
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. ❤️
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.
Good reminder to review photos in-camera for focus. I probably end-up taking more shots than I need to when a simple in-camera check would probably save me some time in the long run.
Thanks for checking out the video Dave!
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.
Best I’ve seen explanation was brilliant, thank you Mark
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.
I'm eager to learn how to focus stack but I liked your reason why you seldom use it anymore. The human eye doesn't always see everything in perfect focus.
Great video. Well communicated start to finish with thorough explanations and details regarding various scenarios and uses! Another well articulated and very helpful video.
Let me get this straight: &2,500 for a lens with “dreamy bokeh.” The coveted look. The extraordinary quality of the 7-bladed, optically precise, with no aberrations, chromatic or otherwise, to besmirch the 100px x 100px square on the upper right zone just off subject. Review after review. Video after video. Post technique/plugin/tool after post technique/plugin/tool.
Bokeh. Bokeh. Bokeh. Okay!
Pendulum.
Swing.
Then we go to extraordinary lengths to focus stack. With the same fricken $2,500 lens.
Tack sharp. Tack! Tack!
Whip.
Lash.
Your instruction is great. Keep it up.
I really appreciate the perspective you shared on the end. Helps me point my compass in the direction of intentions in my photography: what is it in this scene that I just noticed is a revelation, that I want to share?
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
I've always noticed hiccups of one kind or another using Photoshop to do this -- some major, some minor. I've been using Helicon lately with very good results. Great tip on thinking about whether one really wants to use focus stacking in the first place. Thanks for your helpful videos, Mark!
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!
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!
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.
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.
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.
😀 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! You were able to explain focus stacking so well....can't wait to try it!
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”!
Thank so much for making this video Mark.. I learned something new today. Iam grateful to you for this.. keep up the fantastic work
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.
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.
I've heard a lot about this but your video explained this very well. I do not shoot in raw because I only play with photography.... all for myself, and almost no one ever sees the pictures. Well, no one ever cares to see them, so...
Excellent explanation. I had tried this before but didn't know the "blend" method and the moving back into photohop etc. Thank you!
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.
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!
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.
That's a sound philosophy Mark! I have a Nikon D850 and I've never gotten better results using the focus shift function.
Great video Mark! Very thoroughly explained and something I will definitely learn to use when required.
Learned a lot about focus staking from this video. Thanks.
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!
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!!
You're always teaching and giving good points of view. Thanks so much
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.
I think you may have talked about this in the past, but the focus peaking feature on mirrorless cameras can also be used to tell if you may need to focus stack. With focus peaking on, you can adjust your focus manually and watch which areas are highlighted to get an idea of how much of your scene can be in focus in a single image. Depending on your camera set-up, it's a nice little trick for quickly assessing your focus situation.
this
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! 😀
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 Mark for pushing home the need to review images for focus.
I,m a hobby photographer, and I will admit to trying to make multiple images if I find a good subject/lighting situation. But now I’m learning, one great image is better than several ‘nice’ images.
I’ll check the back screen more now rather than chase the next shot.
Very complete video on the topic. I agree that your artistic intent should drive the editing in regard to focus stacking - and everything else! When at a scene though, although the eye may have its own depth of field you also don’t have a shutter limiting your impression to a fraction of a second. I may gaze at a grand scene for a few seconds, focussing on different parts that capture my attention and merging those in my brain to form a stacked image. The human eye is connected to the human brain. I then form an impression of the scene that directs my emotional and artistic choice of whether to focus stack the camera shots or not.
Exactly this.
This is why I use a tilt shift lens.
1/3rd into the scene sometimes doesn’t work .So this is where a tilt shift lens
Makes life so much easier.
Thank you for your input Mark
Sniper Photography
Very clear, I've started doing it that way last year. Usually works fine except in windy weather for the obvious reasons. When I use a 100-400 lens it turns out in windy conditions I end up getting some images that are a bit blurry even though the lens/camera are on a tripod. I guess the more area the wind can catch and the longer the lens, the more there's a chance of slight movement due to wind.
Great video. Very very helpful. You explained it in terms easy to understand!! Thanks Mark. I will be watching more of your videos.
Tks for sharing. I’ve always wanted to know how photo stacking worked. Not that I’d use it because I agree with your comments in that to me, having an image that is sharp from front to back, usually doesn’t look natural. Tks again
Nicely explained 👍
My philosophy is that the more photos you have the better if you don't need them then delete them if you do need them but you didn't take enough then too bad your stuffed then.
Excellent overview and tutorial Mark. Thanks 👍👍👍
Mark this video us what I've been looking for !!! Thank you so so much for this sound advice and tips. Absolutely brilliant.
Hi Mark, thanks for a great demo why and why not using focus stacking. I liked your hand demo of focus view.
As a small add to this. It is easy to put together a small Photoshop Action to 1) Highlight all the images 2) Auto Align and 3) Auto Blend.
4) Flatten image, 5) Save.
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 old photographer here …with lenses marked with distance and apertures. I focus on the near point , check distance. Then turn the lens so infinity and near point are between aperture’s marked on the lens. Shoot with that aperture. Hyper focal distance
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.
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!
Thanks, Mark, I appreciate the tutorial and your way of explaining it.
Spending half my life in post processing and internet updates I never watched RUclips for education at my desk and didn’t get it on my TV until I dumped Dish and got Roku from my lazy boy. Actually, forced to push away from the computer from ruptured neck disks from to much desk time.
I started working in PS in 1995 and got arrogant and lackadaisical and fell behind and have been binge-watching RUclips to discover what a dinosaur I had become.
I had been following many of the LR updates and getting proficient and maybe overdoing the painting as well as photo stacking as you pointed out here.
A couple of questions; I’d guess most of the Post Processors are pushing the TK filtering system favoring major PP in PS instead of LR except for basic edits, then came across your in-depth series in the minutia of LR which is brilliant. I am guessing that the difference between the 2 is there is more than one way to skin a cat and = go with what you know. Like you, it is logical to me to do as much with the RAW file as possible before 16-bit photoshop.
Another question, when the D850 and the 46-megapixel system came out we were warned that it captures so much detail that you don’t want to stop down lower then F8 or eleven upper limit because the defraction would be so amplified. Nobody even speaks of that any longer. Is that because defraction can today be mitigated in post? Or was it just a cheap sales point about detail.
I have only seen maybe 8 of your videos so far so don’t know, do you venture into PS luminosity and the TK world of photoshop after you do your LR tweaks or is all you cat skinning in LR?
Thanks.
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.
Excellent video Mark! Thanks for sharing this topic.😊
I used to focus stack everything!! Much more selective these days for the reasons you outline. Great video as always 👍
Thank you Mark! This is exactly what I wanted to learn and hear about.
Thank you Mark, I always enjoy your Videos, very informative in layman's terms❤ !
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.
Hi Mark , Great video and well explained for someone new like me learning photo stacking . Found it easy to understand 👍. I did like your thoughts on how we all see a photo like the one in the woods on focusing . Something we don't really think about as a photography.
Thanks Mark for the walk through and explanation, your videos are always very helpful and fun to watch. I appreciate all that you do!
Excellent and very helpful video, Mark! As always, very well explained!
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?
Great how-to video! I also appreciate you sharing your thoughts on why you don't always use this technique. You have a nice easy way about you that makes your videos seem like I'm having a conversation with a friend. Thanks for sharing your secrets with us wannabes. ;)
Impeccable timing Mark, just returned from 10 days shooting in the Utah Badlands. Having used that camera focusing technique, I have a better of what to do with those images now that I am back home. Well explained!
Another sharp(!) video, Mark. I also like to do my basic editing (of any image, not just stacks) in LrC before shipping it off to Ps. Of course, if you bring the image over as a Smart Object, you can still update your Lr edits in ACR. That doesn't scale well with stack or blend images. Call me crazy, but if I don't use a Smart Object (and this would work with a stack of images), I'll circle back to Lr for additional tweaking, then REPLACE that layer (preserving the Ps masking) in Ps. After the blending, I'll do additional local adjustments in Ps.
So agree with your reasons for not using focus stacking so much. I would rather capture the mood, light and atmosphere than have everything pin sharp.
Nice video! I hope you don't mind me adding a few details:
1. You don't need to look at the back of your camera all the time (and you cannot, for instance, if you use film). You can simply compute the depth of field, (and/or) hyperfocal distance, and define the circle of confusion you are willing to tolerate. In many regards, this works even better than looking at the screen.
2. Often, focusing to infinity is not the best way to get an overall sharp image in landscape photography, there are better ways to improve sharpness (again, hyperfocal and other techniques)
3. Sharpness does change from left to right, not only from top to bottom. That is particularly true for wide angles and this is one of the many reasons why some lenses allow for movement, e.g., tilt and shift. Of course, the scene plays a big role here but angled views at alleys or waterfalls would be an example.
4. Not sure I understood what you said about the 1/3 line on your display. Foreground elements can occur anywhere in the composition. I guess, I probably misunderstood you here.
Thanks for the video!
I've rarely used focus stacking and quite quickly realised like you mentioned that its not as we actually see a scene