

File types helicon focus software#
Otherwise Adobe Photoshop CS4+ or specialized software packages such as Helicon Focus, TuFuse or CombineZM are required. If the subject is composed of only a few distinct layers (such as the sphere example above), then this can be performed manually using layer masks.


This step is necessary even when using a tripod, since changing the focusing distance always causes misalignment (more on this later). These photos are then aligned so that their content is overlaid pixel by pixel.In general, moving subject matter should be avoided. The number of separate photos ranges from a couple (for two distinct layers of subject matter) to as many as dozens (for expansive scenes). Several photos are taken by gradually incrementing the focusing distance across the subject.OVERVIEWįocus stacking works in three general stages: In the second part of this tutorial we'll instead focus on stacking images taken at different f-stops. In this article, we'll focus on a type of image stacking that merges several photos which were taken at different focusing distances - producing a single, extended depth of field composite (aka "focus stacking"). This avoids many of the disadvantages of using too high an f-stop, while also retaining the advantage of a large depth of field. What's the solution? To combine several separate images (aka "image stacking"). Alternatively, one may wish to freeze motion in part of their image (such as with a moving subject), but also to preserve an expansive depth of field in other parts of the photo (without resorting to using a flash). Low-light photography: one may want to avoid a prohibitively long exposure time.Macro photography: one may wish to achieve a greater depth of field than otherwise obtainable using the lens's maximum f-stop (often f/22 or f/32 with SLR cameras).This can enable a much larger and sharper print than otherwise possible. Landscape photography: one may wish to obtain a vast depth of field, while also avoiding softness at the focal plane due to diffraction.Save your image here and exit Helicon focus.īack in Capture One, you should now see your complete image along with the saved variants, in case you selected to keep them. Once the Stacking image is rendered, you should click Save and the dialog will point you into the original capture folder. In Helicon Focus, you should select your rendering method (please refer to the Helicon Focus Documentation) and click Render. Afterwards, Helicon Focus will be opened. Now the selected images will be processed and imported to Helicon Focus. When things are set up the way you need, click on the Edit Variants. The Keep processed variants option can be checked if you want to store the processed work-files in order to have a faster workflow for re-processing the images through Helicon focus at a later time (please see below). It will let you set up the output files that are used in Helicon Focus and some basic adjustments. When the images are selected, they can be sent to Helicon Focus by going to the menu and choosing Image -> Edit Wit h -> Stack in Helicon Focus.Ī dialog will open. Otherwise, you will have to select the images manually. All the images with the same Sequence ID are now selected. If the images are captured using the Focus Stacking tool on the XF Camera, you can select them by Sequence ID (metatag). Select one of the images from the sequence and then choose Select -> Select By Same -> Sequence ID. When capturing image sequences destined for focus stacking, you can use Capture One to select the appropriate sequence of images.
