Digital Camera World (2019-06)

DIGITAL CAMERA^35

Get maximum depth of field with focus stacking

2

Focus three times

Once you have framed your composition,

take the same image three times – each time

focusing on a different point in the frame. For

image one, focus to infinity or the furthest

object in the frame; for image two, focus

halfway into the frame; and for image three,

focus on the extreme foreground close to the

bottom of your frame. Be sure to shoot in

manual mode, work fast in case things in your

frame change, and avoid knocking your camera.

1

Find the right subject

Not every image will benefit from focus

stacking. Compositions with extreme

foreground interest, such as a rocky coastline

or detailed mud textures that lead into the

scene, will certainly benefit from this technique,

however. If the foreground isn’t interesting or

is more than about three metres from your lens,

then focus stacking is probably not necessary

and you can get the detail you need with a

medium or narrow aperture.

3

Stack your images

in Photoshop

Process your first image, then apply the

settings to the other two images to ensure

they are all the same. Open the three images in

Photoshop as separate layers, with the distant-

focused image on the top layer, mid-focus

image as the middle layer, and the foreground-

focused image on the bottom layer. Select

all three layers, then go to Edit > Auto Align

Layers and select Auto to line everything up.

4

Reveal the sharpest

parts of your photo

Add a Layer Mask to both of the two top layers.

On each of these layers in turn, simply brush

away on the Layer Mask the parts of the layer

that are not sharp, revealing the sharper layer

beneath. Use a brush with a soft edge of around

50%. Take care while you’re brushing away

areas of the image that may contain hard

edges such as rocks or cracks in the ground:

it’s important that any lines match up.

5

Crop and save

Once you have brushed away the soft areas of

each layer, zoom in to 100% and check for any

anomalies where the layers meet. This shouldn’t

be a problem unless there was movement

during your shots. Finally, check the edges

of your image. When Photoshop aligns the

layers, it will shift them slightly; as a result,

you will need to crop your image by a few

pixels. Save your image, and you should now

have a pin-sharp picture from front to back.

http://www.digitalcameraworld.com JUNE 2019 DIGITAL CAMERA^35

which formed abstract patterns full of
texture and detail. It had been raining
the previous day so the mud was in that
beautiful stage between wet and dry. It
was incredibly important to capture all
of that texture and detail while leading
the viewer through the desert to the
mountains beyond. Focus stacking
allowed me to ensure that every single
crack, divot and damp patch maintained
all of the detail and all of the texture.
http://www.thomasheaton.co.uk

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