SECTION HEAD
The
Mission
- Merge a set of focus
stack images in
Affinity Photo
Time
- 15 minutes
Skill level
- Beginner
Kit needed
- Affinity Photo
How to Focus Merge
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James Paterson discovers how to use Affinity Photo’s
focus stacking command for detail-rich macro shots
When shooting close-up macro
subjects the depth of field (DoF)
will be very shallow, and the plane
of sharpness may only stretch a
few millimetres across the
subject, even when using
narrower apertures. So it can be
a struggle to record a sharp
close-up from front-to-back. If
you need total sharpness, then
try focus stacking. This involves
taking a series of shots using atripod-mounted camera,
adjusting the focus ring after
each frame so that a different
part of the scene is in focus.
Once done, the sharp parts
can be merged into one super-
detailed macro photo. Affinity
Photo offers a powerful focus
stacking tool called Focus Merge.
Not only is it easy to use, it also
produces excellent results most
of the time. However, nofocus-stacking software is
perfect so – depending on the
intricacy of the image – you
might see messy blurred areas
once the merge is complete.
If this occurs, fixing the
problem involves looking back
through each image that makes
up the composite and tweaking
the blend so that a sharper area
is targeted instead. In this project
we’ll explain how it’s done.AFFINITY PHOTO
Project^ four:^ Affinity^ Ph
oto
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