How to Manually Focus Stack Your Images in Photoshop
Focus stacking is an essential technique for macro, product, and landscape photographers to learn. If you want crystal clear images with sharpness all over your frame, focus stacking is the only way to achieve it.
It is pretty straightforward to do it in Photoshop. Although it works well most of the time, it can sometimes introduce unwanted artifacts. Also, you may want a different look than what Photoshop produces. So, here’s how you’re able to do the stacking manually, step by step.
Shooting Tips for Focus Stacking Manually
If you’re new to focus stacking, see our guide forfocus staking with Lightroom and Photoshop. You can use the auto-blending option to stack your images, and this method will work for most situations. However, whentaking super macro photos, the auto-blend option can introduce artifacts. Also, sometimes we don’t want the twigs and small leaves in the background in focus.
You can learn the manual method to get complete control of your editing process. Before we get into the steps, here are some tips to make the process simple.
Use Continuous Shooting Mode
Taking photos for focus stacking is easier if you’re in a studio. You can use a focus rail to focus on different areas of your image precisely. But if you’re shooting macro subjects like bugs, it can be a bit tricky. Switch to continuous shooting mode on your camera—if you don’t know how, check your camera manual.
Once you are in your field and ready to shoot, take pictures in succession by moving gently to different parts of your subject. Take more photos than what you think is necessary, especially if the bug is cooperative. You can try different angles and compositions.
Shoot Early in the Morning
This is very important if you’re shooting bugs because they are less active early in the morning. Being cold-blooded, they rely on the sun to warm them up, so they can move. If you make an effort to get out of bed and go early, you will be rewarded with docile insects and outstanding images. The light is also great during the golden hour.
In the afternoons, the insects are pretty active, and getting images to focus stack can be challenging.
Consider Using Artificial Lighting
If you have a speedlight, you can, of course, use it for taking pictures of bugs. Remember, you’re shooting early with a closed aperture and high shutter speed; you will be dealing with a high ISO. A speedlight will help you get a clean image without all the noise. If you have aspeedlight with high-speed sync, you can make the background completely dark with a higher shutter speed.
But many nature agencies recommend against using artificial lights as they can distress the bugs. So if you want to use a flash, use it off the camera at the side, and check that to put on a diffuser. If your camera can handle high ISO, then skip the speedlight. You can always use AI noise-removing software, too.
How to Focus Stack Manually in Photoshop
Focus stacking manually is suitable only if you’re using 10 pictures or so. If you have more photos, it is better to use proper stacking software. Stacking several images can take time and require a lot of effort.
If you’re using Lightroom, you can open the photos in Photoshop directly from Lightroom. This will be the first step here. Are you using another software like Camera Raw to convert your RAW images to JPEG? Then, process your photos, export them to your computer, and import them into Photoshop.
Step 1: Process Your RAW Files
We are using Lightroom here. You can use anysoftware to process your RAW files. Make sure the colors and white balance look similar in all the photos you’re using to stack. Make changes in one file and synchronize all the images using theSyncoption.
Once your edits are done, select all the files, and go toPhoto>Edit In>Open as Layers in Photoshop.
Keep Lightroom open while you work in Photoshop.
Step 2: Align the Layers
The photos will open as layers in Photoshop, but the process can take time. Select all the layers and go toEdit>Auto-Align Layers.
Choose theAutooption and leave everything else to default.
The alignment will change the position of your images. So, crop the aligned layer to your liking.
Step 3: Add a Layer Mask
We are using four images for stacking in our example. To make things simpler, hide all the layers other than the top two.
Add a layer mask to your first layer by pressing theAltkey and clicking theAdd layer maskbutton.
Or, go toLayer>Layer Mask>Hide All. You will see the second layer with the first layer hidden underneath.
Step 4: Reveal the Details
Click theBrushtool on the left side. Check if the foreground color is set to white and the background color is white. Now, you have the first layer loaded in your brush.
Set theOpacityto 100%, adjust theBrush Size, and start painting. Paint over your subject to reveal the focussed areas. If you make a mistake, hitCtrl+Zor use theErasertool.
Step 5: Repeat for the Other Layers
Make the third layer visible by pressing theeyeicon next to it.
Then, drag it to the top and repeatStep 4.
DoStep 5for the remaining layers too. As you’re working with live subjects, slight differences between each layer may exist. The insect may slightly move its legs, or the antennae may change position in a breeze. So edit carefully and check if you have the intended effect by toggling the layers on and off.
Step 6: Save Your Image
After you finish the steps for all layers, you can go toFile>Saveto save your file to Lightroom automatically. You will see it as a TIFF file in Lightroom.
If you didn’t open the layers from Lightroom, go toFile>Export>Export Asand export the file in your desired format.
Take Full Control With Manual Focus Stacking
The auto option is a life savior in many scenarios, from taking pictures to editing. But it won’t give you the specific result you’re looking for. Learning to focus stack manually will make you more confident in your creative process.
You see focus stacking all the time; professional photographers use this technique to get sharper images. How does it work, and why should you use it?
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