It is not uncommon to see some photographers use 40-100 stacked images in macro and photomicrography. The subject depth and magnification determines how many images you need in a stack to get a sharp picture with enhanced depth of field. The depth of field can be as small as 1-2 microns at magnifications of 400x and higher with a microscope. In macrophotography the depth of field can be less than a millimetre and in microscopy the depth of field is measured in microns (thousands of a millimetre). In macro and photomicrography the closer one is to the subject or the higher the magnification the shallower the depth of field.

Stacking can be used in landscape photography by combining a photograph focused on the foreground and one focused on the background to create an incredible depth of field that exceeds what could be done using a very high F-stop (F16-F64), using a tilt-shift lens, or even a large format camera. Stacking is done in software using the digital images. Look through the list below and pick a program meeting your demands.Comparing Photoshop, Helicon Focus and ZereneĪbove is a Focus stack of a diatom where I combined 10 images in Photoshop 400XĪ focus stack is a photograph that is made up of a combination of two or more images that were focused at different points and then after combining the stacks the final image has a much greater depth of field. Also, you can hone compositional skills and learn to work with. First of all, you find out more about the depth of field, aperture, and focus.

Learning this technique is very rewarding. With the best focus stacking software in your arsenal, you can get more control over your images.

CombineZP - Excellent tool for macro shots.

ON1 Photo RAW 2023 - Professional photo organizer and raw processor.

Zerene Stacker - Auto-aligns the source images.

That’s when such software comes in handy. If you want to keep a particular item in focus, for example, a plant in the foreground, the house in the background, an object in the frame, etc., you have to spend some time and effort to achieve that goal. This depth of field refers to anything from meters to millimeters. Focus stacking software merges several images with different focal points and creates a sharp result.

Photo stacking in photoshop