Focus Stacking Tips for Better Results | Macro Photography

I have a great tip for you today. If you do any kind of focus stacking in your macro photography, this tip will help to improve your results from Helicon Focus.
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[@christopherwray83]

This is brilliant, Stewart. Thank you for posting this easy and highly effective method for improving sharpness and ridding of blotchy backgrounds. Shout out to Ben!

[@MicaelWidell]

Nice tip, going to try this next time I stack!

[@StewartWoodArt]

Let me know how you get on :)

[@bens_small_world]

Thanks for the callout and tip share, Stewart! When I first shared this method months ago, I was also made aware that Zerene had the option built-in. I worked with the Helicon team (briefly) to get the same feature added, but I’m not sure if it will ever see production.
Another small tip, sometimes C is perfect except I want just the eye detail from B. I will bring both renders into Helicon, merge them with B, then paint over the entire image with C. Then go to B and paint in just the eyes.
Cheers man, and thanks again for getting this out to the masses.

[@StewartWoodArt]

Thank you for sharing your knowledge. I'm glad we awas able to have a chat and talk shot lol. Speak again soon.

[@ulriktnnesen5987]

Nice video mate ;)
The technique of dividing a stack into sub-stacks and stacking them after the first iteration is usually called "Slabbing" in the Extreme Macro community. It is often used to handle fuzzy or tricky parts of a subject and can also be used to great effect for retouching targeted areas manually in the editing process.
Rarely is macrophotography and stacking a one button press solution. Great to see you picking up new and interesting techniques :)

[@StewartWoodArt]

Thanks mate.

[@hanklevesque426]

Nice use of Helicon Stewart. In Zerene Stacker there’s a post-stacking retouching process that lets you retrieve in-focus bits, both from individual photos or from slabs of in-focus photos, and paint them into your finished image in a side-by-side process. Very effective and precise.

[@StewartWoodArt]

I’ve only just downloaded Zerene to try it out.

[@newtuber4freedom43]

Awesome!! TFS!!

[@StewartWoodArt]

Thanks for watching!

[@Juni41]

I learned that trick a few months ago and people called it the "BCB" method. I tried it several times and it kinda works great however for some reason, sometime helicon choose to keep the "not so sharp c method" area instead of the "super sharp B method" area. So I admit I still prefer to mix B and C manually in photoshop as I have total control on what I want to keep from B or C in the final stack.

[@bens_small_world]

I did share this a few months back on my Instagram, but I’d be glad to know if someone else had the same idear!

[@StewartWoodArt]

It can depend alot on the image you are processing, sometimes it work and others it doesn't.

[@dlloy1]

A friend who does microscopy photography taught me this method a long time ago. I thought everyone knew it.

[@jens822]

As in Zerene stacker in Helicon Focus Pro you can use not only the individual images but also the output of different methods as a source for retouching. I see no need to use photoshop for this. In case of overlapping structures I use method C as primary and B as retouching source, in case of fringe artefacts B with a high value for the radius (24 or higher) as primary and C as source.

[@StewartWoodArt]

Thanks, I'll have to upgrade my licence and take a look.

[@rayzalaf8988]

Have you tried "slabbing" your large stacks for better quality?

[@StewartWoodArt]

Not recently, no.

[@michalsiegel6717]

I don't understand. Why doing complicated cloning? I simply select the layer that has the missing details and retouch that layer within the stacking software. Easier and I'm also introducing real textures and details, not cloning something that should not be there.