Greater depth of field. It’s a quest for many shooters, to be able to achieve critical focus for a subject. One technique to achieve this is focus stacking, which allows you to take a series of photos captured with different focal depths and merge them together.

When shooting, try this approach:

  1. If possible, secure the camera on a tripod or a stable surface. The software can correct minor variations caused by handheld shooting.
  2. Manually set the focus point for the image. This can often be done with d-pad controls.
  3. Move the focus point to a different point in the image.
  4. Repeat a few times as needed to fully cover the subject. While none of the photos will have tack sharp focus in all areas, it’s possible to combine them.
  5. Load the images onto your computer.
  6. Launch Adobe Photoshop.

Here’s how to achieve Focus Stacking with Adobe Photoshop.The process is very automated.

[vimeo http://vimeo.com/69634545 w=640&h=360]

The video can also be viewed here.

Disclaimer: This is just one way to stack shots together for an extended focal range. We hope you find these tips helpful for making better photos.

_______