How to QUICKLY Focus Stack & How to AVOID it Altogether!

📷 Level up your landscape photography game with my composition ebook - www.iworthphotos.com/store/co...
Join me on a photography adventure - Check out my workshops and tours - www.iworthphotos.com/workshops
💥Check out my Zine & Print packs www.iworthphotos.com/store
Today, I visit a stunning coastal location and discuss how to easily focus stack a photo, I also discuss how I avoid it most of the time.
---------------------------------------📸------------------------------------------
👉 JOIN THE PHOTOGRAPHERS CLUBHOUSE www.iworthphotos.com/clubhous...
👉 VISIT MY WEBSITE - www.iworthphotos.com/
👉 MY FREE NEWSLETTER - Don't miss a video! - bit.ly/2Y7uDZN
👉CHECK OUT MY CAMERA GEAR - www.iworthphotos.com/my-gear
---------------------------------------🎥-------------------------------------------
VIDEOS YOU MIGHT LIKE
Avoid these landscape photography habits: • AVOID These Landscape ...
The focal length I didn't know I needed: • The Focal length I Did...
Inspiration to start a photography project: • Start a Photography Pr...
Binge-Watch my vlogs - Playlist - bit.ly/3kJoK2u
---------------------------------------📱---------------------------------------------
CONNECT
Web site: www.iworthphotos.com/
Email: [e-mail]
Vero @ian_worth
Instagram: @ian_worth / ian_worth
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
00:00 Intro
00:36 Considerations to consider before focus stacking
01:42 Demonstrating how to focus stack
04:35 How to edit focus stacked photos
08:31 How to avoid focus stacking
#photography #howtofocusstack #focusstacking
The above may contain affiliate links, which incur no additional cost to you but may earn me a small commission.

[@carlreid4161]

Marvellous scenery Ian for your explanation of focus stacking which is great. Loved the overhead drone footage and the different perspective it gives, nice contrast of shapes, form, contrast and colour. I tried my cameras in built focus stacking and although it gets there it’s reliant on you getting the first shot closest to the camera and your explanation is way better especially using the 9mm and the markers.

[@kaneclements7761]

Really good episode. I learned a lot, particularly about the editing process in LR and PS. Many thanks Ian.

[@ian_worth]

Glad it was helpful! 👍👍

[@alexlindstrom9971]

One of the best channels on YT for photography in general, but particularly the photography I like to do. Great stuff.

[@ian_worth]

Wow, thanks! 👍😊

[@wednesdaythroughthelens830]

Zine arrived. Nicely done and enjoyable coffee table item 👍

[@ian_worth]

Thank you so much, I'm glad it arrived safely😊🙏🙏

[@greglarUK]

Super useful video again Ian, many thanks, I must say you have a very good way of explaining some potentially complex concepts, in a very clear way making it easy for me to follow, thank you :-)

[@ian_worth]

Glad it was helpful! 👍👍

[@lonnieclemens8028]

A very interesting video. I will watch again later.

[@ian_worth]

Thank you very much 😊🙏👍

[@antonoat]

Great film and location Ian👍 I think the method you use and described for your focus stacking is very easy and very well described, it’s actually the same as what I do. I’d also agree we don’t always want total sharpness back to front as selective focus is a great way of focussing the viewers eye to the important parts of the scene, it also helps to add depth! Great to see you obviously still enjoying Wales and getting out regularly with the cameras👏😀👍

[@ian_worth]

Glad you enjoyed it, yes still loving Wales 😁👍👍

[@chrisharveyphotography]

Really nice video mate! Looked like a lovely beach too! Learning about hyperfocal distance was a game changer for me because I'm not a fan of focussing stacking either. Mainly because i'm a Lightroom editor who barely uses Photoshop and I don't enjoy that post-processing workflow 😅

[@ian_worth]

Thanks Chris, Yeah its definitely a great technique 👍👍

[@Poverello2001]

A good explanation of focus stacking. I normally don’t use this technique for my landscapes, but I’ll have to give it a try. What I’d like is the ability for a camera to automatically set a lens to the hyper focal focus for any given focus point. This way, all you need to do is set the aperture, select a focus point and you’re good to go. It should be a relatively easy function to include in software.

[@ian_worth]

I never thought about that, but it would be such an awesome feature. Great idea 👍

[@jamesss1953]

Well I have thrown myself into Fujifilm. Bought X-T5 and 16mm and took some RAW images on a hike on Saturday. Printed one and very impressed. So now sold my Nikon equip. Focus stacking (and hyperfocal distance) and pano stitching are m 3 of my favourite styles but Photoshop part unsure until now. This vid is just what I needed. Thank you

[@ian_worth]

Hope you enjoy your new camera James 👍

[@malcolmbrooks9527]

Thanks for am interesting video. I used to use hyperfocal distance as it meant I didn't have to worry about focussing (used it for train photography). This was with film cameras, from a trusty Zenith B, to an Olympus 10. But they don't seem to put the relevant markings on zooms now, or even on my 108mm macro prime (currently a D750)

[@ian_worth]

Thanks buddy, i wish they would put DOF scales on every lens. I guess it costs more 👍👍

[@timothysmallwood2367]

These days you’re lucky if you get a focus scale! It seems to be a mirror-less thing: neither my Canon RF 24-105 nor my Fuji apsc 18-135 have one.

[@frankc1861]

Excellent video on focus stacking for landscape photography Ian, thanks. Do you ever use Heliconfocus for your focus stacking instead of PS?

[@ian_worth]

I've never tried it, but wouldn't mind giving it a try 👍

[@user-ck8ju3xn3d]

good

[@Kayahdog]

So helpful, thank you. Please explain why after doing the alignment in PS you don’t just use the auto blend next to merge the two images? Thank you.

[@ian_worth]

I've had very mixed results with the auto blend feature. I've found the masks are often all over the place and difficult to correct. I think its easier to do it manually, but maybe that's just me. 👍

[@AlainLafleche1]

Hi Ian, great video !! I do not understand how you focus on each point on your lcd tapping just one time on each location. Every videos that i am looking show double tap or other methods ( zooming ) that seems more complicated to do. Can you explain the setting and how you do it so easily :-) ? thx

[@vickychristopoulos8614]

Hello I recieved my Zine, absolutely great captures, especially love 'lost in fog' thank you! What lens did you use for the milky way capture?

[@ian_worth]

Thanks so much for the support, I'm glad you liked it. I used the viltrox 13mm f1.4 for the Astro shots. f2 iso 3200 13 seconds. I think the Aurora ones were iso1600

[@hillelbrandes6283]

Yes, I wish Fuji would have DOF scale on their primes! I mean, come on!!

[@markbaigent8373]

Absolutely

[@ian_worth]

I would love to see a depth of field scale on every lens 👍👍

[@davidmill7289]

Thanks Ian for some very useful advice. I assume using APSC or MFT will give a bit extra DOF as well?

[@ian_worth]

Thanks David, Yes, Apsc will give more depth of field at the same camera position compared to a full frame or medium format camera 👍

[@lphilpot01]

Nice clear explanation. When you do stack is it always done manually or do you use Photoshop's built-in focus stacking?

[@ian_worth]

Hi Len, Yes, I always do it manually, I've had very mixed results with the auto blend feature. I've found the masks are often all over the place and difficult to correct. I think its easier to do it manually, but maybe that's just me. 👍

[@lphilpot01]

@@ian_worth Actually I use Affinity Photo, which has its own stacking mechanism. I'm not familiar with the specifics of the Adobe version, they maybe alike or different.

[@MRoccoPhotography]

I wish the camera stack the pictures and produce the result directly in camera. With the powerful processors of nowadays I believe it could be a valid function. But to take 20 or more pictures , fill the memory card and then spend other time to compose the results in a separate software, it is not for me.

[@ian_worth]

I agree, it would be a welcome feature

[@manueldinisphotography]

Ian, I am not sure any one mentioned before but, any particular reason why you did not use the blend function in photoshop? Thank you.

[@ian_worth]

I've had very mixed results with the auto blend feature. I've found the masks are often all over the place and difficult to correct. I think its easier to do it manually, but maybe that's just me. 👍

[@manueldinisphotography]

@@ian_worth thank you

[@nevvanclarke9225]

I own a GFX camera and I owned a 50 S ii and everyone said to me all you need to focus stack with a medium format camera. What a load of rubbish you do not need to focus stack very often at all. In fact I've taken 450 photos so far with my new camera and I had not had to focus stack once anywhere between F11 to F11 using the hyper focal method, Will give you excellent sharpness Wright throughout the image and just a tiny bit of fall off at the back but honestly that's how the human eye sees it anyway. We have to stop obsessing over having everything Pin sharp in images because the human eye does not see a scene like that. You cannot see those mountains that are 20 km away. Pin sharp with your eyes when you stand there anyway that's what binoculars are for. There are the odd occasion we focus stacking might be useful for safe flowers or macro Photography. Yep I can understand that but for general landscape Photography I don't think you need to focus stack very often at all.

[@timothysmallwood2367]

Interesting, I usually take three shots and check later. I know, that’s not at all clever. I’ll definitely try your method. Can I now ask the obvious question? What do you think of the Auto Blend function in Photoshop?

[@ian_worth]

Thanks Timothy, I've never got on that well with the auto blend feature, I've found the masks to be all over the place, it's then more difficult to fine tune. That might be just me though and i guess it will depend on the scene 👍👍

[@bettcox3418]

Great video Ian. Love our channel! Why don't you auto blend after auto align?

[@ian_worth]

Thank you, I've never got on that well with the Auto blend feature, it would be interesting to know how others find it. Comment below 👍👍

[@petercollins7848]

As I don’t subscribe to the expensive Photoshop or Lightroom, I just focus one third of the way in the shot as you say and nearly everything is in focus. Why do we want everything absolutely in tack sharp focus anyway? I think a slight ‘softness’ of a layer in a photo actually creates a sense of ‘depth’ in the picture, which you also covered. But there is still this obsession on KZbin about getting everything perfectly sharp, and I don’t understand it. Is it covert propaganda to get us to buy expensive cameras and lenses? I hope not, as photography today is not cheap, in spite of pixels being free the equipment has rocketed in price! I always buy used, not because I am a cheapskate, but why throw money away when you can get everything you really need used?

[@C4ManMike]

Depends on the photos utility. Is it for family memories or for art? Full focus images are great for family photos as they are meant to be shared and looked around at each single photo. Photography as art though often is a very creative process and sometimes very time predictive and time restrictive in instances when a shot may be missed, like predatory/prey, weather, or even sports. Im always of the belief that everything has a utility no matter how small.

[@user-jk1zh6vx8g]

good

[@user-ne9ic6sk1f]

good