Level up your macro photos with this in-depth focus stacking tutorial

If you’re into macro photography, focus stacking is one of the key skills to learn if you want tack-sharp images. In his recent video, Andrew Lanxon goes in-depth, showing you his workflow for stacking photos and providing you with valuable knowledge you can apply to your work, too.

While taking the photos is half the battle, Andrew’s video focuses on the post-processing side—how to combine those images into one flawless masterpiece. After a shoot, he returns with thousands of photos, often with 100 or more images per focus stack. He uses a Canon R5 with a focus bracketing feature. This feature makes it simple to capture multiple images with slightly different focus points. In case your camera doesn’t have focus stacking built in, Andrew suggests a manual method: set your camera to burst mode and adjust the focus manually as you shoot. I’d also place it on a tripod so my composition doesn’t change one bit.

Editing your stack before merging

Once in Lightroom, Andrew organizes his stacks using a color-coding system, marking the usable images and removing extras to keep things clean and efficient. Before stacking, he recommends making some basic edits to one image in the set—adjusting exposure, shadows, and color balance. Once this is done, you can sync these changes across the entire stack to ensure consistency.

Stacking software

Andrew uses Helicon Focus to merge his images, finding it better than Photoshop for handling large stacks. Of course, you can explore other options as well if you don’t already have your preferred program. There are a few stacking options in Helicon Focus, and Andrew chooses “method B”. He suggests you explore more about each on their website, as he isn’t sure what the differences are.

Final touches

Keep in mind, though, that even the best stacking software can leave minor flaws, like halos or blending errors. Andrew demonstrates how to fine-tune these imperfections in Helicon Focus’s retouching tab, painting in details from source images to achieve a seamless look. He later polishes the image further in Photoshop, using tools like the Clone Stamp and Brush Tool to smooth out inconsistencies and enhance color tones.

After cleaning up the image, Andrew applies final adjustments in Camera Raw to refine colors, contrast, and highlights. Subtle tweaks, like adding a gentle filmic fade or selectively increasing clarity on key areas, make the subject pop without over-editing.

Finally, Andrew emphasizes that while this process might seem time-consuming, taking the time to perfect your image is worth it. In case you’re not a fan of editing, he recommends putting on some music or a podcast and enjoying the process. That’s what I do editing as well, and also while crocheting or embroidering. It is time-consuming, but you can turn it into a really enjoyable and meditative process. And the result will always leave you with the sense of accomplishment and with something wonderful you’ve created with your own skill and your own hands.

The video is relatively long, so I tried to capture the basics. So make sure to watch the for step-by-step, detailed explanations, and expert tips you won’t want to miss.

[Macro Focus Stacking: Advanced Tutorial for Merging and Retouching via FStoppers]

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