Macro Focus Stacking Guide

Before we get started with this guide, I would like to say that I do not recommend this technique for beginner macro photographers especially if you intend to do it handheld in the field like I do. Once you are comfortable using your gear and can reliably get shots of subjects with the desired focus plane your probably ready to give this method a go.

If you are a beginner and want to learn more about my macro photography methods, please follow this link to my 'In the field Macro Photography Guide’ (Coming soon)

Focus stacking can really take your macro images to the next level, once you have mastered focus stacking you can litrally take phiscially impossible photos with the best of all the following,

• Depth of field

• Magnification

• Sharpness / Contrast

1. What is focus stacking

Focus stacking as the name suggests is a technique where multiple images with different focus points are combined to maintain the sharpness provided by lower aperture values while also getting the depth of field provided by lower apertures. Focus stacking is a method used by various types of photographers such as landscape but has an amazing impact on macro photography.

While in landscape photography the main reason to focus stack is to ensure everything in frame is in focus, this method helps resolve common issues caused by the fundamental physical limitations of macro photography. Problems such as lack of depth of field, diffraction reducing sharpness, lack of light can all be improved once you have mastered focus stacking allowing you to take breath taking photos.

2. Focus Stacking Steps

The focus stacking method has 2 steps,

1. Image Capture, instead of snapping a single shot like normal you now need to fix your image settings to maintain exposure & take a series of photos at various focal points along your subject while attempting to step a consistent amount between each shot. It’s essential to allow some overlap of your ‘In focus’ areas to improve the chances of the next step working successfully. As our macro subjects are often live it’s critical that the subject does not move between shots or when stacked you will have issues.

2. Image Processing, now you have captured your series of photos the next step is to process them. Lots of image editing tools have focus stacking algorithms, I currently use photoshops tool which is able to auto-align my various photos & can then combine the images keeping the sharpest/highest contrast areas of each photo.

3. Image Capture Methods

Focus stacking can be performed various different ways, for my style I almost exclusively do them handheld, if you have a stationary subject in a studio this is probably not recommended!

1. Handheld stacking, for this method I would fix my macro lens at a constant magnification 2:1 for example, I would be in manual exposure mode to ensure each shot is exposed the same. Instead of focusing with your lens focus ring you move the whole camera backwards & forwards to focus moving the focus plane across the subject. This method is ideal for insects in the field who are not likely to hang around long enough for you to setup a tripod, benefits of this method are you can quickly recompose your subject, but it does take a lot of practice before you can consistently get all the required shots and even with lots of experience you are likely to miss some required focus planes.

2. Focusing Rails, this method is a lot more controlled and involves mounting your camera to a rail which is either manually or motorized. You can use the rail to move the camera backwards and forwards in a linear & controlled motion. This technique is excellent for any slow or stationary subjects as it does require a fair amount of setup and patience but will be much more consistent at producing successful stacks.

3. Automated Focus, if you have a macro lens with auto-focus it might be possible to use a tool such as Helicon to automate the focus adjustments to take multiple photos of a subject at various focal points, unfortunately not many lenses support this type of control but for studio work this is an excellent solution

4. Capturing Images

Now its the hardest step, finding a subject that will let you take plenty of photos, see blow for an example I was able to capture of a banded demoiselle that was chilling out on a riverbank.

I used the handheld focus stacking method to move my camera body forward a few mm between each shot. I did my best to keep the subject as well aligned as possible throughout the sequence, photoshops alignment tool will be able to help resolve any motion between the shots as long as it has enough references to look at.

5. How to use Photoshop to Focus Stack (2022)

This guide was written in 2022 so it’s possible Adobe have moved some of these menu options in the future just a heads up!

Now you have your photos its time to process those images, I only have experience using Photoshops tools so this guide will explain how I use this process.

1. Prepare images, before stacking I normally edit the RAW files in lightroom it’s important that the same edits are applied to all the photos you intend to use in the stack, or you will find issues with colour or exposure once stacked.

2. Loading into a stack, in photoshop follow these options “File > Scripts > Load Files into Stack…” this will load the ‘Load Layers’ menu, use ‘Browse…’ to select the photo’s you want to stack. Make sure ‘Attempt to automatically align source images’ is selected then press ‘'Ok’ Photoshop will now spend some time trying to align all the images.

3. Auto-Blend layers, now you have all the photos aligned it’s time to start the stack using the blend tool, you can find the blend tool at “Edit > Auto-Blend Layers…”. Select ‘Stack Images’ and I recommend also selecting “Seamless tone and colours” to help blend the images, then press “Ok” to begin the stack. Depending on your PC’s power, the number of images in the stack & the resolution of the camera this might take photoshop a while to process.

4. Review the stack, now photoshop has attempted to stack the images it’s important to review the image and check for any errors. Sometimes these can be minor issues easily fixed with the stamp or heal tool but sometimes they can be problems caused by the images captured in the field.