When, Why, and How to Use Focus Stacking for Better Images

When it comes to landscape and macro photography, sometimes, you need more depth of field than you can get in a single exposure. When that is the case, focus stacking can give you more depth of field and sharper images, and it is not a particularly difficult technique either! This helpful video tutorial discusses when and why you should consider using it and two different ways to do it in Photoshop. 

Coming to you from Brian Matiash, this great video tutorial will show you when and why you should consider using focus stacking and how to do it in Photoshop. The need for focus stacking generally arises in situations in which you have elements both very near and very far that you want to be sharp. There are techniques for dealing with this in a single image, such as using the hyperfocal distance or a narrower aperture, but the former is a bit of a compromise, and with the latter, you will eventually run into issues with diffraction. As such, if you want top levels of sharpness, you need to split the images into multiple components by depth, then merge them again in post-processing. Luckily, it isn't that difficult or time-consuming! Check out the video above for the full rundown from Matiash. 

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Alex Cooke is a Cleveland-based portrait, events, and landscape photographer. He holds an M.S. in Applied Mathematics and a doctorate in Music Composition. He is also an avid equestrian.

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