Focus stacking follow up question...

[fbuitrag]

So I was able ot get stack pictures of a fly... yeah...

Now I tired a bit different picture some fungus in a log. I followed the same process and tested it with combineZP using all 6 methods. (I know there are better software and I will probably get one shortly, but in the meantime..) I got the stacked result and it was heavily distorted on the borders but decent result in the center:




I take the picture in raw, convert it to jpeg or any other format (no changes, no sharpen, nothing), the stack them..

is this because of the lens, or the type of picture or something I am doing wrong ?

Also, do you normally process the picture before or after stacking them?

Thanks

[Pau]

There are two issues at the image borders:

- The mirrored bands: it's a software due artifact likely due to the change of image field during the stack acquisition, it happens with most lenses. Just crop the image to exclude them. Combine ZP can do it automatically twice pressing a keyboard function key, I don't remember well which one, maybe F4.

- Some image unsharpness: this must be due to lens aberrations, what lens do you use?

About processing workflow each one has his own tricks. I do a first step during RAW conversion with Canon DPP to tune color, exposure, etc with the same recipe for all pictures and a final tuning in PS