Corkhead Ant stack - new picture added

acerola · Post by **acerola** » Tue May 06, 2008 3:05 am

As I promised I created the stacked image of the Camponotus truncatus ant posted earlier. I shoot 3 or 4 frameset from different positions. This was the first one. So more to come. I need a couple of more hour computing time and a little more retouching time to finish all.

I used the Nikon 10x objective on extension. Aligned the frames in CZM. And created 4 separate stack in tufuse to increase contrast and handle overlap. I then manually "stacked" them in PS.

LSRasmussen · Post by **LSRasmussen** » Tue May 06, 2008 3:15 am

Peter,

Outstanding image ! Fantastic subject ! I wish we had these in Denmark.
Did you try to stack the images in CZM alone and if so, how much better is the result we see here ?

//Lars

acerola · Post by **acerola** » Tue May 06, 2008 4:27 am

I tried only the Do Stack method in CMZ. It is good to get a first impression. It has a Wow effect, but at the edges in full magnification it is very fuzzy. I did not try the do fine stack yet. I compared the result from CMZ to Tofuse in PS, there was only a few part where CMZ done a better job, especially on bright areas..

lauriek · Post by **lauriek** » Tue May 06, 2008 5:19 am

That's nice work and a really interesting subject! Wish we had some of those little guys over in the UK!!

DaveW · Post by **DaveW** » Tue May 06, 2008 7:42 am

Great picture, must have been going a fair old speed when it ran into the wall! LOL

DaveW

rjlittlefield · Post by **rjlittlefield** » Tue May 06, 2008 8:08 am

Very nice, Péter! I wonder if more lighting from the right side instead of the left would better show off the shape of the head?

BTW, I notice that focus in this picture seems to trail off gradually instead of having a sharp edge at the end of the stack. Did you do something special to get that effect, or is it just the way that this stack came out?

--Rik

acerola · Post by **acerola** » Tue May 06, 2008 8:25 am

The lighting is a problem, as I can not direct it very well yet. It is a single flash. But I also like the more emphasized sense of the direction it produces alone. I will try to mount it to other ways.
I tried the additional aperture in front of the objective. I do it with a paper tube. I have to move the subject 1-2 cm back to apply it. So it is not really easy to use. I did not used it here. And there was nothing interesting here at the background either, so I just make some more frame with slightly more pace.
The aperture works more or less as we discussed it anyway.

Charles Krebs · Post by **Charles Krebs** » Wed May 07, 2008 3:24 pm

Very nice! Very odd looking subject!

acerola · Post by **acerola** » Thu May 08, 2008 6:44 am

Just another angle, and another background.

Michigan Michael · Post by **Michigan Michael** » Thu May 08, 2008 6:45 am

Beautiful!

Harold Gough · Post by **Harold Gough** » Thu May 08, 2008 10:43 pm

Michigan Michael wrote:Beautiful!

Only to its mother?

Harold

Planapo · Post by **Planapo** » Sat May 10, 2008 1:05 pm

Marvelous, Péter!