Macro in Motion: Wing Scales of an Alpine Black Swallowtail, Papilio maackii

[JayMcClellan]

Here's my latest focus-stacked video project. For the best experience, I suggest you watch it in 4K on a large monitor and with a soothing beverage. :-)



This was a data-intensive undertaking that consumed over 27 terabytes of hard drive space to store 50+ hours of raw footage, and 100+ hours of computing time to process it. In one of the more extreme cases it took 4 hours to record and 12 hours to stack a single 8-second shot. I added a new feature to my software to create a simulated depth of focus that falls off gradually toward the background, and in some cases the foreground. It even does dynamic focus pulls, which I used in one shot but I tried to keep it subtle so hopefully most people won't even notice it. I do think it looks more natural than having everything always in sharp focus, or the edge-of-the-world effect that one gets if the stack is cut short. One can fake some similar effects in post-processing but I got better results by integrating it into the stacking process.

I recorded this with a Panasonic GH6 camera in 10-bit ProRes 422 at 5.7K resolution, 25 FPS and 1/50sec shutter. The wide shots used an Olympus 60mm macro lens plus a Raynox DCR-150, and the rest used Mitty 5x/10x/20x objectives. For the tube lenses I used a Raynox DCR-250 (125mm) to get 0.6x magnification, and a Melles Griot 160mm achromat to get 0.8x magnification. Lighting is just 2 or 3 white diffused LED lamps placed to give light that's diffused over a fairly wide range of angles but still directional enough to highlight the structures.

Comments, criticisms and questions are welcome.

[PeteM]

Beautiful.

[wwheeler48]

I honestly don’t know what to say. I am blown away from the video before I read the work you did to get it. Incredible , thank you for sharing.

[Guppy]

Hi Jay
So beautiful, I can hardly believe what I see.
Excellent work that I admire!

Kurt

[Lou Jost]

Unbelievable! This is the best video I have ever seen for showing the real shapes and orientations of scales and the wonderful 3-d textures of a butterfly wing. Stunning.

[JH]

Inspiring!
I do like how you manage focus.
Best regards
Jörgen

[rjlittlefield]

This is a masterpiece. It deserves to be in a broadcast documentary.

--Rik

[JayMcClellan]

Thanks for all the kind comments. I appreciate the rare privilege to be able to show the microscopic world in a way that people haven't seen before. I'm also grateful to all who have contributed to this forum, as I've learned a lot here.

[MarkSturtevant]

I am staggered. And yes, this deserves high accolades!

[Rikisub]

Amazing! Absolutely incredible . . .

[lothman]

[Mary Konchar]

Beautiful work.

[brentbristol]

Wow! Simply stunning!

[donpirhana]

Utterly, Absolutely, Completely gobsmacked!

[abpho]

Beautiful and intense. 27TB? That's crazy. I sure don't have the right to criticize. Thank you for sharing. This definitely needs more exposure. I hope you can get this video (and more) out there. Good luck.