problems with stacking photos

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GED
Posts: 2
Joined: Sun May 06, 2018 2:31 pm
Location: North central Pa

problems with stacking photos

Post by GED »

I am new to this site and new to focus stacking, I would really like any input on what I am doing wrong. I am trying zerene stacker software and I get halos and some other artifacts and when I use the retouching brush it starts out working fine then changes to causing everything to be blurred. I believe some of the problems have to do with the contrast adjustment when the stacking is going on, but I don't know what causes the halos or the retouch brush to stop working. Thanks very much for any help or pointing me in the right direction, I would really like to learn this process. I have uploaded a photo with some of the issues I mentioned. It looks like I can not upload a photo for some reason.

rjlittlefield
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Post by rjlittlefield »

To get an image to display, you have to be sure that the image path is injected into the post, properly surrounded by Imagetags. See the Image Hosting Steps, especially steps 5 and 6.

I found this image in the recent uploads:

Image

So, it looks to me like you get the image uploaded OK, but then missed something in steps 5 and 6.

--Rik

rjlittlefield
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Joined: Tue Aug 01, 2006 8:34 am
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Post by rjlittlefield »

Now, about your artifacts...

The sample image looks to me like you're using the DMap stacking method.

There is a tutorial specifically about "How To Use DMap", that is linked on the main index page for Tutorials, at https://zerenesystems.com/cms/stacker/d ... rialsindex . There are quite a few other tutorials on that page also. I recommend reading at least the first half-dozen of them, including the two videos on retouching.

Proper adjustment of the DMap contrast threshold slider would probably go some way to cleaning up this image, but it will inevitably require some touching up, probably from a PMax output.

This is because DMap alone cannot produce clean transitions where focused foreground overlays focused background that is far behind it. An example is at top center of image, where the purple edges of the petals pass in front of the green leaf behind it.

Your description of the problem with the retouching brush is new to me, which is interesting because I'm the author of Zerene Stacker and I've read literally thousands of support requests.

(By the way, I did try answering your support request emails, but my replies bounced because the address of your requests was scrambled -- something about "EXCHANGE ADMINISTRATIVE GROUP". Please check your email configuration. If necessary call me by phone; there's a number posted at https://zerenesystems.com/cms/about_us.)

Anyway, it would be a completely new and quite strange event if the retouching brush started painting blur that did not come from the source image. The next time you get an unexpected blur, I suggest to stop immediately, without even moving the mouse, so that the retouching brush circle remains in position where the blur appeared. Then grab a camera and take a picture of the screen. After you have the situation recorded, take a look at which source image is selected and see if you can make sense of it yourself. If you cannot, then send the screen snapshot to support@zerenesystems.com and I'll try to figure out what's going on.

--Rik

GED
Posts: 2
Joined: Sun May 06, 2018 2:31 pm
Location: North central Pa

Post by GED »

Rik thank you for that information, I will read the tutorials you mentioned and everything else I can find there on the retouching. I appreciate the help.

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