![]() ![]() In my opinion, I think I also like the image produced by Zerene Stacker over the one from Helicon Focus, even though I think the sun stars are better in the Helicon Focus file. When doing a shot such as this, it's best to work from front to back with your focus as the algorithms in the programs does a better job than with focuses that bounce back and forth. The only processing done after shooting was to convert each of the RAW files to JPEG as this is what the two programs work best with. Specifics of the shot - The image was taken during my Colorado fall color workshop and consisted of 15 different shots, each one with the focus point just a little bit behind the previous image starting with the closest edge of the leaf back through the last somewhat large drop on the vein in the top center. One person who liked the Helicon Focus result said it was because the sun stars were not as pronounced. Reasons ranged from the crispness to the brightness to the contrast. But, the overwhelming majority of the votes went with the file produced by Zerene Stacker. ![]() As with everything in photography there was a difference of opinion about which one people like better just because art is very subjective and what one person likes better is not what someone else likes better. I got quite a few responses and some good comments. No sharpening, no color adjustments, no anything in order for it to be a true test of what the two programs would produce.Īfter creating the two images of this first test I posted them on my two Facebook pages and asked people which program they think did a better job with the stack. For the test, I did no processing work to any of the files either before processing or after creating the composite. After getting copies of two different focus stacking programs - Zerene Stacker and Helicon Focus - I put both of them to the test to see how they compared with each other on the same image. With having an outlet to let others know of the different programs out there, I'm able to get comp copies to then test, compare and let people know what I think of the programs.Ĭase in point here being depth of field focus stacking. As much as I am more of a traditionalist when it comes to photography - I wish we were still with film - I continue to explore some of the different options out there and how it can expand the possibilities of the world of photography to the point that shots that were only a dream a few years ago are easily doable today. These plus all of the different plug-ins and filters available have made post production work a key component of photography. Times shown for MBP M2 Max are estimates based on 2021 MacBook Pro M1 Max.The numbers of and advancements in specialty software programs for working on digital files has exploded in the last several years. Correct figures cannot be obtained since the test machine is no longer available. UPDATE 2023-0501: results are invalid for the 2022 MacBook Pro M2 Max because Interpolation = Lanczos 8 was used in Intel machines (very slow) and something else (unknown for MBP, probably Lanczos 4). The 2021 MacBook Pro M1 Max is stunning! Consider that most Mac Pros will have 8/10/12/16 cores and that means the MacBook Pro would easily BEAT them. It’s only about a 10% time reduction for the smaller job. The 2021 MacBook Pro M1 Max dusts the 2020 iMac 5K and 2019 iMac 5K.Īt best, the 28-core Mac Pro ekes out about a 19% time reduction over the 2021 MacBook Pro M1 Max. ![]() Zerene Stacker DMAP: focus stack 20 X 150 megapixel and 28 X 45 megapixel 16-bit TIF. See for example Nikon D850 'Focus Shift shooting' feature for Easy Focus Stacking. If below are out of date: view current Mac wishlist and all current OWC wishlists.ĬLICK TO VIEW: Recommended Memory, Storage,etcĬLICK TO VIEW: Recommended MacBook Pro Configurations Results Being Java-based, it does not use the GPU. Zerene Stacker is outstanding at using all CPU cores. Zerene Stacker is not the fastest stacking software out there (see Helicon Focus results), but minimizing touchup work is far more important and that’s where Zerene Stacker shines by yielding results that minimize the need for retouching and my retouching time is far more important than the computer time. For my photographic work, I use Zerene Stacker heavily for focus stacking and it takes minutes to do some stacks, so speed here matters. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |