#Helicon focus back to lightroom dng how to

You might find that some areas need retouched, as in, they are not in focus in the final image. I typically don’t do huge amounts of modification to images, so being able to make adjustments to the raw file is another bonus. That makes it pretty powerful as it gives the photographer yet another layer of opportunity for improvement. While I saved these images as png files for the web, Helicon Focus can save the output files in the Adobe DNG format, allowing you to open them in Lightroom or Photoshop using Adobe Camera Raw. I used the default settings for radius and smoothing This is the output using method C (pyramidal). This is the output using method B (depth map). I used the default settings for radius and smoothing. This is the output using method A (weighted average). I’ll include jpg reductions of the output images for you to compare for yourselves. Now, things have improved in that way also. When I first used Helicon Focus years ago, there was a sizable difference between the rendition of the Pyramidal (method C) and the others. You get to choose which one works best (i.e. Helicon recommends different methods for different types of images. I have found a new respect for method A, the weighted average. Choose a render method for Focus to work with (you have three choices: A, B, or C, each with their own advantages), and press Render. It’s really easy to get your first stack once the images are loaded.

In actually, it probably will never be an issue for the vast majority of users, but it’s part of my job to be troublesome. Probably with a more refined working method this wouldn’t be an issue at all. Then I would know to look down the stack to find the troublesome one. I only wish the program could give a warning if the sizes of the images in the stack don’t match. I admit this is something I should have been looking out for. Once back in Helicon Focus, the stack ran smoothly. I just opened the files in Adobe Bridge and rotated the offenders. It was easily resolved once I realized what the problem was. I didn’t see the issue until I happened to notice where in the stack the error occurred. Helicon Focus couldn’t tell the difference between horizontal and vertical, it only knew the sizes didn’t match. This caused a problem in Helicon, resulting in a prolonged wait and ending with an ‘error 5’ message on the screen. The one problem I had using the raw images straight from the camera is that at one point, I had the camera off level (a “Dutch angle,” for those familiar with the term), and because the camera was somewhere between horizontal and vertical I got the occasional vertical image when all others were horizontal. I tend to call this a ‘bin’ after video editing software.

#Helicon focus back to lightroom dng how to

The software tells you in big letters across the screen how to get your images into the program. Instead, let’s get the images into Helicon Focus where the main work is done.

My use of Helicon Remote is discussed in the video at the bottom of the page I won’t linger on it here. I don’t have a motorized setup, so I couldn’t test this feature. I understand that even if I were using my Canon MP-E macro lens (a wonderful macro-only lens with no autofocus), Helicon Remote can control motorized macro rails. This isn’t a macro setup (1:1), so I could use the camera’s focusing mechanism. My camera was tethered to the computer, letting Remote do the driving. In this instance, I started with Helicon Remote. Being able to drop in your raw images makes life easier and gets you faster into the work of making the “real” image. What if you’re shooting with one of the 50+ megapixel cameras? You would shoot a stack of, say, 20 images and then have to convert them all to TIF before you can import them into your chosen focus stacking program. Of course, it retains the ability to use your camera raw files (no need to convert to TIF or jpg). I am incredibly impressed with how much Helicon Focus has improved since I first used it.

Recently, however, I was preparing to be a guest lecturer for a college class to demonstrate focus stacking, and it seemed only fair that I should take another look at Helicon Focus. But I was successfully using the other software and Photoshop to stack my images. Time passed, and I don’t even remember why I first switched. It was good, and I used it for a while, then switched to another program. Several years ago, when I first began photographing feathers, I tried some software called Helicon Focus.