Image stacking workflow.

[jamesdfloyd]

Apologies if this has been asked before – if so, please guide me to the appropriate post.

I want to start doing landscape image stacking, I use Capture One almost exclusively for post-production (Nik Effects & sharpening in Photoshop), and I have a question about post-production workflow processing.

Which do you think (from your experience) is the better workflow; process the RAW’s through color balancing, and then stack in Helicon Focus or CC, or stack the images first, and then process the TIFF/PSD in Capture One? Processing time is not an issue for me, as I enjoy the overall process, but I just like to use “best practices” when possible.

Is there a benefit using one method verses the other, or is the detriment for using one method?

Thanks,

J.D.

 

[Remko]

Hi J.D.,

I never use any so called "specialty" tools in Photoshop, like stacking or creating a pano, as the software is at it best very mediocre. So I would recommand Helicon Focus (HF), especially as you already have it.

My workflow is doing my all my editing in CO V10 and then render 16 bits TIFFs in the ProPhoto RGB colour space. Wat is relevant is that I only use the default sharpening in CO (and the new and great "Diffraction Correction" in the Lens tab). So no extra sharpening and certainly no "Structure".
I then open the images in HF and have the images stacked. With detailed landscape images (lots of small branches and twigs) I often have to manually mask which part from which file will be used in the final image.

I never edit any TIFFs in CO, I do that in PS and more and more in Afinity Photo. My first step after HF is to up the sharpening with either Focus Magic or with Topaz Detail 3 - with the latter I only use the Deblur functionality. Both the Deblur and Focus Magic use deconvolution sharpening. These are Plugins that I use on all my images and can highly recommand. I decide on a per image basis which of the two Plugins yield the best result. In your case I would use NIK's Sharpening tools.
If needed I then edit my images to taste.

In my experience doing the most of your edits in your RAW converter adds to the final image quality. But that is not related to stacking images only
I edit one image in CO and than use the handy "Copy adjustments from Primary Variant To All Selected Variants" (the double arrow) to have the exact same settings on all other images needed for my focus stack.

Hope this helps. If you have any (further) questions, please let me know.

cheers,
Remko

 

[jamesdfloyd]

Thanks...

Good method to follow.

J.D.

Hi J.D.,

I never use any so called "specialty" tools in Photoshop, like stacking or creating a pano, as the software is at it best very mediocre. So I would recommand Helicon Focus (HF), especially as you already have it.

My workflow is doing my all my editing in CO V10 and then render 16 bits TIFFs in the ProPhoto RGB colour space. Wat is relevant is that I only use the default sharpening in CO (and the new and great "Diffraction Correction" in the Lens tab). So no extra sharpening and certainly no "Structure".
I then open the images in HF and have the images stacked. With detailed landscape images (lots of small branches and twigs) I often have to manually mask which part from which file will be used in the final image.

I never edit any TIFFs in CO, I do that in PS and more and more in Afinity Photo. My first step after HF is to up the sharpening with either Focus Magic or with Topaz Detail 3 - with the latter I only use the Deblur functionality. Both the Deblur and Focus Magic use deconvolution sharpening. These are Plugins that I use on all my images and can highly recommand. I decide on a per image basis which of the two Plugins yield the best result. In your case I would use NIK's Sharpening tools.
If needed I then edit my images to taste.

In my experience doing the most of your edits in your RAW converter adds to the final image quality. But that is not related to stacking images only
I edit one image in CO and than use the handy "Copy adjustments from Primary Variant To All Selected Variants" (the double arrow) to have the exact same settings on all other images needed for my focus stack.

Hope this helps. If you have any (further) questions, please let me know.

cheers,
Remko

 

[Remko]

Thanks...

Good method to follow.

J.D.

My pleasure!

And have fun creating your image

cheers,
Remko

 

[Rachael Alice]

I think this method stack the images first, and then process the TIFF/PSD in Capture One is good choice for image quality. You can follow this method.