Photo stack/Opinnion

sailfish · Jun 8, 2009

I tried photo stacking and it worked ok. I am having a hard time with deciding on how much is too much editing.

I guess sometimes I feel that by sharping an image and making slight adjustments to lighting the picture looks better but almost looks fake. Here is were I need some opinions.

Which picture is better #1 or #2. Does the edited one look over done?

Just FYI I am not trying to sell the coral but become a better photographer.

1

2

Here is another just for fun.

Thanks Joe

revhtree · Jun 8, 2009

Hard to tell since I am being distracted by the coral! They look awesome bro! You are really getting it man!

I can't tell enough difference from the first and second.

Poseidon · Jun 8, 2009

SOmething is going on with both of the first, when I look at it, they look noisy, but I checked the EXIF and it says 100. Maybe they are pixel halos from over sharpening? I am yet to try a photostack, so please take my opinion with a grain of salt.

revhtree · Jun 8, 2009

I think what you are seeing is the actual sparkles in the coral. i have a couple palys that look like they are real noisy when in fact that is exactly what they look like through the macro lens.

Example: Looks like noise in the outer disk of this paly.

sailfish · Jun 8, 2009

Yes the coral is very sparkly when viewed this closely. I just can't make up my mind what is to much editing sometimes.

In the third pic if you look at the rim around the center polyp it looks fake to me. I guess I am looking for some opinions if that just something I think or others view it the same way.

By the way the first pic was no processing after stacking it.

Thanks Guys Joe

Azurel · Jun 8, 2009

I think they look great.......

P and R I thought the same thing when I first looked at the pics as well. I think the pic is just so clear and the colors are so crisp that you get a false image of noise but it is in fact the pockets of color from the zooxanthellae.....

youngtimothy · Jun 8, 2009

they all look good great! when I first looked at them I was going to say #1 then after looking back and forth the both look good. are you cropping the photo alot if so that could be what looks like noise.

ddr_phish · Jun 8, 2009

Amazing shots, I think the Zooxanthellae sparkles are whats throwing you off with your editing. Try some other things like SPS and it'll look equally good.

sailfish · Jun 8, 2009

Na the top one was not cropped at all. I used a 60 mm macro lens with a 36 mm extension tube and 5x magnifying filter. Maybe thats too much crap on the lens but think it may just be the coral. I shot it at ISO 100 F22 tripod and remote shutter release.

Here is another one but not sure that stacking this image was worth the effort. It does not seem much better then one taken at a higher aperture.

Joe

H@rry · Jun 9, 2009

What stacking software are you using?

subielover · Jun 9, 2009

Good lord, those pics are amazing!

sailfish · Jun 9, 2009

H@rry said:
What stacking software are you using?

Helicon focus but I will be out of the free time soon.

Subielover Thanks

Joe

gparr · Jun 9, 2009

The first one is the stronger image because it has a better range from light to dark, i.e., better contrast. The second one looks washed out to me. I think the best appearance would be something between the two. Just open your shadows a bit more. (No, that is not noise. Many coral tissues, particularly LPS, have that pebbled/sparkled look when you get this close and this detailed.) Also, note that corals shot up close often look very different in texture, color, contrast than what we see from what we consider a normal viewing distance.

These images were shot at f/25. With this type of shot at this face-on angle and at f/25, one shot will do. You won't see any benefit from stacking. Apertures for stacking with these types of shots should be in the f/8 or f/11 range, and then do a stack of five or six images. The benefit of stacking with this type of shot will be more of a 3D effect. You can see the effect in the image below, which is the same type of shot, just a different coral. The five images that make up the stack were shot at f/14 but with a 180 lens. Try your shot again doing a three series at f/5.6, f/8, and f/11 to see what you like. Be sure to overlap your DOF.
Gary

gparr · Jun 9, 2009

In this one, the stacking is worth the effort, you just have to complete the job. This is the kind of angle at which stacking really shines, because, even at small apertures you can't get everything in focus from the front, all the way to the deepest recesses. You can see in the shot that the front tissue is in focus, but the bottoms of the top/back oral openings are not in focus. With stacking, you should see sharp detail all the way from front to back. Do another series at f/8, but do more images and make sure you carry your focus points from the front all the way to the back. It's OK to go too far to the back to make sure you got it. Just don't include the "too far" images in the stack,, once you see which ones they are.

gparr · Jun 9, 2009

I'm doing a presentation on July 14 for the Atlanta Reef Club, so hope to see you there. If you want, I'd like to stay a second night and come shoot at your place. You have beautiful stuff and I want to add more of it to my photo collection. Let me know.
Gary

sailfish · Jun 9, 2009

Thanks for the tips Gary. I had a feeling I needed to reduce the aperture. Just seems counter intuitive to my instincts. LOL I am always trying to get as much in focus as I can.

You are welcome anytime and I will be there. I have more palys and few more LPS then the last time you were here and of course my sps.

Joe

Mr.Firemouth · Jun 10, 2009

A noise reduction program does help with the grainy look.
You can try the HDR approach also. Take 7-9 exposures at different EV values from -2 to +2 and then layer those and you will get better control of the shadows and glows present in the corals, just don't over do it.

Gary advice and mentoring is priceless!

gparr · Jun 10, 2009

Thanks for the compliment, Rich.

Unfortunately, HDR and stacking are not two techniques that can be combined, unless you were to do an HDR series for every image in a stacking series. By the time you got all of that processed you would have lost all interest in the image.

Joe doesn't have a noise problem. He's just so close that textures and colors not normally seen are coming to the forefront.

Gary