Focus-stacking & HDR

[bowneracing99]

Ok, so, I use lightroom, and shoot a 6D Canon. I was wondering

A. Is there a add-on, or peripheral that will allow me to stack? Or a cheap alternative way to focus stack.
B. What do you guys find as pleasant subjects for this type of photography?
C. The in camera HDR is pretty ineffective, and comes out fairly tacky. Should i worry about developing this skill-set, as a worthy "tool in the bag", or am i better off moving on?

[jcuknz]

While LR is a very popular and effective tool to do focus stack I imagin you would need a proper editor of the likes of Elements which has layers to hold each frame in register so you can erase the soft bits from each layer. Alternatively there are several programmes to do it ... Wikipedia lists a lot of them http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Focus_stacking


My personal feeling about HDR is that usually it is grossly 'over-done' but with restraint should be in your stable. Probably when it is done well I don't notice it has been used

I have yet to use either but cannot help feeling I was doing HDR after a fashion long before I heard about HDR using the curves tool as a control layer to adjust different areas of a photo to a pleasing value. A programme does it for you with likely greater accuracy. You don't have layers in LR but I have been told there are other ways of skinning the cat in LR.

[bowneracing99]

I have been told that as well! Thanks!