Digital BW, The Print

(I hope this is not too off-topic.)

I've been experimenting with Helicon focus, a program that will combine multiple images that were focused on different points of the subject.  I have combined frames manually in Photoshop to get better depth of field in my landscape images for some time.  I'd tried an earlier version of Helicon and had decided not to used it, but Luminous Landscape published a good review of the latest version.  There is a free trial period for Helicon software.  So, giving it a test drive is reasonably easy.

The image I tried today (and gave up on) was composed of 2 focus zones and taken with the Canon 5d2, 35 mm lens.   

The problems included artifacts in the sky and moving the detail of the image around such that the artifacts could not easily be cured by cloning in information from the original scenes.  The details were also noticeably softened at 100%.

Earlier, I'd tried a shot with moving water in it.  These types of programs usually have trouble with that too, and it did.

So, it's back to manual work.  While 2 images are not too bad to stitch together, more is a pain. 

Paul
www.PaulRoark.com