Tutorial: Easily Focus-Stack Using a Photoshop Feature You Probably Didn’t Know About

Focus stacking is a fairly common technique used in the world of macro photography, but the process of focus stacking isn’t always a straightforward one. Sure, certain programs can automatically achieve a result for you, but when you’re looking for much more control, getting it done by other means is sometimes a necessity.

In the video above, Adobe’s Bryan O’Neil Hughes shows you an effective way to stack focus using a feature that’s been baked into Adobe Bridge and Photoshop since CS4.

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The particular feature is aptly called ‘focus blending,’ and as Hughes explains in the video, it seems as though not a lot of people know about it. So, after a quick intro on what Focus Blending is and how it works, he dives in and shows you how to get great results with minimal effort.

The video is only three and a half minutes, so it’s a quick watch that provides a thorough, but concise walkthrough of the workflow. Of course, this isn’t a one-size-fits-all method, so you can tweak it as needed; but as a basic guideline, this is a wonderful little resource. Give it a watch or toss it in your queue, and as always, let us know if you have a better method!

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