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Some Hints: The idea is to take a number of photos of an object in which everything is the same except for the focus point. So this works best for inanimate objects, like the dead wasp above. So, to achieve this:
1. Use a tripod and a shutter release cable to minimize camera shake.
2. Make sure that your subject is well lit. For all the photos above, I used a reading lamp. I kept adjusting
the object position and light so the shadows looked good. I also used a white posterboard under the object.
3. If you have a digital SLR, set the camera to manual mode. This is important.
4. Take some practice shots. You want to set the ISO low (I used 200 for the above) for high detail.
5. Since you are using a tripod you can go with a shutter speed of 1/60 second.
6. Adjust the aperture until the lighting looks good in practice shots. Normally you would like to use a smaller
aperture for larger depth of field, but since the software will maximize depth of field this is not an issue.
7. Now adjust the focus ring on your lens to focus on the nearest (or farthest) point on your object and then on
the farthest (nearest) point to get some idea of the range.
8. Now take your shots starting with focusing at the near (far) point. Actually I start with going just beyond
the point so the image is slightly out of focus. Take a series of photos making the smallest changes to the
focus as possible. Take you hand off the lens. Wait a second or two to allow for any vibration of the
camera to settle down and press the shutter release cable. Work your way to just beyond the far (near)
point. For the photos above I took between 15 and 25 shots. It depends on extended the object is.
9. For the above shots I used a 105 mm fixed focus lens, ISO 200, f/3.5 and 1/60 second shutter speed.
10. The Helicon software uses two algorithms for blending the photos into a single image. It uses detection
of sharp edges to decide what weight to give each photo. There are two parameters associated with each
algorithm that can be adjusted depending on how detailed the object is. There is guidance given on how
to choose values. For one of the algorithms you need to have the sequence of photos focus go in one
direction, either far to near or vice-versa so don't jump around when taking your series of photos.
11. Have fun.
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