One of the firsts

[TaSotiko]

Hi I'm a new member here, so for give me if the post is not in correct thread. Below is one of my first tryings towards macro close up of dragonfly . Not super but not bad to my mind. 20 photos and 100 % view (cropped). Opinions, please...

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[Paul Iddon]

Plenty of good detail, well done.

Paul.

 

[Grahamk]

Very good indeed for a first attempt.

 

[Kwazy]

Good start indeed. Welcome to the world, or the rabbit hole, of macro photography.

Your stacking software did a pretty good job of resolving objects in different focal planes, or perhaps you did some retouching in photoshop afterwards? Well done if so. What stacking software did you use?
In general, stacking tends to bring out a lot of extra noise, and the final image can benefit greatly from de-noising. Topaz DeNoise AI is good, but there are other options too, I'm sure.

You may start looking into close-up attachments such as Raynox DCR-250 or NiSi to get more magnification!

 

[AKVet]

Very nice indeed!

 

[Hali]

Very nice!!

 

[TaSotiko]

Good start indeed. Welcome to the world, or the rabbit hole, of macro photography.

Your stacking software did a pretty good job of resolving objects in different focal planes, or perhaps you did some retouching in photoshop afterwards? Well done if so. What stacking software did you use?
In general, stacking tends to bring out a lot of extra noise, and the final image can benefit greatly from de-noising. Topaz DeNoise AI is good, but there are other options too, I'm sure.

You may start looking into close-up attachments such as Raynox DCR-250 or NiSi to get more magnification!

I did not retouch the stack - and stack is made by PhotoShop CC. I've noticed that PS is not the best one to resolve sharp objects in different focal planes. I already have Raynor 250 and 4x but this photo is taken with EF180 with extension tubes 60mm.

 

[Kwazy]

stack is made by PhotoShop CC. I've noticed that PS is not the best one to resolve sharp objects in different focal planes.

Ah, yes, I see it now - the blur around the front leg of the Dragonfly. I was concentrating on the antenna, which looks very nice, and thought you used something else.

Try Zerene Stacker, if it's in your budget. Best stacking software available AFAIK. Some people also like Helicon Focus, but I've had mixed results with it.

 

[Hali]

Ah, yes, I see it now - the blur around the front leg of the Dragonfly. I was concentrating on the antenna, which looks very nice, and thought you used something else.

Try Zerene Stacker, if it's in your budget. Best stacking software available AFAIK. Some people also like Helicon Focus, but I've had mixed results with it.

And I was going to say try Helicon focus because I’ve had mixed results with Zerene!

Best yet download them both and run them to see what works best for you!!!

 

[Kwazy]

And I was going to say try Helicon focus because I’ve had mixed results with Zerene!

Haha!

I found retouching super glitchy in Helicon, but Zerene works very well. And multiplane consolidation is best I've seen among the 4 stacking programs I'm aware of. What issues did you have with Zerene?
It's definitely not perfect. It's rather weak when it comes to aligning images, and the way it creates lines in place of missing data instead of just ignoring it is aggravating. But the actual stacking is great, and if the images are well aligned to begin with, the results are usually perfect w/o retouching.