New User: Poor Result on my First Stacks

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billalpert
Posts: 2
Joined: 05.05.2021 06:45

New User: Poor Result on my First Stacks

Post by billalpert »

I'm stacking groups of 3 to 5 raw images from my Olympus camera with pro lens. The images produce a beautiful sharp blend in Photoshop, though the same raw files are producing a soft mess in Helicon. I'm using default settings, and my knowledge level only extends to the fast start video.

Wondering what I'm missing, or if I'm not understanding the Helicon program correctly. I assume the image on the right should be the stacked, sharp result. I'm not clear on what the image in the left panel represents. Any help appreciated!

~Bill A.
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umbel
Posts: 34
Joined: 12.12.2019 08:26

Re: New User: Poor Result on my First Stacks

Post by umbel »

Left panel is the input frame that's currently selected in the list on the right hand side (the exception is when another output is selected in cross-output retouching).

If the in focus parts of the input frames are soft the output frames will be soft too. Are you sure your raw workflow is applying the same amount of sharpening on both the Helicon and Adobe paths?
billalpert
Posts: 2
Joined: 05.05.2021 06:45

Re: New User: Poor Result on my First Stacks

Post by billalpert »

My workflow is to simply load 3 to 6 (depending on image) Olympus Raw Files into Photoshop, align and blend. Perhaps some background masking. Then I save as a Photoshop layered file and do final touchup in Lightroom. If there's a better workflow, I'd be interested in knowing how to do it. I'm a novice to working with raw files.

I've been told that Photoshop may be applying sharpening during its processing, while other programs leave it for the final user. That may indeed be true, but it seems the result is superior to any after the fact sharpening that I might be able to apply.

Helicon's raw imported images in the left panel look quite a bit softer than what I'm seeing when I open an ORF from the same shoot in Photoshop's raw developing tool. So if PS is indeed adding sharpening, it may be at the point of opening the ORF, or perhaps later during the blending process, or even both. I'm not sure, to be honest.

So I'd be interested in knowing what the workflow would look like, using Helicon's software to work with my raw images. Thank you!
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