focus stacking software (mac)

[phantelope]

I don't know if it just recently changed, but it seems that Helicon Focus now costs $70/year or $250 for a lifetime license. For something with relative limited use, this is rather expensive. Last time I looked - and I might remember that wrong - the software cost a bit over $100. The idea of a one year license is very unappealing to me, I might use the software only a couple of times.

Does anybody here use CS4 - which I read offers good focus stacking - or any other software? I have CS3 and the upgrade would cost less than helicon.

Any other new software I should consider?


Thanks!

Oliver

[LordV]

I don't know if it just recently changed, but it seems that Helicon Focus now costs $70/year or $250 for a lifetime license. For something with relative limited use, this is rather expensive. Last time I looked - and I might remember that wrong - the software cost a bit over $100. The idea of a one year license is very unappealing to me, I might use the software only a couple of times.

Does anybody here use CS4 - which I read offers good focus stacking - or any other software? I have CS3 and the upgrade would cost less than helicon.

Any other new software I should consider?


Thanks!

Oliver

Have heard of people running the combine software on a PC virtual machine on the mac, but no idea how that is done or what it requires.
Brian v.

[phantelope]

it's pretty easy to run win stuff on the new macs, but I'd rather stay away from that. Do you use Helicon?

[phantelope]

Brian, I just came across a couple of your tutorials, do you only use combine to do this? It's not something I'd be doing every day and I do have PCs at home too. They're not my main machines, but since combine is free and all machines can see the shared areas I could put a couple jpgs there and work on them from the PC.
Is combine your favorite? I've played with photacute and helicon, not with combine. have you tried them all?

[LordV]

Brian, I just came across a couple of your tutorials, do you only use combine to do this? It's not something I'd be doing every day and I do have PCs at home too. They're not my main machines, but since combine is free and all machines can see the shared areas I could put a couple jpgs there and work on them from the PC.
Is combine your favorite? I've played with photacute and helicon, not with combine. have you tried them all?

I have only briefly tried Helicon and didn't find it as easy to use as combine- others have mentioned that helicon is better at some things and combine is better at others.
So yes I normally use the older combinez5 or stack by hand.
Brian v.

[vvprok]

First of all, Helicon Focus has better interpolation methods than combinez5.
Also combinez5 is not available on Mac.

Helicon Focus now costs not $70/year but $55/year or $200 (not $250) for a lifetime licenses. I found this here: http://d-studio.com.ua/products/helicon_focus/purchase.html

Also they ordered HF with additional 20% discount till end of January.

[Joergen Geerds]

Does anybody here use CS4 - which I read offers good focus stacking - or any other software? I have CS3 and the upgrade would cost less than helicon.


I would say get the update for CS4. I assume that the focus blending should be working really good in the next upgrade, it looks very promising.