How to find peak focus in Photoshop?

Is there a plugin or PS technique that will reveal the sharpest area of an image when focusing was done manually (not with autofocus points)? I want to be able to quickly find where I focused at without guesswork. I figure since cameras have focus peaking technology to reveal the focused areas before the picture is taken, then Photoshop should be able to do something similar after the picture is taken. No?

texshooter wrote in post #19232896
Is there a plugin or PS technique that will reveal the sharpest area of an image when focusing was done manually (not with autofocus points)? I want to be able to quickly find where I focused at without guesswork. I figure since cameras have focus peaking technology to reveal the focused areas before the picture is taken, then Photoshop should be able to do something similar after the picture is taken. No?

I don't know about PS, but Canon's DPP has a feature that shows you the focus point. If you use Canon i.e.

texshooter wrote in post #19232896
Is there a plugin or PS technique that will reveal the sharpest area of an image when focusing was done manually (not with autofocus points)? I want to be able to quickly find where I focused at without guesswork. I figure since cameras have focus peaking technology to reveal the focused areas before the picture is taken, then Photoshop should be able to do something similar after the picture is taken. No?

You could try FOCUS AREA which is in the SELECT menu.

It doesn't tell you where you focussed, but shows you what it thinks are the sharpest parts of the image.

herculeorama wrote in post #19232979
I don't know about PS, but Canon's DPP has a feature that shows you the focus point. If you use Canon i.e.

If you use Canon's own display of Focus Point in viewing a photo, you will realize that merely shows WHICH AF zone was used for achieving focus, but if you MOVED to reframe the subject (from dead center to far left, for example) the display AF point is NOT ON THE SUBJECT...it is the original location. At least it was that way for earlier models of Canon, and the AF display afterward...I have not repeated that same experiement with the new R serices. Someone should do that experiment:

1. Focus on subject at center of frame.
   
2. Recompose to locate subject to one side of frame and release shutter (without AF repositioning to follow the subject)
   
3. View AF point to see if it conciides with the subject new location, or with the original point (centered)
   

Fast Raw Viewer:

https://www.fastrawvie​wer.com

has the equivalent of focus peaking when examining raw files. See screenshot. There is the "contrast edges" mode (green) and "fine details" mode (red).

Plus, FRV has an array of tools to evaluate exposure and focus for your raw files, it is incredibly fast and renders your raw files versus simply displaying the embedded or accompanying JPEG (which it can also display if you need to view it) and it has a raw histogram. It also writes XMP sidecars if you choose to do so - these ll be read by LR/ACR and make the adjustments contained in the sidecar file when you open your image.

In the screenshot, the top image is the reference, the middle image is with "contrast edges" display enabled, and the bottom is with "fine details" enabled. FRV "dims" the image when these modes are enabled so it is easier to see the red or green fringes that denote the areas where the image has the most contrast or sharpest edges.

kirk

john crossley wrote in post #19233000
You could try FOCUS AREA which is in the SELECT menu.

It doesn't tell you where you focussed, but shows you what it thinks are the sharpest parts of the image.

This is what I use. It is really easy to use and very handy. It's not quite as fancy as focus peeking but it does show quickly what areas are in sharpest focus. Also, you can adjust it's sensitivity as well.

Capture One Pro allows you to do the same as the fast raw viewer software. Quite handy at times.