Stack your photos with MacroFusion

[dhor]

Hi,

There's another new utility to combine your photos to get HDR or deeper DOF.

It's MacroFusion (version 0.7), a GUI for Enfuse/Hugin tools. Short video, how to use it: http://vimeo.com/32088731

http://freecode.com/screenshots/e5/44/e544136a8cd39bbc659de8d23ee86d44_medium.jpg

To install it, use my PPA (ppa:dhor/myway), or by hand download package from http://sourceforge.net/projects/macrofusion.

To make MacroFusion works, you need Enfuse version >=4.0. Lucid users can install that version from my PPA.



sudo add-apt-repository ppa:dhor/myway
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install macrofusion

Any feedback, translations and tests are welcome!

[jcolyn]

Will this program work with KDE or just the Gnome desktop?

[prokoudine]

Will this program work with KDE or just the Gnome desktop?

Anywhere. You only need GTK+ and its Python bindings. And, of course, enblend/enfuse.

[jcolyn]

Thanks

I'll have to give it a try....

[nilarimogard]

Unfortunately it doesn't work... When I try to add some images, I get this:


Traceback (most recent call last):
File "/usr/bin/macrofusion", line 405, in ajout
FenOuv=Fenetre_Ouvrir(self.liststoreimport,1)
File "/usr/bin/macrofusion", line 647, in __init__
self.tags2+=(_("<b>Aperture:</b> F/") + str(float(float(self.tags['FNumber'][0])/float(self.tags['FNumber'][1]))) + "\n")
KeyError: 'FNumber'

[dhor]

Unfortunately it doesn't work... When I try to add some images, I get this:


Traceback (most recent call last):
File "/usr/bin/macrofusion", line 405, in ajout
FenOuv=Fenetre_Ouvrir(self.liststoreimport,1)
File "/usr/bin/macrofusion", line 647, in __init__
self.tags2+=(_("<b>Aperture:</b> F/") + str(float(float(self.tags['FNumber'][0])/float(self.tags['FNumber'][1]))) + "\n")
KeyError: 'FNumber'


Hmm, exif stuff... Fix on the way :)

[gpsvn]

I installed MacroFusion and Enfuse. Trying to run MacroFusion but nothing happens.

When i right click a picture, there is option to open it with MacroFusion but again nothing happens.

Restarted the PC, it does not fix the problem.

I am using Ubuntu 11.10.

Appreciate any comment.

[gpsvn]

Update: I tried running MacroFusion from the terminal. It say:

gtk2, pygtk or libglade is missing.

[dhor]

Update: I tried running MacroFusion from the terminal. It say:

gtk2, pygtk or libglade is missing.

My fault - please install python-glade2 package. I will fix that in next version.

[rojaasensei]

It's a great app from an excellent PPA :D

[gpsvn]

Thank you dhor, it works now.

I used MacroFusion for stacking focus (deeper DOF) but the result is quite blurry, I am not too sure what parameters, what options and how to configure the software to get sharp result.

I did try ALE, same result, ALE just take much longer time.

[rbslime]

Hello,

I'm getting this when trying to load 16bit tiff's (which I use for Luminance):

Will use all the powers of your CPU!
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "/usr/bin/macrofusion", line 406, in ajout
FenOuv=Fenetre_Ouvrir(self.liststoreimport,1)
File "/usr/bin/macrofusion", line 686, in __init__
Gui.put_files_to_the_list(self.fichiers)
File "/usr/bin/macrofusion", line 627, in put_files_to_the_list
im = Image.open(fichier)
File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/PIL/Image.py", line 1980, in open
raise IOError("cannot identify image file")
IOError: cannot identify image file


This may be a PIL problem? I'm new to Python errors, but googling doesn't return any clues.

That said, I'm still new to HDR's but I loaded some jpg's in to Macrofusion and the default output was by far better than what I could get out of Luminance! Excellent work!

[dhor]

Thanks all for tests and opinions.

I've uploaded to PPA new version 0.7.3. Well, it's rather cosmetic changes, but it seems, that finally Macrofusion is able to open 8/16bit TIFF. I hope, it'll work :)

[kurja]

Coming back to an old thread here.

I've switched to 12.04 beta, and I'm wondering if anyone has experience with this combination. For focus stacking I'd need Hugin for alignment, Enfuse for stacking and then Macrofusion to get a gui, am I right? It seems I can get them all from Software center, without adding other repositories or anything. Will it work? Or should I just try and see? I'm asking beforehand, because I already ended up reinstalling once ;)

edit - apparently Macrofusion can do alignment, as well. What else did I get wrong?

[anyusername]

I'm using Ubuntu 12.04 and did all this:


sudo add-apt-repository ppa:dhor/myway
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install macrofusion

and got this message:


Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
E: Unable to locate package macrofusion

What did I do wrong?

UPDATE: I found a .DEB file here, which works fine: http://sourceforge.net/projects/macrofusion/files/macrofusion-0.7.3/

[gpsvn]

Updated to Ubuntu 12.
Reinstalled MacroFusion,it works!!!!

Actually this is the first time is see it work.

Congratulations and thanks.

[kurja]

I have macrofusion installed in 12.04 and "it just works"

[kurja]

Yes "it just works" for hdr stacking, but now I'm trying to make a focus stack... I have ten pictures taken at about 4x magnification so depth of field is rather shallow, and the result is an evenly blurry picture that isn't remotely sharp at any point even as the individual pictures have good sharpness at the focus point. It's as if the pictures were fused entirely, and not using only the focused parts, which is the intended outcome. Can you offer any advice on this?

[kurja]

Checking the force hard mask option seems to help with the blurryness (judging by the preview), but either the computation time goes up like crazy or it hangs, I'm not sure - but after 18+ hours it seemed to be still working which seems a bit excessive?

Anyone here uses this for focus stacks? What's your experience and what settings do you use?

[dhor]

I'm not sure - but after 18+ hours it seemed to be still working which seems a bit excessive?

Anyone here uses this for focus stacks? What's your experience and what settings do you use?

18 hours is not right definitely. Your method is OK (hardmask, align, autocrop), but I've check what's wrong with hardmask.

[kurja]

Thanks. Let me know if I can provide any further info on this.

[r_mano]

Hi, I am trying to use MacroFusion but I am unable to make it work. It seems that the focus breathing correction is not working --- the preview seems aligned but the final foto does not work (It's a blurry mix of the original photos).
The three fotos are macro of pencils, each one focused on the named color:

http://www.rgtti.com/focusstack/F1yellow.jpg
http://www.rgtti.com/focusstack/F2blue.jpg
http://www.rgtti.com/focusstack/F3orange.jpg

I am using ubuntu 12.10, with the dhor/myway PPA enabled. The outout is completely messed up:

http://www.rgtti.com/focusstack/output.jpg

Hoping that with these shot someone more expert than me can see what's happening...
Thanks anyway,
Romano

PS by the way, the generated jpg could not be opened by the gnome image viewer, it says "Error interpreting JPEG image file (Suspension not allowed here)". GIMP opens it well.

[kurja]

Hi,

I can't see your images (firewall issues) but do you have overlapping in-focus areas with just three images? Afaik they won't get properly aligned otherwise, have you tried with images where focus is altered only very slightly between each frame, so they overlap?

[r_mano]

Hi,

I can't see your images (firewall issues) but do you have overlapping in-focus areas with just three images? Afaik they won't get properly aligned otherwise, have you tried with images where focus is altered only very slightly between each frame, so they overlap?

I will try to make the image visible to all: try http://www.rgtti.com/focusstack/imgs.html

I think that the main problem is that there is a LOT of focus breathing, and the align_image_stack step got the alignement completely wrong. I will try with another set of images...

PS I tried CombineZP on windows, and although the result is not perfect (the orange pencil comes out a bit transparent), overall the image is much better. Maybe there is a way to trim parameters of align_image_stack to have a better alignement...

[robert shearer]

You need more intermediate images. Three, using those spacings is not enough.
Focus stacking needs overlap, it is not for taking several disparately focused images and expecting there to be massive interpolation between each image.
Many photographers will use 20-70 images to stack for something as simple as a fly so your three pencils Imho are way short of enough.

[r_mano]

You need more intermediate images.

Yes, I supposed that. Will using more images cause a better behaviour of align_image_stack? I still think that yes, three are too few images, but the result of the alignement is still very wrong...

Thank you for the comment, anyway. I will try to repeat the test with mucho more shots, and then comment.

[robert shearer]

I think that the main problem is that there is a LOT of focus breathing,

Don't refocus for each shot. Leave the lens focused as for the first shot and move the whole camera.
You will need some sort of stage for this.
Handheld will not work.


and the align_image_stack step got the alignement completely wrong
No, it did the best it could with the images it was given. Gigo. :-)

http://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/photographic-technique/172959-macro-focus-stacking-large-numbers-frames.html
http://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-camera-field-accessories/151043-macro-focus-rail-advice.html
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Linear-Stage-Positioning-Micrometer-/350434921214?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item51978c8afe&afsrc=1on-701M-Linear-Stage-w-Starrett-Micrometer-A4-/230634193538?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item35b2de8282&afsrc=1

[kurja]

As said above, adjusting focus on the lens is usually too crude a method for this... preferrably you'd have your camera attached to a focus rail on a tripod, so you can move the camera back and forth in minute increments. Change of focus in each consecutive shot should be very small, so that the sharp areas have good overlap; otherwise, automatic alignment just won't work. If you want you can ofc align and merge such photos in gimp (or photoshop or whatever you use).

[r_mano]

Kurja, Robert:

thanks a lot for the useful insights. I do have a rail --- I just thought (wrongly) that changing focus would led to less different FOV than moving the camera. I will try again in the right way!

[bepr]

Hi there,
Macrofusion seems to complete all tasks but the preview does not appear. Any help or suggestions more then welcome to get it going. Thanks, Bert

[bepr]

Forgot the attachment with a screenshot.
Thanks,
Bert

[kurja]

Hello,

I'm unable to install macrofusion on 14.04; I did


209 sudo add-apt-repository ppa:dhor/myway
210 sudo apt-get update
211 sudo apt-get install macrofusion
212 sudo apt-get install hugin-tools
213 sudo apt-get install macrofusion


and an attempt to install macrofusion returns



sudo apt-get install macrofusion
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
Some packages could not be installed. This may mean that you have
requested an impossible situation or if you are using the unstable
distribution that some required packages have not yet been created
or been moved out of Incoming.
The following information may help to resolve the situation:


The following packages have unmet dependencies:
macrofusion : Depends: gir1.2-gexiv but it is not installable
E: Unable to correct problems, you have held broken packages.

[leillo1975]

Hello everybody

I have the following problem when I try to execute macrofusion in a terminal:

An error occured. Python or one of its sub modules is absent...
It would be wise to check your python installation.

I'm installed the program via ppa in Lubuntu 14.04 32bits.

I'm trying to reinstall python, but the problem persists

I need your help quickly because I have to install it in 31 PC's on a classroom. I work in a Technical School of Image (Photography)

[vektoroptika]

Hello everybody

I have the following problem when I try to execute macrofusion in a terminal:

An error occured. Python or one of its sub modules is absent...
It would be wise to check your python installation.

I'm installed the program via ppa in Lubuntu 14.04 32bits.

I'm trying to reinstall python, but the problem persists

I need your help quickly because I have to install it in 31 PC's on a classroom. I work in a Technical School of Image (Photography)

The same problem here. Every dependency is installed and the python packages, too, yet macrofusion does not start and writes out that message.

[Bandit]

I am going to have to try this App out.