Updated · 4 min read
Every focus stacking program does the same four things: line the frames up, find what’s sharp, combine, and let you fix what went wrong. They differ a lot in how well they do each one, how much you have to set up, and how they fit the rest of your editing.
What actually matters
- Alignment. Focus breathing changes the image size from frame to frame, and the camera may shift. Good software corrects scale, shift and rotation, and keeps fine detail crisp while doing it.
- Clean edges. Where a sharp edge sits in front of a blurry background, weaker methods leave a glow (halo) or a soft smear. See focus stacking artifacts.
- Overlapping detail. Hairs crossing in front of each other at different distances are the hardest test. One method usually handles smooth areas well and another handles fine detail well; the best results combine them.
- Retouching. No method is perfect everywhere. Being able to paint a spot in from a single frame turns a nearly-good stack into a finished one.
- RAW in, editable file out. Reading RAW files directly saves an export step. A DNG or 16-bit TIFF result keeps your options open for editing.
- Workflow. Batches of several stacks, a Lightroom plug-in, speed, and whether it runs on your computer.
Depth map vs pyramid: the two classic methods
Most programs offer two kinds of method. A depth map method picks, for each spot, the single frame where it is sharpest. It keeps colours and tones true and handles smooth surfaces cleanly, but struggles with fine overlapping detail. A pyramid method combines detail at many scales from all frames. It is excellent with hair and bristles, but tends to add contrast, noise and halos.
Helicon Focus calls its methods A, B and C. Zerene Stacker calls them DMap and PMax. Experienced users often render both and retouch one with the other. Detalia takes a different approach: it chooses the right technique for each part of the image automatically, so there’s nothing to pick.
The main options compared
| Software | Runs on | Price | Strengths | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Helicon Focus | Mac, Windows | Lite $30/yr or $115; Pro $55/yr or $200 | Fast, three methods, retouching and DNG output in Pro | Methods and settings to learn; one-year licences revert to demo |
| Zerene Stacker | Mac, Windows, Linux | $39 student to $289 professional, one-time | Excellent with deep macro stacks, powerful retouching | Interface is technical; best results need method knowledge |
| Adobe Photoshop | Mac, Windows | Creative Cloud subscription | Already installed for many; works from Lightroom | Slow with many frames, soft areas and halos, no RAW stacking |
| Affinity (by Canva) | Mac, Windows | Free with a Canva account | Focus Merge built in, can paint from source frames | Few controls, best for short stacks |
| Free command-line tools | Varies | Free | focus-stack, enfuse and others work well for some subjects | No interface, more setup |
| Detalia | Mac (Apple Silicon) | See launch | No settings, reads RAW, clean edges, notes on gaps and movement, brush retouching, Lightroom plug-in | Mac only |
Free focus stacking software
If you stack now and then, free options can be good enough. Affinity, free since late 2025, has a Focus Merge command. focus-stack is a small open-source command-line program with surprisingly clean results. enfuse (part of the Hugin panorama tools) can do focus stacks with the right options. On Windows, Picolay and the older CombineZP are long-standing freeware. Expect less help with alignment, halos and retouching than paid tools give you.
Focus stacking software for Mac
Helicon Focus, Zerene Stacker, Photoshop and Affinity all run on macOS. Detalia is built only for Mac: it runs natively on Apple Silicon, opens straight from Finder’s right-click menu and works offline. See focus stacking on a Mac for the fastest ways to get frames in and results out.
How to test before you buy
Use a hard subject
Something hairy or bristly with crossing edges at different depths: a spider, a bee, a dried flower head, a toothbrush.
Shoot one stack, stack it everywhere
Use the same frames in every trial version, from RAW where possible.
Look at 100 %
Check edges against the background, crossing hairs, smooth surfaces and the corners of the frame.
Time the whole job
From card to finished file in your catalogue, including any fixes.
Questions
- What is the best focus stacking software?
- There isn’t one best for everyone. Zerene Stacker is a favourite for deep scientific macro, Helicon Focus for speed and flexibility, Photoshop and Affinity for occasional short stacks, and Detalia for Mac users who want clean results with no settings. Test them on your own hardest subject.
- Is there free focus stacking software?
- Yes. Affinity (free with a Canva account) has Focus Merge, and focus-stack and enfuse are free command-line tools. Picolay and CombineZP are free on Windows.
- Can Lightroom do focus stacking?
- No. Lightroom Classic merges HDR and panoramas but not focus stacks. Use a plug-in that sends the frames to a stacking app, or open them as layers in Photoshop.
- Does stacking software need RAW files?
- Not always, but it helps. Stacking from RAW keeps the full tonal range and saves exporting TIFFs first. Some programs need TIFF or JPEG input.