However, I'm liking the raw processing of Capture One, so exploring how to integrate it in the process. I believe you also use LR in addition to C1, so if you could go into when in the workflow you use each that would be informative.
That's correct, although I do not use LR that much (due to the better Raw conversions of C1). Therefore I have not invested in the Enfuse option, and can therefore not offer a direct comparison of the stacking differences. Enfuse (as far as I know from the past) only offers one type of focus stacking/fusion with some sensitivity selection capability which probably is close to
some of Helicon's (presumably Method C (pyramid for resolution masks), but with some A (contrast differences) mixed in). Helicon Focus can handle really large stacks while using multiple processor cores and offers several interpolation methods that make a lot of sense. It's a real workhorse.
Now you probably work more in the field and me more in the studio, so what I think I'm seeing for studio use would be using Helicon Remote for the tether/capture.
I do both, but indoor is mostly macro stuff, not so much products. The requirements for product photography depend on the intended use of the images. A lot of those I can shoot with a T/S lens. For hands free stacking, Helicon Remote is a real time saver. Just set the front and rear of the required DOF zone, and HR calculates the required number of shots based on the aperture and focus step size that the lens allows (fed back to HR by the camera), and takes the images. HR apparently also plays nice with a Stackshot rail, although I haven't tried doing that yet because I have the stackshot controller to run the rail's stepper motor.
The images would be sent to a watched folder where C1 would pick them up with a session (?).
HR sends the files to a folder of your choice, and that can indeed be a watched folder that Capture one is monitoring. C1 only allows to select the 'hot folder' from the menu in combination with a catalog, but with sessions you can select a hot folder with the library tool (see attached warning). Selecting hot folders for sessions is covered in
this link.
I'd use C1 to process the raws. (Including capture sharpening. Is there deconvolution in C1?)
Not that I can detect, but the sharpening not too bad as it is. I still hope they will improve by adding deconvolution, but on their main focus (the Phase One backs), deconvolution may not be optimal due to the lack of an OLP filter, and deconvolving an aliased image may be too much of a good thing. But maybe they could add it as an option for situations/cameras where diffraction attempts to play the role of an AA-filter. Also with shrinking pixel sizes, it starts to become an even more worthwhile addition.
Anyway, if you use extremely thin focus slices then the differences in the resulting image will probably be small, because then you can deconvolve the finished stack.
Now here I get foggy. Do I make tiffs to be stacked or does Helicon/Zerene work from raws. I'd go back to Helicon or Zerene, use their browser to find the images to stack, or do I invoke those programs from C1?
Helicon does run on Raws, using a DNGs or other Camera Raws, by using DCraw, which is fine for a quick conversion, but not as good as working from TIFFs. The benefit of TIFFs is the superior Raw conversion quality, and the possibility to address Chromatic Aberration, and more sophisticated noise reduction (if needed) and Capture sharpening , LCCs for both dust removal and to counter vignetting, and better pre-stitching color management/balancing. I'd go for TIFFs if the best quality is needed. Raws can be used for a quick first impression though.
You can setup HF as an external editor, but it will apparently open multiple instances of HF, not fill the stack automatically (might be a useful feature request, unless I overlooked a feature). But manually loading the TIFFs from a folder with HF is perhaps quick enough for most work.
After a stacked tiff is procured it's off to Photoshop for retouching, and then I suppose to LR for cataloging.
Helicon Focus comes with an LR plugin, so you can call HF from within LR if you want to catalog your intermediate TIFFs there, together with the finished product. But HF also allows to export layered output for retouching in e.g. Photoshop, if the built in HF Retouching capabilities are not fitting for someone's workflow. There are a number of options available, HF doesn't force to follow a particular a workflow.
Cheers,
Bart
