New, easy to use stacking software

[AlphaZeroOne]

Bruce

I know that I popped up already in one of your threads but, having just read this one from start to finish I just wanted to say thanks for providing a really good and informative thread. You have certainly got me all fired up to give this stacking technique a go.

[ChrisR]

I've just come to this thread and the first post got me very interested - but having just visited the ZS site and finding that the beta versions will time-out and the final package costs $89 to buy I have suddenly lost interest! Also when major new versions are released users will have to buy an upgrade to use it.

What with the bad exchange rate at the moment and the current economic problems we're all suffering I think $89 is way too expensive for a hobbyist licence. A lot of hobbyist software these days is free for non-commercial use or at the very least fairly cheap.

Anyway, just my opinions

[Bruce Williams]

Thanks AphaZeroOne. I suggest you try using a tripod for your first few attempts as it will obviate any need to pre-process in Photoshop. Good luck.

ChrisR - Well there is always CombineZP which is completely free. I have used this program (and several of its earlier incarnations) for almost three years and can confirm that it is capable of producing excellent results - equally as good (in my opinion) as Zerene. However I happen to like Zerene - I prefer the user interface and I especially like its excellent retouching feature - so I will almost certainly cough up the $89 when the trial runs out. However, if Zerene moves to a major upgrade (ie, Version 2) too soon then I'll either just stick with the latest update of version 1 or switch back to CombineZP.

Bruce