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Macro Studio Docs

Quick Start

This guide walks through the full Macro Studio workflow — from loading a folder to saving a finished image. If you’ve shot focus-bracketed photos before and just want the shortest path to a stacked result, this is it.

Prefer to watch? Here’s a 13-min video walkthrough covering the same flow.

The two-mode layout

Section titled “The two-mode layout”

Macro Studio has two modes that swap the main view:

  • Library (L) — folder browser, frame strip, stacking controls. This is where you start.
  • Develop (D) — the post-stack editing surface with masks, adjustments, crop, and Save.

You can tell which mode you’re in by the mode bar at the top of the window. The active tab has a green underline; the hint on the right (Browse + select frames vs. Adjust + mask + save) confirms it.

1. Add a folder

Section titled “1. Add a folder”

In the FOLDERS section of the left panel, click + Add a folder and pick the parent folder that holds your macro shoots (for example, ~/Pictures/macro/). The folder appears in the tree as a top-level root that you can expand.

You can add multiple roots — one for each shoot location, drive, or year — and they persist across launches.

2. Load a stack

Section titled “2. Load a stack”

A single click on any subfolder in the tree loads every supported image inside it as one stack. Thumbnails appear in the filmstrip at the bottom of the window.

You can also right-click a folder for Load N images, Add to Favorites, Reveal in Finder, and other options.

Star a folder to add it to the FAVORITES section at the top of the panel — handy for shoots you’ll come back to.

3. Select the frames

Section titled “3. Select the frames”

Above the filmstrip is the source-control bar with four buttons:

  • Set First [F] — marks the first frame of the range.
  • Set Last [L] — marks the last frame.
  • Select All [A] — selects every frame in the folder.
  • Compare [C] — opens A/B compare for two selected frames.

Most of the time, A to select all is what you want. For partial stacks, click the first frame, then Shift-click the last. The bottom-right CTA button updates to show what will happen — Edit selected image [E] → for a single frame, Stack selected images [S] → for two or more.

4. Choose your stacking method (optional)

Section titled “4. Choose your stacking method (optional)”

By default, the stacking controls are hidden and Macro Studio uses sensible defaults: Pyramid Blend, alignment on, sane sharpness and detail. Hit Stack and you’re done.

If you want to tune, click the Advanced toggle in the footer to reveal:

  • Method — Pyramid (default) or Depth Map. Pyramid is best for most subjects, including fine structures like antennae and hair. Reach for Depth Map when subject parts intersect each other (crossed legs on an insect, overlapping stems) or when frames are out of focus order.
  • Detail — kernel size for the Pyramid sharpness analysis (default 15, range 1–31).
  • Sharpen — output sharpening boost (1.0 = none, 1.5 = moderate, 2.0 = strong).
  • Depth — number of pyramid levels (0 = auto).
  • Align frames — on by default. Turn off only when shooting on a rail with locked magnification.
  • Run all methods — runs both Pyramid and Depth Map in one go. Useful for tricky subjects where you want to A/B compare. (Settable as a default in Preferences.)

5. Stack

Section titled “5. Stack”

Press S or click the CTA button (Stack selected images [S] →). Macro Studio:

  1. Aligns the frames (corrects for focus breathing, camera movement, rotation).
  2. Builds the stacked composite using your selected method.
  3. Switches to Develop view with the result loaded.

You’ll see the in-progress job appear in the history strip at the bottom of the Develop view — when the bar fills, the result is ready.

6. Refine the result (optional)

Section titled “6. Refine the result (optional)”

In Develop view, the right sidebar holds three sections:

  • MASKS — Global / Subject / Background / Brush. Pick one and your adjustments apply only there.
  • ADJUSTMENTS — 12 sliders (Exposure, Contrast, Shadows, Highlights, Temperature, Tint, Texture, Clarity, Vibrance, Saturation, Sharpness, Denoise).
  • SPECIES IDENTIFICATION — identify your subject and generate a draft caption for social posts.

At the top of the Develop view, four header buttons cover the rest of the editing surface:

  • Compare [C] — A/B-compare two history entries side by side.
  • Crop — straighten and crop with rule-of-thirds guides.
  • Retouch — spot-removal brush for blemishes.
  • Save… — open the Save dialog.

You can do all, some, or none of this. A stack with no edits is fine — just hit Save… when you’re ready.

7. Save

Section titled “7. Save”

Click Save… in the top-right corner of the Develop view. The Save dialog lets you check multiple formats at once and write them all in one pass.

  • TIFF 16-bit — archival master, opens in anything.
  • JPEG — sharing and social.
  • DNG — 16-bit lossless, Adobe RAW-style format. Good for Lightroom catalogs that prefer DNG, smaller on disk than TIFF.

Optionally enable Add watermark and pick which raster formats get watermarked. (DNG output doesn’t support watermarking.)

That’s it — you now have a fully sharp macro image, ready for archive, sharing, or further editing.

Next steps

Section titled “Next steps”