ChimpStackr vs FOCUS projects 4 professional

ChimpStackr is a free, open-source application for focus stacking, with graphical and headless command-line interfaces. It offers Laplacian Pyramid, Weighted Average, Depth Map, and Exposure Fusion methods. Automatic alignment supports translation, Euclidean rotation, similarity rotation and scale, and affine correction. Its 16-bit pipeline preserves bit depth from RAW input to output, and automatic cropping removes black edges caused by alignment shifts. Users can drag image files or folders into the app, compare input and output with a slider, and pause, resume, or cancel long-running stacks. Auto-tuning detects parameters from image resolution. Downloads are listed for Windows as a ZIP, macOS as a DMG, and Linux x86-64 as an AppImage; TIFF and PNG are listed output formats, and RAW files are supported. The project uses the GPL-3.0 license. Exposure Fusion is described for images with varying exposure or lighting, rather than focus stacking. Building from source requires Python 3.9–3.13, and builds can only be made for the current platform.

FOCUS projects 4 professional is a standalone FRANZIS application for creating macro photographs with extended depth of field. Its HQ stacking uses 64-bit calculation, Focus-Boost technology increases sharpness, and stacks can contain up to 1,000 focus planes. The software advertises precise alignment and includes automatic alignment, batch processing and manual retouching. It supports RAW input and outputs RAW, TIFF, JPEG and other formats, with a bracketed HDR merge mode. An Adobe Lightroom plug-in is included. FRANZIS lists the application for Mac OS X 10.7 and Windows 10, 8.1, 8 and 7; the product page also presents it for macOS and Windows. The full version is an immediately available download, and a demo version is linked. The listed Vollversion plan costs €20 as a one-time purchase, with an offer price of €20,00 including VAT and a stated UVP of €99,00. The pricing note says from €69. There is no free plan, but a free trial is available. FRANZIS describes its photography products as suitable for beginners and professionals.