Focus stacking

EXPAND YOUR DEPTH OF FIELD TO KEEP BOTH SUBJECT AND BACKDROP PERFECTLY SHARP

1 Shoot for a stack

The problem we often have with toy photos like this is that the subject is close to the camera, which limits depth of field even at narrow apertures. Focus stacking is the answer. If your camera has this feature, set it up to take a series of focus-shifted frames.

2 Align the layers

Go to the set of images in Adobe Bridge, highlight them, then go to Tools>photoshop> Load files into Photoshop layers. Once loaded, hold Shift and click between the top and bottom layer in the Layers panel to highlight them all, go to Edit>auto-align Layers. Set Auto and hit OK.

3 Blend the layers

With all the layers still highlighted go to Edit>auto-blend Layers. Use the auto settings and hit OK. This will generate masks that combine the sharp parts from each photo into one super-sharp whole. Finally, use the Crop tool to crop in tighter and remove messy edges.