What is Pixel Shift and How to Get High Resolution Images
Last Updated on November 19, 2021 by Peter Wood
If it is the first time you hear about pixel shift, you just come to the right place. This article will explain the definition, tutorial, and knowledge of pixel shift. You can know what it is, how pixel shifts work, and get image retouching tips. Even though you are a beginner, you can still capture and create high-resolution images by yourself. Just read and get more details about pixel shift photography.
Part 1: What is Pixel Shift
Pixel shift is a method for producing a super-resolution image with digital cameras. Your camera will capture a set of pictures and then composite them into a new one. Between each captured image, the camera sensor will move to a new position slightly. The sensor is shifted by ½ pixel in the X and Y directions automatically. The standard resolution can extended by 4 or even 9 times. As a result, you can combine pixel shift images into high-resolution images. The output file contains more details and has a larger file size.
Part 2: Which Camera has Pixel Shift Technology
Can you get pixel shifting on all digital cameras? The answer is No. You can also find pixel shift technology with different names on different camera models. For instance, Sony sets it as pixel shift multi-shooting mode. Panasonic uses pixel shift as a high-resolution mode. And Olympus calls it as high res shot mode with the pixel shift technology with its OM-D line. Here are some representative pixel shift cameras below.
- Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II, Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III, Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II, Olympus OM-D E-M1X
- Panasonic Lumix DC-G9, Panasonic Lumix DC-S1, Panasonic Lumix DC-S1R, Panasonic Lumix DC-S1H, Panasonic Lumix G9
- Pentax K-3 II, Pentax K-1, Pentax K-70, Pentax KP, Pentax K-1 II
- Sony α7R III, Sony α7R IV
- Hasselblad H6D-400c MS
Part 3: How to Use Pixel Shift Photography
Before using pixel shift camera technology, you need to lock down your camera on a sturdy tripod. Thus, you can take several images of the same scenery. This method does not work for capturing moving objects in a landscape.
Later, select the pixel shift mode on your digital camera. If you have a Sony camera, you can set pixel shift in settings of shots, exposures, and delay time. For instance, you can select pixel shift multi shoot mode with shoot 16 times and internal shortest. Make sure there is no movement before pressing the Shutter button. You can set the self-timer at 5 seconds.
As a result, your Sony camera can start shooting and run the entire pixel shift process automatically. You can see the pixel shift multi-shooting notification on Sony’s display screen. Open those captured images on your computer. Now you can use Sony Imaging Edge or other pixel shift software to get a better result.
Part 4: How to Create a Super High Resolution Photo with Photoshop Lightroom
You can use pixel shift in Photoshop Lightroom. Photoshop can combine images captured by a handheld camera. The Photoshop Lightroom super-resolution can sample a scene multiple times if there are slight shifts or not. Photoshop Lightroom can localize it with sub-pixel precision. After that, you can get an image with less noise and more dynamic range.
Step 1: Load your images into Photoshop Lightroom. You can see those images in different layers. Choose the first layer. Hold on Shift and move to the bottom layer to select all of them.
Step 2: Due to a bit of movement, you need to align those images within Lightroom. So unfold the Edit list to choose Auto-Blend Layers.
Step 3: Select the proper Projection in the Auto-Align Layers window. Click OK to save changes. Then Photoshop will align those layers automatically.
Step 4: Wait for a while to get the pixel shift processed result. Click on the layer panel to select Convert to Smart Object. Photoshop will merge and align all those images into a new one.
Step 5: From the Layer list, choose Smart Objects followed by Stack Mode and Mean. At last, export or save your pixel shift image within Lightroom.
Part 5: How to Touch Up High Resolution Images in 5 Minutes
If you don’t subscribe to Photoshop and want to retouch images to get a better looking, WidsMob Retoucher can be your good choice. You can quickly remove image noise, touch up portraits, analog film grain, apply artistic effects and other adjustments. The intuitive interface and easy-to-use options are friendly to all users, especially for beginners.
1. Fix blurry photos by eliminating image noise and minimizing other imperfections.
2. Remove selfie imperfections and beautify portraits in a family reunion picture smartly.
3. Apply film analog effects while preserving high-quality RAW files.
4. Add vignetting, fisheye, and other artistic image effects.
Step 1: Run WidsMob Retoucher. Drag and drop your image into the main interface. Click Next to move into its retouching window.
Step 2: In the Adjustment section, you can adjust saturation, contrast, and other parameters. Moreover, you can head to Portrait, De-noise, LOMO, and Film Pack sections to make changes. You can choose Before/After from the View list to get the direct comparison.
Step 3: Click Share or Save to export your image. You can save the image in JPEG or TIFF format with different quality options.
That’s all about pixel shift photography in different aspects. You can get pixel shift shootout and photo editing from the above paragraphs. Just choose the camera mentioned above to capture high-resolution images. In addition, you can apply artistic camera profiles and other stunning image effects with ease here.