Side by side

CombineZP vs Shine Stacker

Both stand on focus stacking software. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.

CombineZP

Free plan Windows

Choose CombineZP if you use Windows for close-up or macro focus stacking and want alignment options, batch processing, and adjustable memory use. Look elsewhere if you need a newer documented build or an output format other than JPEG.

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Shine Stacker

Free plan APILinuxMac+1

Shine Stacker covers focus stacking from alignment and image processing through manual retouching and batch workflows. Its free, open-source offering may suit users who need its listed desktop or scripting tools.

Visit Shine Stacker

The facts

	CombineZP	Shine Stacker
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Open source	Not published	Not published
Runs on	Windows	API, Linux, Mac, Windows
Lowest paid plan	Free or on request	Free or on request
Plans published	1	1
Maker	Not published	Not published
Website	github.com	shinestacker.wordpress.com
On focus stacking software	#9 of 24	#13 of 24

CombineZP: what it does well

Combines focused areas from multiple photographs.
Offers quick and thorough alignment, including rotation correction.
Includes Do Stack and Pyramid Maximum Contrast methods.
Supports batch processing and configurable memory usage.
GPL-3.0 licensed and free.

What to know first

The referenced compiled version is version 1.0 (x86), updated January 27, 2012.
The repository lists no published releases.
JPEG is the documented output format.

Shine Stacker: what it does well

Free download with no paid plan listed.
Offers Laplacian pyramid and depth map methods.
Automatic alignment and manual retouching are listed.
Supports RAW files and multilayer TIFF output.
Python batch processing and Jupyter scripting are supported.

What to know first

No mobile platform is listed.
Listed output formats are TIFF and JPEG variants.

Alternatives to CombineZP Alternatives to Shine Stacker The whole list