Focus peaking paints coloured highlights on the in-focus edges of your scene, but the default sensitivity is rarely right for every shot. Too high and the whole frame lights up; too low and you get no useful confirmation. This guide recommends a starting sensitivity based on how thin your focus plane is and how busy your subject is.
How it works
Focus peaking works by measuring local contrast at every edge and highlighting pixels whose contrast exceeds a threshold. The sensitivity setting moves that threshold. The right setting depends on two competing factors.
Depth of field. A wide aperture or a long focal length produces a shallow depth of field — a thin in-focus slice. Highlighting too generously there marks edges that are only slightly soft. The tool treats small f-numbers and long focal lengths as pushing toward lower sensitivity.
Subject contrast. High-contrast textures such as foliage, hair, fabric weave or printed text have strong edges that can trip the peaking threshold even when slightly out of focus. Busy, high-contrast scenes therefore also push toward lower sensitivity to suppress false highlights.
Conversely, a deep depth of field (small aperture) on a smooth, low-contrast subject gives few false triggers, so high sensitivity helps you catch focus on fine detail.
Reading the recommendation
The tool combines aperture, focal length and contrast into a single score and maps it to Low, Medium or High. Treat it as a starting point: confirm critical shots with magnified live view, which is always more precise than peaking alone.
Tips and notes
- For portraits at f/1.4 to f/2, use low sensitivity and magnify the eye — peaking plus a punch-in is the reliable combination.
- For landscapes at f/8 to f/16, high sensitivity helps confirm front-to-back sharpness on textured detail like rock or grass.
- Always pick a peaking colour your scene does not contain, or the highlights vanish into the image at exactly the moment you need them.