resurrecting gigapixel image from 256px jpgs - "unable to open pixel cache" and "too many files open"

[snibgo]

What temporary files have been created? Are they still being created?

I started a simulation of the problem on my laptop. As your files are 8 bits/channel, I'm using Q8, v6.9.9-40. After 1.5 hours, it read 2000 out of 96729 input files, storing pixel caches in %TEMP% (a spinning disk), 262144 bytes each. So just reading the inputs would take 72 hours, before it begins processing them.

My Windows BAT script was:

Code: Select all

if "%IM8i%"=="" call %PICTBAT%setim8

%IM8i%convert toes.png -resize "256x256^!" t256.jpg

echo off
( 
  for /L %%I in (1,1,96729) do echo t256.jpg
) >t256.txt
echo on

call StopWatch

%IM8i%montage -limit memory 16mb -verbose -depth 8 ^
  -geometry 256x256+0+0 -mode concatenate -tile 104x ^
  @t256.txt ^
  tiff64:stitchX.tiff

call StopWatch

Sorry, I couldn't let it run to completion. Doubtless a SDD would be quicker. Better, about 100GB of RAM.