I'm thinking of merging IM with CombineZ
Posted: 2010-03-31T13:09:28-07:00
I have been developing CombineZ (CZ for short)for several years now and have got quite a following amongst Macro and Micro photographers. So far I have only been processing at 8 bits ber channel, and a limited number of file formats. I now plan to go to 16 bit processing and allow more input file formats, including RAW. On searching the net I found a few image processing packages that could load multiple formats, I tested some that looked OK for my purposes and found Imagemagick the best.
I have a few general questions, but first I had better explain what CZ does. As far as most people are concerned it stacks images to increase depth of focus. But in reality it can do much more, the idea is to process/combine sets of images to produce one or several output images or short movie clips. It can also capture images and movies from web cams and the like, and I even have it controlling a stepper motor that turns the focus knob on my microscope. I have included several stacking algorhythms, maximum contrast, weighted average+sharpening and Pyramid methods are the major ones.
The main criticisms I have received are that CZ cannot process 16 bit filles, cannot process RAW files, tends to soften images when resizing and looses some details in the darker parts of images. I am hoping that IM can help solve these problems. There is no Apple version, I don't know enough about this computer to create one.
The plus comments include it's free, it works, its fast, you can batch process, it has automatic size and alignment functions, I'll fix peoples problems a fast as I can.
That's enough preamble, here are a few questions to get started.
1. I want to use wide character file names, I have managed this by loading the image files as temporary Blobs and decoding these, is this the best way to go?
2. When new RAW formats come along how easy is it to tell IM so it can pass the files to DCraw?
3. Does IM use a one size fits all internal pixel format? Or can I give it a single channel image to play with? What I am really saying is I have monochrome 'images' that I use for DFT filters can IM store them in RAM or on disk as such and not waist space/time converting them to four channel images? At the moment CZ has it's own memory management system, it even includes simple packing of disk files when RAM is full, I often need quick access to hundreds of frames, is it better to let Imagemagick look after these or to retain the current system?
4. Would it be useful to have some of my algorhythms incorporated into the IM library? how easy would it be to do this?
That's just a few questions to get started, if I do use Imagemagick I'm sure thet there will be more.
Alan
I have a few general questions, but first I had better explain what CZ does. As far as most people are concerned it stacks images to increase depth of focus. But in reality it can do much more, the idea is to process/combine sets of images to produce one or several output images or short movie clips. It can also capture images and movies from web cams and the like, and I even have it controlling a stepper motor that turns the focus knob on my microscope. I have included several stacking algorhythms, maximum contrast, weighted average+sharpening and Pyramid methods are the major ones.
The main criticisms I have received are that CZ cannot process 16 bit filles, cannot process RAW files, tends to soften images when resizing and looses some details in the darker parts of images. I am hoping that IM can help solve these problems. There is no Apple version, I don't know enough about this computer to create one.
The plus comments include it's free, it works, its fast, you can batch process, it has automatic size and alignment functions, I'll fix peoples problems a fast as I can.
That's enough preamble, here are a few questions to get started.
1. I want to use wide character file names, I have managed this by loading the image files as temporary Blobs and decoding these, is this the best way to go?
2. When new RAW formats come along how easy is it to tell IM so it can pass the files to DCraw?
3. Does IM use a one size fits all internal pixel format? Or can I give it a single channel image to play with? What I am really saying is I have monochrome 'images' that I use for DFT filters can IM store them in RAM or on disk as such and not waist space/time converting them to four channel images? At the moment CZ has it's own memory management system, it even includes simple packing of disk files when RAM is full, I often need quick access to hundreds of frames, is it better to let Imagemagick look after these or to retain the current system?
4. Would it be useful to have some of my algorhythms incorporated into the IM library? how easy would it be to do this?
That's just a few questions to get started, if I do use Imagemagick I'm sure thet there will be more.
Alan