MicrobeHunter.com Microscopy Forum

Four stacked images of lettuce cells with 20x obj. and 3MP USB camera. The first is with CombineZP cropped to eliminate the "Mirror image" edges. The second is with Picolay. No other post processing on either.

I prefer the image from CombineZP just a little better than Picolay but both have their plusses and minuses and CombineZP loses a little of the edges Vs. Picolay which does not create "Mirror image" edges.

Just a simple experiment comparing the two.

Both look good to me, I just posted my first ever stacked photo. So stacking will be an learning adventure for me.

Rodney

Thank you, JimT for the comparison. I agree with Rodney: both of your results are excellent (and, obviously, the original images comprising the stack must be excellent too).

Nice images both! They really are inseparable with regard to their stacking results. Both are a really nice tone too, did you stain with Iodine? I compared several stacking programs (free ones I hasten to add ) and had the same result across the board, combineZp, jstack (something like that - can't quite remember the name), Helicon, PSE9, Toupview - all were extremely similar with my particular system, although I have a very basic expertise with stacking and I suspect a more advanced application of the technique would show a greater difference between programs? I really only used them for the tests as a novice.... I now use the superbly easy not to mention fast 'Toupview' program that controls my USB camera as well as stacking and image-processing in general. As a stacker (can be used without a camera and is totally free) it really is fast and simple, and gives results that you see in my images of my sections in this forum.

The one factor that I have learned is (for my basic level of usage that is) easily the most critical is the quality of the pictures in terms specifically of brightness & contrast, give a stacker these 2 factors to work with and reasonable results are sure to result.

Thanks for the post, very nice and very interesting images too!

Those are very good... I can't tell enough difference in them to matter... The only two programs I have ever fooled with are Picolay and Combine Z... IMHO with my very limited experience I found Picolay a little easier to use...

Thanks all. I think they are pretty much a toss up and it was a fun experiment. Yes, I did stain with iodine.

JimT