How do you perform stitching?

Here you can discuss topics such as focus stacking, stitching and other techniques that relate to the processing of micrographs.
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billben74
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How do you perform stitching?

#1 Post by billben74 » Wed Mar 09, 2016 10:26 pm

Hello all.
I thought zzffnn's thread on stacking was a good resource for forum members (me included) so I after just making my first stitch (see my spider pic if your interested) I thought I should get the ball rolling with imageJ.
So, as I mentioned in the the stacking thread, imageJ is free and made by academics, image processing software written in Java.
It has a plugin archtecture and has more plugins than you can shake a stick at.
It does stitching via plugin, I think, better then it does stacking.
I have only used it on two images. It has pairwise stitching and grid based which looks quite involved and interesting but I haven't used so can't tell you about it.
I open one image. Then I open another, in the same way: file->open. You can open multiple images in various ways in imageJ. This is how I did for the stitching. Its different to how you do it for stacking(import->image sequence for stacking).
Maybe with grid based stitching you would use import->image sequence. Don't know yet.

Then you go to plugins and find stitching. If you can't then you haven't got this plugin. Google imageJ stiching and should be able to find it.
My imageJ is the FIJI flavour which is just a set of plugins which includes the stitching one.
Then you choose pairwise. Then you get a dialog with 6 options. I used linear blending. Importantly there is a slider called Cheak peaks which you can adjust. I started by ignoring this. It the default setting of "Checked Peaks = 5". (no idea). It didn't work.
Then I noticed the slider (there were some other check boxes which I had checked/unchecked--> that didn't work)
Wacked the "Checked Peaks" to maximum (100) and, after a longer wait, hey presto on stiched image.
This is actually a fairly good recombination of the originals. So I'm happy and have all sorts of plans to image all sorts of things...when I get time.

What does everyone else do?

JimT
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Re: How do you perform stitching?

#2 Post by JimT » Wed Mar 09, 2016 10:55 pm

I use PS panorama capability but if you come across a good freeware program I expect quite a few members will find it useful.

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mrsonchus
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Re: How do you perform stitching?

#3 Post by mrsonchus » Wed Mar 09, 2016 11:22 pm

Hi Bill, I use the free and simply superb Microsoft 'Image Composite Editor' or 'ICE' - simplicity and lightning-speed make this program an absolute treasure. I stitch all my image-stitches with this - it's excellent.
:)

See here -> http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/dow ... 12cbb07f7/

An unbelievably capable program - totally free - no strings attached!

Here it is munching-on an ovule series stitch....
give the stitch-pieces to the program,
ws_MS ICE screen snip for forum.jpg
ws_MS ICE screen snip for forum.jpg (30.02 KiB) Viewed 18016 times
Then simply click 'next' button,
ws_MS ICE screen snip 2 for forum.jpg
ws_MS ICE screen snip 2 for forum.jpg (47.42 KiB) Viewed 18016 times
I usually set it to 'auto-crop',
ws_MS ICE screen snip 3 for forum.jpg
ws_MS ICE screen snip 3 for forum.jpg (52.85 KiB) Viewed 18016 times
Out came this, not a cell out of alignment.... very impressive, and free! :)
ws_x40-MIT006-ovule.jpg
ws_x40-MIT006-ovule.jpg (197.24 KiB) Viewed 18016 times
Easy and very, very accurate... :D
John B

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billben74
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Re: How do you perform stitching?

#4 Post by billben74 » Wed Mar 09, 2016 11:26 pm

I'm downloading it now. Many thanks.

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Crater Eddie
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Re: How do you perform stitching?

#5 Post by Crater Eddie » Thu Mar 10, 2016 3:05 am

I use I.C.E. all the time for outdoors shots, it never occurred to me to use it for micro images. Thanks for the nudge.
CE
Olympus BH-2 / BHTU
LOMO BIOLAM L-2-2
LOMO POLAM L-213 / BIOLAM L-211 hybrid
LOMO Multiscope (Biolam)
Cameras: Canon T3i, Olympus E-P1 MFT, Amscope 3mp USB

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zzffnn
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Re: How do you perform stitching?

#6 Post by zzffnn » Thu Mar 10, 2016 4:04 am

Mike "Olympusman" over at photomacrography. net uses MicroSoft ICE for stitching his micro photos too.

Examples include:
http://www.photomacrography.net/forum/v ... 3e93530c63

http://www.photomacrography.net/forum/v ... ec50a30c5a

http://www.photomacrography.net/forum/v ... 1ce9a1ce2e

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Oliver
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Re: How do you perform stitching?

#7 Post by Oliver » Thu Mar 10, 2016 8:47 pm

MS-ICE also allows you to input a video (and not overlapping images). The software will then extract individual frames from the video to do the stitching. You make a video as you "scan" the slide, you then do not have to worry about sufficient overlaps.

Oliver
Image Oliver Kim - http://www.microbehunter.com - Microscopes: Olympus CH40 - Olympus CH-A - Breukhoven BMS student microscope - Euromex stereo - uSCOPE MXII

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billben74
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Re: How do you perform stitching?

#8 Post by billben74 » Sat Apr 09, 2016 3:44 pm

The ICE from microsoft research labs requires

(from)
https://social.microsoft.com/Forums/en- ... ?forum=ice

" Do I need to install anything else for Image Composite Editor to work?
ICE requires the Microsoft Visual C++ 2013 Redistributable as well as version 4.5 of the .NET Framework. If either of these components are missing, the ICE installer will prompt you to download them from the internet. "

It must be written in a mixture of C++ and a .NET language (e.g. c#).
The installer for ICE should prompt you to install these requirements. Personally I would just install what the installer wants and not worry about warnings (lots of forum members use ICE and like it).
Try reinstalling and just say yes to things?

elaniobro
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Re: How do you perform stitching?

#9 Post by elaniobro » Thu Jul 22, 2021 1:56 am

@billben74, do you use Fiji for focus stacking or just the stitching?

Chas
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Re: How do you perform stitching?

#10 Post by Chas » Thu Jul 22, 2021 3:07 pm

I have a new Win10 computer and thought that I would download a copy of ICE for it.
However the Microsoft page says that the download is no longer availble.
So suggestions for good alternatives would be useful :-)

Chas
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Re: How do you perform stitching?

#11 Post by Chas » Sun Sep 26, 2021 8:22 pm

In case it helps:
I located the orginal MS-ICE installer that was still in the 'downloads' folder of the old winXP computer, put it on a fob, and took it to the new Win10 computer and it seems to be working happily.
[It was a 64 bit version] - The installer said that it required some Visual C runtime library thingey in order to work, and it asked if I wanted it to download it for me .. and that bit worked too !

tgss
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Re: How do you perform stitching?

#12 Post by tgss » Sun Sep 26, 2021 9:12 pm

The Wayback machine has it. Upper link for 64 bit. Lower for 32 bit.

https://web.archive.org/web/20180724063 ... indows.msi
https://web.archive.org/web/20180708164 ... indows.msi

Tom W

RichardK-M
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Re: How do you perform stitching?

#13 Post by RichardK-M » Wed Nov 02, 2022 10:32 am

I both focus stack and stitch, using Lightroom and Photoshop. I firstly open all images in Lightroom, then export each set of stacked images as layers into Photoshop (one set at a time) where I allow the app to work its magic. The resultant image is saved back to Lightroom automatically. Once all the focus stacked images are processed, I use the "Create Panorama" process to stitch them together.

This image of Fissidens taxifolius var. taxifolius is the result of 66 images, from which 8 sets of stacked images were stitched together. The lower of the two leaves is a copy used to highlight a particular part of the leaf

http://www.rakm.co.uk/bryophyte_pages/f ... us_03.html

MickyFynn
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Re: How do you perform stitching?

#14 Post by MickyFynn » Wed Dec 07, 2022 8:48 pm

billben74 wrote:
Wed Mar 09, 2016 10:26 pm
Hello all.
I thought zzffnn's thread on stacking was a good resource for forum members (me included) so I after just making my first stitch (see my spider pic if your interested) I thought I should get the ball rolling with imageJ.
So, as I mentioned in the the stacking thread, imageJ is free and made by academics, image processing software written in Java.
It has a plugin archtecture and has more plugins than you can shake a stick at.
It does stitching via plugin, I think, better then it does stacking.
I have only used it on two images. It has pairwise stitching and grid based which looks quite involved and interesting but I haven't used so can't tell you about it.
I open one image. Then I open another, in the same way: file->open. You can open multiple images in various ways in imageJ. This is how I did for the stitching. Its different to how you do it for stacking(import->image sequence for stacking).
Maybe with grid based stitching you would use import->image sequence. Don't know yet.

Then you go to plugins and find stitching. If you can't then you haven't got this plugin. Google imageJ stiching and should be able to find it.
My imageJ is the FIJI flavour which is just a set of plugins which includes the stitching one.
Then you choose pairwise. Then you get a dialog with 6 options. I used linear blending. Importantly there is a slider called Cheak peaks which you can adjust. I started by ignoring this. It the default setting of "Checked Peaks = 5". (no idea). It didn't work.
Then I noticed the slider (there were some other check boxes which I had checked/unchecked--> that didn't work)
Wacked the "Checked Peaks" to maximum (100) and, after a longer wait, hey presto on stiched image.
This is actually a fairly good recombination of the originals. So I'm happy and have all sorts of plans to image all sorts of things...when I get time.

What does everyone else do?
where's the spider image?

MichaelG.
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Location: North Wales

Re: How do you perform stitching?

#15 Post by MichaelG. » Wed Dec 07, 2022 11:20 pm

MickyFynn wrote:
Wed Dec 07, 2022 8:48 pm
where's the spider image?
https://www.microbehunter.com/microscop ... der#p22796

MichaelG.
Too many 'projects'

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shutterbug
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Re: How do you perform stitching?

#16 Post by shutterbug » Fri Mar 24, 2023 6:51 pm

I know this is an older thread but still:

For stitching I've come to rely on Helicon Focus and I'm very happy with the results. Helicon Focus is mostly known for focus stacking (which is excels at, especially with Apple Silicone systems) but it also has a panorama function. Very handy any good results and quite often even better than Photoshop.

The only downside is that it's not free - but since focus stacking is pretty much a necessity for macro- and micro-photography, it's well worth it.

Sure Squintsalot
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Re: How do you perform stitching?

#17 Post by Sure Squintsalot » Sat Mar 25, 2023 1:13 am

so...what does a stitched together image at 400x do for you that a single image at 150x can't?

I find that my high-magnification stitched images are of sufficiently low resolution that I have to zoom out for pleasing crispness. In which case, I might as well take unstitched, low magnification images.

I do NOT experience this issue when stitching together landscape images.

MichaelG.
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Re: How do you perform stitching?

#18 Post by MichaelG. » Sat Mar 25, 2023 7:09 am

Sure Squintsalot wrote:
Sat Mar 25, 2023 1:13 am
so...what does a stitched together image at 400x do for you that a single image at 150x can't?
Back in 2019, I attended the MMC exhibition in Manchester
Marzhauzer had a most compelling exhibit to answer your question

Here’s a very poor snapshot:
56C43C7D-B052-4777-92F6-5623E2A3A713.jpeg
56C43C7D-B052-4777-92F6-5623E2A3A713.jpeg (187.39 KiB) Viewed 2944 times

That motorised stage allowed them to produce beautiful high-resolution images of the diatom.

MichaelG.

.
https://www.marzhauser.com/nc/en.html
Too many 'projects'

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