Automating saving PMax and DMap images as JPEGs - any ideas?

A forum to ask questions, post setups, and generally discuss anything having to do with photomacrography and photomicroscopy.

Moderators: rjlittlefield, ChrisR, Chris S., Pau

Marta_Pe
Posts: 1
Joined: Wed May 17, 2017 3:15 am

Automating saving PMax and DMap images as JPEGs - any ideas?

Post by Marta_Pe »

I was wondering if anyone can help me out with automating image processing in Zerene Stacker.

I will try to describe thoroughly what we have been doing so far and what we are trying to achieve.

So, we want to create a gigapixel image of a museum artefact, to serve as a trial for further work.

We captured multiple stacks of photos (90 stacks in total, 10 rows, 9 columns; 7 pictures in each stack). This is a rather small artefact, but in the future we really hope to document artefacts that are up to 60x60 cm, so this would generate even more images.

Batch processing in Zerene stacker allows us to stack all of them at once, which is fabulous and saves us loads of time.

However we do have a problem with saving the Pmax and DMap output files as JPEGs, so we could bring them to another software for stitching (we use Kolor Autopano Giga). So far it looks as if we need to do this manually, which is very labour-intensive. Could someone please advise on how to automate this process? Is there a way of adding this step to batch processing? Please note, we are not scripting-savvy, so if anyone would be kind enough to help, please do so in the easiest way possible :)

Thanks

siliconGary
Posts: 73
Joined: Tue Oct 18, 2016 2:40 pm
Location: Canada
Contact:

Post by siliconGary »

I just checked Kolor and it accepts .TIF as input files. What is the reason why you need to convert to JPEG prior to stitching rather then after? (I use Hugin for stitching, which accepts .TIF and ouptuts as .TIF I do a final conversion from TIF to JPEG in RawTherapee where I can adjust contrast and apply sharpening alto's)

rjlittlefield
Site Admin
Posts: 23561
Joined: Tue Aug 01, 2006 8:34 am
Location: Richland, Washington State, USA
Contact:

Post by rjlittlefield »

However we do have a problem with saving the Pmax and DMap output files as JPEGs, ... So far it looks as if we need to do this manually, which is very labour-intensive. Could someone please advise on how to automate this process? Is there a way of adding this step to batch processing?
Output images can be saved automatically in batch, in all the same formats that you can do interactively.

For background information, launch Zerene Stacker and do a Batch > Show Batch Dialog. In the Batch Queue window that opens up, at lower right, there is a block of options that is titled "Disposition of output images". The options in that panel are:
  • Do not save images separately (keep only in projects)
  • Save in source folders
  • Save in project folders (as SavedImages/*)
  • Save in designated folder (as sourcename_...)
  • Save in designated folder (with no prefix)
Any of the last four options will automatically save output images in whatever format is specified at Options > Preferences > Image Saving.

You can control how the output images are named, at the time they are created, through use of the Template field, also found at Options > Preferences > Image Saving. Use of this field is described in more detail at https://zerenesystems.com/cms/stacker/d ... magesaving . There is no mechanism, in batch, for changing the name of an output image at the time it is saved, only when it is generated by a stacking operation.

These various options in the Batch Queue window are represented in the script in several different ways, some of them not obvious.

Because you are not scripting-savvy, I recommend just using the Batch Queue window to specify your batch operations.

In that case, the simplest way to proceed is like this:
  • Go to Options > Preferences > Image Saving, to specify what format and possibly what naming template you want to use
  • If there are any other Options > Preferences settings that you want to make, do those also
  • Then, do a Batch > Show Batch Dialog
  • In the Projects & Image Folders panel, specify the folders that you want to process
  • In the Disposition of output images panel, specify where you want the images to be saved
  • In the Stacking Tasks panel, Add tasks
  • Save Batch
  • Run All Batches
The layout of the Batch Queue dialog may subtly encourage you to make the mistake of adding tasks before specifying what to do with the output images. That was a design flaw on my part -- two flaws if you include the lousy title "Disposition of output images". It is much simpler to specify first how the output images are to be saved, then add tasks, as listed in the recipe above.

--Rik

concon
Posts: 87
Joined: Thu Jun 01, 2017 6:21 am

Post by concon »

I personally use bugslabber which spits out a script that can be loaded into Zerene. It automatically saves each slab as a jpg and adds them into a savedimages folder.

Post Reply Previous topicNext topic