Sum Stacking

ConceptSum Stacking

This is the simplest algorithm: each pixel in the stack is summed. The increase in signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is proportional to √N, where N is the number of images. Because of the lack of normalization and rejection, this method should only be used for planetary processing.

For 8 or 16 bit per channel input images, the sum is done in a 64 bit integer before being normalized to the maximum pixel value and saved as a 16 bit unsigned integer or 32 bit floating point image.

NoteUse this for 8 bit sequences

This stacking method should be used for 8-bit input images because it will increase the dynamic of the images while stacking them, making features discernable. Stacking with an mean or median method such a sequence would only decrease the noise but not improve the dynamic of the image.