clAlign

About

clAlign is a C++ plugin for Gatan Digital Micrograph to align and sum stack images, using OpenCL where possible.

Multiple alignment methods are implemented. A normal correlation and a method of solving an overdetermined equation as detailed by X. Li et al.. In addition, both cross-correlation and phase-correlation can be used. Sub-pixel image shifts are applied using bilinear interpolation and blank frames are removed.

Installation

Requires x64 Digital Micrograph, OpenCL and clFFT

To install download or compile clAlign.dll and copy to the Digital Micrograph plugins directory along with the clFFT dll.

GUI

1. OpenCL device selector
2. Alignment method selector. Options are 'Normal' and 'Overdetermined.'
3. Correlation method selectors for cross-correlation (XCF) and phase-correlation (PCF).
4. B factor. The B factor is used in masking the FFT in the correlation, see X. Li et al. for more.
5. Shift limit. Provides a limit on the error of the shifts when using the overdetermined alignment method, see X. Li et al. for more.
6. Progress bar.
7. Start alignment button.

Credit

Small portions of the code provided by X. Li et al. have been reused here (made available under the terms of the GNU Public License version 3 (GPLv3))

A lot of the linear algebra part has been taken or reworked from Zhang Ming's work on SP++ (GNU Public License version 2 (GPLv2))