[font color=\'#000000\']Hi Paul,
There are several possibilities depending on your subject matter. Let me explain what's available and loosely how they work.
First there are algorithms which do what is called image "stacking". These stacking algorithms are primarily used for astrological photography and have the advantage of "averaging" as well as multiplying exposure time to minimize noise. They work on the assumption that the image for each frame is essentially identical except for perhaps exposure time and slight focus differentiation. Search the web for "Stacking" software and you will come up with quite a number of them.
The second group of algorithms are designed "primarily" for enhancing depth of field and have their origins in photomicroscopy. Because of the extreme magnification with a microscope, the depth of field is tiny and it's impossible to see a three dimensional subject all in focus simultaneously. By focusing on the top-most (closest to the lens) portion of the subject and shooting a frame, moving the platform (changing the focal point) slightly and shooting a frame and continuing this until all portions of the subject have been in focus, the software searches for best edge sharpness and combines the frames into a single image in complete focus.
Though this software is designed for the microscope, it works quite well for macrophotography as well as long as the lens being used doesn't greatly change the "size" of same areas of the subject between frames.
There are three packages with whch I'm familiar available to do this (see my demonstration in the digital image processing forum here:
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/cgi-bin....5;t=730There are links to each program there. My suggestion would be to try the freeware CombineZ program which is quite powerful. It does both "averaging" and "combine" of multiple images.
Lin[/font]
