A gigapixel macro image is a

digital image A digital image is an image composed of picture elements, also known as ''pixels'', each with ''finite'', '' discrete quantities'' of numeric representation for its intensity or gray level that is an output from its two-dimensional functions ...

bitmap In computing, a bitmap is a mapping from some domain (for example, a range of integers) to bits. It is also called a bit array A bit array (also known as bitmask, bit map, bit set, bit string, or bit vector) is an array data structure that c ...

composed of one

billion Billion is a word for a large number, and it has two distinct definitions: *1,000,000,000, i.e. one thousand million, or (ten to the ninth power), as defined on the short scale. This is its only current meaning in English. * 1,000,000,000,000, i.e ...

(10⁹) pixels (picture elements), or 1000 times the information captured by a 1 megapixel

digital camera A digital camera is a camera that captures photographs in digital memory. Most cameras produced today are digital, largely replacing those that capture images on photographic film. Digital cameras are now widely incorporated into mobile device ...

. Creating such high-resolution images involves making mosaics (

image stitching Image stitching or photo stitching is the process of combining multiple photographic images with overlapping fields of view to produce a segmented panorama or high-resolution image. Commonly performed through the use of computer software, most app ...

) of a large number of high-resolution digital photographs which are then combined into a single image. Gigapixel macro images are made by '

stacking Stacking may refer to: Arts and media * ''Stacking'' (video game), a 2011 game from Double Fine * ''Stacking'', a 1987 TV movie directed and produced by Martin Rosen * Stacking, a technique in broadcast programming Language * Consonant stacki ...

' a number of photographs together in order to increase the

depth of field The depth of field (DOF) is the distance between the nearest and the furthest objects that are in acceptably sharp focus in an image captured with a camera. Factors affecting depth of field For cameras that can only focus on one object dist ...

and then stitching the resulting images together in a technique known as 'stack and stitch'. Such images are usually very large in size and cannot be easily viewed. To make such images accessible, they are converted using tiled image techniques so that they may be viewed in a web browser. Such techniques are familiar in everyday use in e.g.

Google Maps Google Maps is a web mapping platform and consumer application offered by Google. It offers satellite imagery, aerial photography, street maps, 360° interactive panoramic views of streets ( Street View), real-time traffic conditions, and rou ...

References

Gigamacro Image Gallery

Geological gigamacro Examples
Image processing {{photography-stub