How Fusionador de Imágenes Works
An Image Merge Tool (or Photo Stitcher) is a compositing utility used to combine multiple digital images into a single file. This tool is essential for real estate agents, graphic designers, and social media creators creating "Before and After" comparisons, designing collage layouts, or stitching screenshots into long vertical strips.
Implementation & Processing Pipeline
The processing engine handles visual assembly through a rigorous three-stage tiling pipeline:
- Grid Topology Calculation: The tool determines the "Master Canvas" size by summing the dimensions of your uploads based on the chosen layout:
- Vertical: Sums heights, uses max width.
- Horizontal: Sums widths, uses max height.
- Grid: Calculates rows and columns Based on the Total Image Count.
- Alignment & Padding Logic: The engine inserts space (Gutter) between images and ensures they align to the center or edges.
- Raster Painting: The tool utilizes the Canvas API's drawImage to paint each source file into its designated coordinate on the master canvas.
- Reactive Real-time Rendering: Your "Combined" preview and the final dimensions update instantly as you reorder images or change the layout direction.
How It's Tested
We validate the merging engine against pixel-perfect layout requirements.
- The "Grid Calculation" Test:
- Action: Combine 4 images (each 100x100px) in a 2x2 grid.
- Expected: The final canvas must be exactly 200x200px (plus any padding).
- The "Orientation" Check:
- Action: Combine a Portrait (100x200) and Landscape (200x100) image in Vertical mode.
- Expected: The canvas width expands to 200px (max width) to accommodate the landscape image.
- The "Padding/Gutter" Test:
- Action: Set padding to 10px between 2 images.
- Expected: Calculations must add exactly 10px to the total dimension, creating a visible gap.
- The "Transparency" Preservation:
- Action: Merge a transparent PNG with a solid JPG.
- Expected: The PNG's transparent areas must remain transparent (or show the user-selected background color), not turn black.
The History of Stitched Images
Combining images has been a way to tell more than a single story for over a century.
- The Panoramic View (1840s): Early photographers took a series of daguerreotypes and placed them side-by-side to capture wide horizons.
- Digital Compositing (1990s): Software like Photoshop introduced "Layers," allowing images to be stacked and blended non-destructively.