Auto Alignment

This function block aligns an input image to a provided reference image so that objects in both images match position and scale. Use it when you need the input image to share the same framing or registration as a reference for comparison, measurement, or further processing.

📥 Inputs

Input Image The image that will be transformed to match the reference.

Reference Image The target image that defines the desired alignment (position, scale and perspective) for the input.

📤 Outputs

Aligned Image The resulting image after alignment. If alignment cannot be performed, this output will be empty or unchanged and an error message will be reported.

🕹️ Controls

No Controls This block has no additional widgets. Alignment is driven only by the provided inputs.

🎯 Features

• Quiet, single-purpose alignment: feed two images and get an aligned result without extra configuration.

• Automatic failure reporting: the block provides clear messages when alignment fails (for example when the reference cannot be matched).

• Light-weight and easy to insert into any image processing chain where registration is required.

⚙️ Running mechanism

• When both Input Image and Reference Image are provided, the block attempts to match the input to the reference and produces Aligned Image.

• If alignment succeeds, the output contains the transformed image that matches the reference framing.

• If alignment cannot be established, the block reports an error and does not produce a valid aligned image.

📝 Usage instructions

1. Provide a clear, well-lit Reference Image that contains the same scene or object you expect in the Input Image.

2. Connect the image you want to align to Input Image.

3. Run the scenario. The block will output Aligned Image when successful.

4. If alignment fails, refine inputs (see troubleshooting) and try again.

💡 Tips and Tricks

• If your input and reference images contain extra background clutter or irrelevant regions, crop them first with Image ROI Select or Image ROI to focus alignment on the area of interest.

• If image sizes differ greatly, use Image Resizer or Image Resize to bring images to comparable dimensions before alignment.

• For low-detail or noisy images, improve contrast using Contrast Optimization or Auto Contrast and reduce noise using Denoising to increase alignment reliability.

• Visualize results with Show Image to confirm alignment interactively. Use Image Logger or Image Write to save aligned outputs for later review.

• When alignment is part of a pipeline (e.g., measurements or detection), run alignment before detectors like Find Object or Template Match to ensure consistent coordinates.

• When measuring between multiple regions, consider cropping aligned results with Get ROI and then using measurement or analysis blocks.

🛠️ Troubleshooting

• Alignment fails or produces a distorted result:

  • Ensure both images contain the same visible features and sufficient overlap.

  • Improve image contrast using Contrast Optimization or remove noise with Denoising.

  • Crop to remove distracting background with Image ROI Select and retry.

• No output produced:

  • Confirm both Input Image and Reference Image are connected and valid image types.

  • Inspect error messages in the block UI and use Show Image to view inputs before alignment.

Use the above suggestions to combine this block effectively with other function blocks in your workflow for robust, repeatable image registration.