What is ezWarp?
ezWarp is for retinal image warping (including linear and nonlinear alignment) and retinal image collage/montage/mosaic/panorama/mapping/stitching/knitting. The current release is version 1.1.

What is image warping?
Image alignment, also known as image fusion, image registration, image coregistration, and image matching, is a process to associate points in different images taken at different time or with different methods so that those points are of the same location in the retina. If a nonlinear technique is used, image registration is termed image warping. The linear alignment is a special case of nonlinear alignment.

What is image collage?
Image collage, also known as image montage, image mosaic, image panorama, retina mapping, image stitching, and image knitting, is a process to create a big image from several small, related images. The small images may only capture a small area of the retina.

Why you need ezWarp?

• ezWarp can be used to integrate information from different images which are taken at different times, from different cameras, or from different viewpoints. After the images are aligned, one can detect and locate the retina changes, use the images to improve diagnostic accuracy and confidence, monitor disease progression and followup, or use the matched images to feed a treatment plan.
  
  
  • ezWarp is the only software package for retinal image alignment that provides linear and nonlinear alignment techniques. The alignment is easy to perform and the alignment process is semi-automatic. The unique display techniques provide instant feedback.
    
    
  • The linear alignment methods can be used when there is no distortion in retina, for example, the images taken at the same time, but with different methods; stereo image pairs; the images taken at different time, but the changes are negligible.
    
    
  • The nonlinear alignment methods can be used when there is distortion in retina, for example, retina changed due to surgical intervention or natural distortion; the images capture different area of the retina, but with some overlap.
    
    
• ezWarp can be used to create retina image collage for retina screening, for example.
  
  
  • The images of different portions of the retina can not be seamlessly composed due to the shape of the retina itself. Different portion has to be warped and then stitched.
    
    
  • The alignment/warping and stitching process is semi-automatic. Compared to Photo-Shop, the whole process is less laborious and the learning curve is not steep. A complete map can be built in 5-8 minutes (from 7 fields). The same accuracy can be achieved due to the nonlinear methods, however.
    
    
  • The linear alignment methods can be used if the speed is your primary concern. The nonlinear warping methods can be used if accuracy is your concern. You can change between any linear and nonlinear methods. The linear methods can be used as a coarse alignment and the nonlinear methods can be used as a refine option.
    
    
  • Unlike the image collage offered by other vendors, ezWarp does not make any assumptions on how the images are acquired and in what order.