Beginner

Median Stacking

The safest choice - naturally rejects outliers and artifacts

Quick Summary

The safest choice - naturally rejects outliers and artifacts Median stacking has O(n log n) complexity due to sorting. Unlike mean stacking, a single bright outlier cannot skew the result. Preserves edges better than mean while rejecting artifacts.

How Median Stacking Works

1

For each pixel position, collects values from all frames

2

Sorts all values and selects the middle value (median)

3

Outliers (satellites, hot pixels, cosmic rays) are naturally excluded

4

Result is the "typical" value at each pixel - very robust

Best For
  • -First-time planetary photographers - safe and reliable
  • -Removing satellite trails, airplane lights, Starlink streaks
  • -Videos with occasional bright artifacts or hot pixels
  • -When you are unsure which algorithm to use
Not Recommended For
  • -Videos with highly variable seeing - weighted better captures sharp moments
  • -When you need maximum detail and have high-quality source footage

Technical Details

Median stacking has O(n log n) complexity due to sorting. Unlike mean stacking, a single bright outlier cannot skew the result. Preserves edges better than mean while rejecting artifacts.

Median Stacking Guides by Planet

Related Algorithms

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