# Can this code be compiled? [closed]

The following code reads all gray scale png images inside of a folder and then calculates the maximum intensity for each pixel and finally export the resulting image. This is until now the fastest code that can do that.

My question: can this code be compiled?

SetDirectory["f:\\images_dir\\"];

fNames = FileNames["*.png"];

numFiles = Length[fNames];

image = Import[fNames[[1]]];

newImage = ImageMultiply[image, 0];

Do[

{d1, d2} = ImageData /@ {image, newImage};

comp = UnitStep[d1 - d2];

newImage = Image[comp*d1 + (1 - comp)*d2];

image = Import[fNames[[i]]];

, {i, 2, numFiles}

];

Export["f:\\images_dir\\analysis\\super.png", newImage, "png"],


## closed as off-topic by dr.blochwave, Feyre, mikado, MarcoB, happy fishOct 19 '16 at 4:31

This question appears to be off-topic. The users who voted to close gave this specific reason:

• "This question arises due to a simple mistake such as a trivial syntax error, incorrect capitalization, spelling mistake, or other typographical error and is unlikely to help any future visitors, or else it is easily found in the documentation." – dr.blochwave, Feyre, mikado, MarcoB, happy fish
If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.

• Sadly, like many useful things, image related code can't be compiled – M.R. Oct 15 '16 at 4:37
• This is really sad. I compared the solution from nike with the software ImageJ: if the system memory is not exceeded ImageJ (in Java) is for some reason "much" faster. Would it be helpful first to read all images in memory instead of doing it in the loop? – mrz Oct 18 '16 at 7:00
• Did you try timing the individual parts? My guess would be that the arithmetic is as fast ImageJ, as it's done on packed arrays, but Import is much much slower. If so, compiling isn't the solution, replacing Import is... – Niki Estner Oct 18 '16 at 7:04
• How about importing image data directly (once for all files, in the Main Evaluator, like Import[#, "Data"]&/@fNames) and then you can work on the raw data using a compiled version of the rest of your code. A custom ImageMultiply can be easily written that works directly on an integer array. Then you Export again on the ME. – István Zachar Oct 18 '16 at 7:39