An image compounding apparatus acquires, via ultrasound, pixel-based images (126-130) of a region of interest for, by compounding, forming a composite image of the region. The image includes composite pixels (191) that spatially correspond respectively to pixels of the images. Further included is a pixel processor for beamforming with respect to a pixel from among the pixels, and for assessing, with respect to the composite pixel and from the data acquired (146), amounts of local information content of respective ones of the images. The processor determines, based on the assessment, weights for respective application, in the forming, to the pixels, of the images, that spatially correspond to the composite pixel. In some embodiments, the assessing commences operating on the data no later than upon the beamforming. In some embodiments, brightness values are assigned to the spatially corresponding pixels and, in spatial correspondence, the maximum and the mean values are determined. They are then utilized in weighting the compounding.
