Disclosed herein is a method comprising: generating a plurality of probe spots on a sample by a plurality of beams of charged particles; while scanning the plurality of probe spots across a region on the sample, recording from the plurality of probe spots a plurality of sets of signals respectively representing interactions of the plurality of beams of charged particles and the sample; generating a plurality of images of the region respectively from the plurality of sets of signals; and generating a composite image of the region from the plurality of images.