Digital Sight ACT-1 for L-1 Software
Options Panel Image Capture Functions
A number of functions related to image capture are accessed in the ACT-1 software Options panel, one of the group of five settings panels displayed within the main control window. Clicking the Options tab provides access to the features of the panel (Figure 1). Among the settings provided in this panel are image color balance (including white balance), color mode, shading correction, and sharpness and noise reduction selection.
The proper adjustment of white balance is critical to obtaining correct color response of the camera sensor to variations in illumination intensity and color temperature. The white balance adjustment function of the ACT-1 software is provided within the Options panel. Clicking the mouse pointer on the WB Set button on the left-hand side of the panel (Figure 1) initiates the white balance measurement and correction function of the camera control unit. This setting is most effectively performed in a region of the microscope slide outside the actual specimen area, which only includes the mounting medium and cover glass, if used. Further discussion of white balance adjustment in digital imaging may be found in the Digital Sight White Balance Calibration section.
Precise manual adjustments to image color balance can be made in the Color area of the Options panel by utilizing the adjustment arrows that are provided for each of the R, G, and B (Red, Green, and Blue) color channels. The intensity value for each channel can be increased or decreased with respect to the default value of 100 percent (within the range of 50 percent to 150 percent). The desired values can also be entered directly for each channel by clicking with the mouse in the numeral field and entering the value from the keyboard.
The color mode for the live image display can be selected from four choices indicated by radio buttons located in the area directly beneath the R, G, and B color balance controls. The default setting of the software is the conventional Color mode; other image display modes are Monochrome, Negative, and Blue Back(ground), which are selected by clicking on the corresponding radio button. Changes made to this setting are reflected in the live image and maintained in the image when captured. Examples illustrating the various color modes and the application of color balancing adjustments to digital images are provided in the Digital Sight Image Correction Features section.
The Options panel includes a facility for adjusting the black level of the image, which is activated and deactivated by clicking the Black Level check box to place or remove a check mark. When the black level correction function is turned on, a pull-down menu to the right of the check box (Figure 1) allows selection of the desired correction value. The possible correction values range from -15 to 15, in increments of 5, with negative values producing a darker image and positive values producing a brighter image.
Similar check boxes for enabling and disabling a Shading Correction feature, a Sharpness control, and a Noise Reduction feature are provided in the Options panel. When the Shading Correction check box is selected, fixed levels of shading correction are available, which are intended to offset image brightness fall-off from the center toward the image periphery. The level of correction can be chosen from a pull-down menu containing values ranging from 10 to 50 percent, in 10 percent increments. It is possible for the user to employ a customized shading correction by saving a desired image to be utilized as correction data. Two memory locations are addressable for saving such images, and appear in the pull-down menu as User 1 and User 2. After selection of one of these choices, the current live image is saved as shading correction data by clicking the Memory button. If the image is suitable for utilization as correction data, it will be saved in memory, and will be recalled for future application to other images when Shading Correction is turned on and the appropriate User setting is selected from the pull-down menu.
Five levels of image sharpening are provided when the Sharpness check box is selected in the Options panel. Image sharpness settings (1 to 5) may be entered directly in the correction value field, or changed sequentially using the arrow buttons located adjacent to the field. A software-implemented noise reduction feature is turned on and off by placing and removing a check mark in the Noise Reduction check box. The function is often useful for reducing noise in images acquired with long exposure times, although in some imaging modes, it may produce virtually no effect. The effects of shading correction, sharpening, and noise reduction functions on the quality of digital images are discussed and illustrated in the Digital Sight Image Correction Features section.
BACK TO DIGITAL SIGHT ACT-1 SOFTWARE
