Although most of the image correction subroutines are housed in the settings panels within the Retouch Image window, several important functions are found in the menu. These include image rotation and flipping, color conversion, and cropping.

The command menu illustrated in Figure 1 contains selections for image rotation, flipping and color conversion. Image orientation can also be configured in the Live settings panel (located in the main ACT-1 software window) to include a flipping function that is activated by the Flip checkbox in the Direction menu (not illustrated). Options available for the Image menu include rotating the image 90 degrees in either a clockwise or counter clockwise direction and a complete 180 degree rotation. Images can also be flipped either horizontally or vertically. Images that have been flipped by 90 degrees (either clockwise or counter clockwise) are resized by the software to fit into the window. This requires a minor reduction in the image size to allow the entire image to be placed within the confines of the window.

Also included in the Image menu are two color conversion commands that will drop all color from an image (the Grayscale command) or will invert the colors to simulate a negative image (the Negative command). These commands operate in a similar manner to those found in the Color Mode menu of the Option settings panel.

Images may be cropped by commands available in the Edit menu, accessible from the main Retouch Image window. To crop an image, move the mouse cursor onto the image and specify the desired crop area by holding down the mouse button and dragging the cursor to form a rectangular crop boundary. Then, select the crop option from the Edit menu command list. If the cropped area is not satisfactory, the image may be restored by selecting the undo feature from the command list.

	Interactive Java Tutorial
Retouch Image Window Explore the various features available in the DXM 1200 ACT-1 image correction and retouching software. Included are algorithms for brightness, contrast, color correction, cropping, and resizing images.

When the image meets approval, click on the OK button located at the bottom of the Retouch Image window to apply the changes and return to the ACT-1 software window. The image should then be saved with a different name by the Save As command line from the File main menu. If one of the correction factors is changed and the user switches to another settings panel, the Retouch Image dialog box (not illustrated) appears to question whether or not to apply the update. Clicking on the OK button will apply the changes, while clicking on the Cancel button in this dialog box will cancel the latest corrections. Note that clicking on the Apply button in any Retouch Image settings panel will apply the changes and reset the correction factors back to zero.

Although many of the features included in the Retouch Image menu are duplicates of those found in the main settings panels, they are more conveniently accessed as a set when correcting images. We recommend the utilization of more sophisticated image editors for critical work, but for routine microscopy, the Retouch Image package will produce acceptable images.