The Size settings panel, available as a tabbed dialog box through the Retouch Image window panel tab header, is utilized to adjust the image resolution of digital images captured with the DXM 1200 camera system.

Options for changing image resolution in the Size settings panel are available through a pull-down menu (Figure 2). Although this image editing utility will not increase image resolution, it can reduce resolution of the image by 75, 50, or 25 percent through selections made in the menu.

	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.

The effects of resolution reduction on image quality are presented in Figure 1. A stained thin section of plant tissue was captured at a resolution of 1024 x 768 pixels utilizing the Quick mode without resolution reduction, and a small portion of the image is illustrated in Figure 2(a). Reducing the resolution by 75 percent results in an image having a pixel dimension of 768 x 576, with a corresponding slight increase in pixel size (Figure 2(b)). At 50 and 25 percent resolution reduction (Figures 2(c) and 2(d)), pixel size continues to grow as the overall image size is made smaller.

When a new image size is selected using the pull-down menu in the Size settings panel, the pixel dimensions that will result are displayed in the New Image Size menu in the central portion of the settings panel (Figure 2). Current image size (before reduction) is also displayed in the upper portion of the panel in the Current Image Size menu. The Size feature is a convenient tool for producing images having a reduced size that can be readily transported electronically through email or http protocol (on a Website).

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 the ACT-1 control software Retouch Image feature is not as fully developed as high-end image editors such as Adobe Photoshop, the algorithms for image size reduction appear to work in a satisfactory manner. We recommend the utilization of more sophisticated image editors for critical work, but for routine microscopy, the Size settings panel will produce acceptable images of reduced resolution.