Camera and light microscope
8
7)
Click the button with the cross located in the upper right corner of the
Set
Input
dialog box to close it.
Camera and light microscope
Both the correct camera settings and the correct microscope settings are
essential prerequisites for acquiring high quality images. The most important
rules for the microscope settings are mentioned here; a more thorough expla-
nation to the topic can be found in the appendix.
1)
Use ND-filters to reduce the illumination intensity; do not alter the lamp
voltage.
2)
Establish Köhler illumination conditions.
3)
Select the appropriate total magnification and the objective for the task in
question.
White Balance
When using white balance, the individual color channels are scaled in a way that
the white or neutral gray area of the image displayed on the monitor is displayed
correctly as white or gray. The white balance can be carried out automatically on
each image or manually for individual images.
Mode of operation
Select an area on the image that is uniformly gray or white. Such an area
contains an equal intensity of the three color components: red, green and blue.
White balance sets the color channels in such a way that this requirement is
satisfied in the best possible way for the area selected.
White balance is carried out on a part of the image (ROI). Your software alters
the color settings in such a way that the image area in the ROI appears as white,
resp. gray, as possible. After you have once carried out the white balance, you
can reapply it any time, also to a running live-acquisition.
Automatic White
Balance
For the automatic white balance, a test image is acquired under optimal illumi-
nation conditions. The individual color channels are then set so that the acqui-
sition also appears white or gray on the monitor. These channel settings are
saved and used automatically for all additional acquisitions.
Separate White
Balance
You carry out a separate white balance on the current image. To do this, you
should select an area in the image which is, for the most part, gray or white.
Microscope settings
When you make an acquisitions prior to performing a white balance, your micro-
scope's settings must be the same as those you use in normal practice. This
especially holds true for the filter and the lamp voltage settings. The lamp voltage
of a 12 V halogen lamp should be set to 9 V. It should, however, not be set lower
than 5 V. Use the color neutral ND-filter, should you have to reduce light
intensity.
Related Topics
Appendix I: Microscope settings 37