HDR Microphotography

One of the most overlooked capabilities possessed by digital capture is what can be accomplished by image processing after capture. In modern EMCCD cameras, some processing is done directly in the camera head. Simple adjustments like background correction or shading correction are well known, but more complex operations, like HDR , or High Dynamic Range processing, can dramatically enhance the information gleaned from a specimen. HDR has been used by professional and amateur photographers to overcome the lack of dynamic range in CCD and CMOS sensors, and there’s no reason it can’t be used on microscopes. Here are some good examples of how this can be done. NIS Elements has a built in option for capture and processing of HDR images in one operation. ImageJ can use an optional plugin as described here.

-Austin