Taking and Editing Pictures

How to take a picture on the compound microscopes

  1. Turn on the microscope, the camera, and the computer.
  2. Log into the computer using your SLCC username and password, if it is not already logged in.
  3. Place your slide on the microscope and center the specimen in the field of view. Choose the magnification that you want.
  4. On the computer, open EOS Utility.
  5. Choose Remote Shooting.
  6. Click on Live View Shoot. This will open a live window. It will be black at first because the light source of the microscope is directed to the eyepieces.
  7. Locate the silver metal slider on the right side of the microscope head, near the eyepieces. It is labeled Bino/Photo. 
  8. Pull the slider out to Photo. Your specimen should appear on the computer screen.
  9. You may need to use the fine focus while looking at the computer screen to get your specimen in perfect focus (use fine focus only! Do not use the coarse focus please!)
  10. To take the picture, use the mouse to click on the round black button on the top right of EOS Rebel T7i window. You should hear the shutter snap the picture.
  11. Open the File Explorer and locate your file. It should be stored under This PC>Pictures>a folder with today’s date. 
  12. Rename your file so that it includes your full name, the objective you used, and the name of the specimen. (For example, if I took a picture of a brine shrimp, I might name the file: Melissa Hardy 10x Brine Shrimp).
  13. Drag your image to the Microscope Share (B:) drive to copy it to the shared drive.
  14. Process your image as needed using Image J.
  15. Turn the nosepiece of the microscope until the 4x objective is in place.
  16. Remove your specimen from the microscope stage and dispose of it.
  17. When you are finished, please turn the microscope and camera off and cover them with the plastic cover (unless another user is going to use the scope/camera right after you.)
  18. Sign out of your account on the computer (if you signed in).

How to process your image in ImageJ – Crop and Add Scale Bar

  1. Open ImageJ.
  2. Choose File>Open to open your image file.
  3. If you need to crop your image: 
    • first select the area of interest using the Rectangle. 
    • Then select Image>Crop. This will create a new file from the selected area. 
    • Click on File>Save. Name the file of your cropped image. Please include your first and last name, objective used, and specimen name.
  4. To adjust Brightness/Contrast:
    • Select Image>Adjust>Brightness/Contrast
    • Use the sliders (or try Auto) to get the desired levels. Click Apply.
  5. To add a scale bar:
    • Select Analyze>Set Scale.
    • Set the scale according to the objective that you used (see table below – calculated by MH using a stage micrometer). Enter the appropriate values in the dialog box. (use um for μm) Do not click Global.
ObjectiveDistance in pixelsKnown distanceUnitof lengthScale
4x21301000μm2.13 pixels/ μm
10x54001000μm5.4 pixels/ μm
40x2200100μm22 pixels/ μm
100x270050μm54 pixels/ μm
  1. Select Analyze>Tools>Scale Bar.
    • Choose appropriate parameters for the scale bar
      • Width in um: Choose a sensible number, such as 1, 5, 10, 50, or 100um (not 57.3um, for example).
      • Adjust the height so that it is easily seen on your image, but not so big that it distracts from the specimen.
      • Adjust the font size so that it is neither too large nor too small. It should be easily readable but not overwhelming.
      • Color: white or black depending on the color of your image.
      • Background: None
      • Lower Right is a good location, unless there is part of the specimen there.
      • Click ok.
  2. Save your image. (File>Save)
  3. Locate the processed image (it should save to the same folder as your original file This PC>Pictures>Folder with date). Make sure it is renamed appropriately (Full name, objective, specimen) and drag to the Microscope Share (B:).
  4. Use a thumb drive or open a browser to send yourself the file.


How to measure a specimen in ImageJ

  1. Set the scale if you have not already (see 4a and 4b under How to Process your Image in ImageJ).
  2. From the ImageJ tools menu, choose the appropriate tool (for example, if you want to measure a diameter, choose the Straight line tool; for an area use Rectangle or Oval or Freehand).
  3. Draw a line/rectangle/oval on the image using the tool you selected.
  4. Select Analyze>Measure.
  5. ImageJ will open a new window with your results. Look at Length (if you used the Straight line tool) or Area (if you are measuring area).