If you would like a reference dark with an exposure time that more closely matches that of your typical scans, click on the Reset Reference button.
Fig. 9-11. Reset Reference Dark pop-up box.
A pop-up box will prompt you to enter a new reference dark exposure time in seconds. Click on OK to implement your change. The new reference dark will be created when you acquire your next image.
Note: Because of the high sensitivity of the CCD, fluctuations in background
radiation and/or temperature in the room can affect the level of dark count. If you feel that radiation/temperature conditions have changed in the room since your last reference dark was created, use the Reset Reference button to delete your old reference and create a new one under current conditions.
None
If you do not want to perform dark subtraction, select None. No dark exposure will be acquired or subtracted.
9.6.b Live Acquire Mode
Exposure Count
If you are using the Live Acquire function (see previous section), you need to specify how many intermediate exposures you want to view/save during acquisition. Enter this number in the Exposure Count field.
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The total exposure time will be divided by the number you enter in the Exposure Count field. If you enter an exposure time of 10 minutes and a count of 10, you will create 10 intermediate exposures at 1 minute intervals.
Note: Do not enter a count that will result in an intermediate exposure time that
is less than the minimum exposure time for the mode you are in. The minimum exposure time in trans illuminated mode is 1 second, and the minimum exposure time in epi illuminated mode is 0.1 second. (Example: For a trans illuminated application, an exposure time of 20 seconds and an exposure count of 21 would result in an error.)
Save All Intermediate Images
If Auto Save After Scan is selected (see following section), the Save All Intermediate Images checkbox will become active. If you select this checkbox, all your intermediate exposures will be saved as separate files. These files will have the same root name appended by a number indicating the exposure sequence. The final, full exposure will have the root name only, with no exposure number.
9.6.c
Save
Auto Save After Scan
To automatically save any image you create, click on the Auto Save After Scan checkbox.
With this checkbox selected, when you click on Acquire or Live Acquire, a Save As dialog box will open asking you to specify a file name and location for the image you are about to create. The scan will begin when you click on the Save button.
Note that in Live Acquire mode you can save your intermediate exposures by selecting Auto Save After Scan and then Save All Intermediate Images.
Make Backup Copy
You can automatically create a backup copy of any scan you create. To do so, first select Auto Save After Scan (see above), then select the Make Backup Copy checkbox.
With this checkbox selected, when you save a scan, a backup copy will be placed in the same directory as the scanned image. Windows backup files will have an “.sbk” extension. Macintosh backup files will have the word
“backup” after the file name.
This backup copy will be read-only, which means that you cannot make changes to it. You can open it like a normal file, but you must save it under a different file name before editing the image or performing analysis.
9.6.d Imaging Area Size
The imaging area is the area of the sample that is captured by the camera and displayed in the scan window. To specify the size of your imaging area, enter a dimension in the appropriate field. When you change one imaging area dimension, the other will change to maintain the aspect ratio of the camera lens.
The imaging area will change depending on your zoom factor. For example, if you have zoomed in on a area that is 4.5 x 3.5 cm, then you would enter 4.5 for the width (3.5 for the height would be calculated automatically).
Note: Your imaging area settings must be correct if you want to do actual-size
printing. They must also be correct if you want to compare the quantities of objects (e.g., using the Volume Tools) in different images.
The imaging area dimensions also determine the size of the pixels in your image (i.e., resolution). A smaller imaging area will result in a higher resolution.
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9.7 Other Features
Fig. 9-12. Other Fluor-S MAX acquisition window features.
Highlight Saturated Pixels
When this box is checked, any saturated pixels in the image will appear highlighted in red in the scan window and in the pop-up image window. To view/hide saturated pixels in the pop-up image window, use the Image > Transform command.
File Size of Images
Image File Size (below Options) shows the size of the image file you are about to create. This size is determined by whether the image was created in High Sensitivity or Ultra Sensitivity mode.
If you do not have enough computer memory for the specified file size, an error message will appear when you attempt to acquire an image. (Macintosh users can increase the application memory partition. See your Macintosh computer documentation for guidance.)
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