ProgRes® MAC CapturePro

ProgRes® MAC CapturePro Screenshot

Many possibilities – easy to handle
All ProgRes® microscope cameras are controlled by the powerful ProgRes® MAC CapturePro image capture software.
Besides fundamental adjustable parameters such as exposure time, white balance, RGB color correction and gamma, contrast, brightness and saturation this software offers a lot more. By means of just a few mouse clicks it is possible to program time-lapse experiments, coordinate multi-fluorescence image capture sessions and conduct an unlimited number of distance (point-to-point) measurements in the live as well as in the captured image. Of course shading corrections can also be applied.
The functions of the software are self-explanatory to the greatest possible extent. Especially if you are familiar working with a digital camera, you will find the operation of the ProgRes® microscope camera and the image acquisition with the ProgRes® CapturePro software very easy.

With “Preferences”, settings for the image acquisition and measurement as well as display settings for the user interface can be selected. The screen “Preferences…” is divided into 6 index cards. The following settings can be defined:

• Image information
  
• Storage location of captured images
  
• Definition of the display of under- and over-exposure
  
• Settings for a delayed image capturing
  
• Display of definitions for measurement and fluorescence measurement
  

We recommend to adjust your microscope camera and microscope according to your requirements before starting your working session. All settings will influence the operation of the microscope camera and will be automatically saved when closing the software. After restart, these adjustments will be available again.

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On the operation panel, the image resolution for live image and captured images can be set. For the live image, the exposure and gain values can be defined and the color balance and contrast, brightness, gamma and saturation can be adjusted. A histogram in lower area of the panel shows the overview over the color channels and is a great help tool for finding the right exposure time.
In the “Gallery” and the “Fluorescence”-Mode, the functions available on the operating panel will change.

Image resolutions available for live and capture vary between the different ProgRes® microscope cameras.

Some ProgRes® microscope cameras are equipped with analogue gain. This takes place directly in the camera and is applied to regions 1 to 8. The image signal is enhanced through the use of analogue gain upstream of the ADC in the camera, and the background noise is reduced at the same time. In regions > 8, the signal is additionally digitally enhanced.
In order to achieve the best possible quality for image capturing, activate "Minimize Gain during Capture". This means that a gain value of 1 is applied to the captured images and the exposure time is increased correspondingly. The background noise in the captured image is reduced.

The histogram offers a survey over the region of tone values in the image, called key-type. In an image with low color values (low-key), the details are concentrated in the depths. In an image with high color values (high-key), the details are in the lights. Middle color values (average key) indicate the middle tones. An image with a complete tone value range has a certain number of pixels in any region. Using the sliders under the histogram, the tone values can be corrected. By moving the sliders, the area can be defined in which the tone values can be adjusted.

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ProgRes® MAC CapturePro offers the possibility to capture image sequences in a time-controlled manner. With a click on the button “Time Lapse”, a drawer opens offering functions for the time-controlled image capturing. The images can be stored as a sequence of single images or as a QuickTime Movie in a directory of your choice.

If you wish a protocol will be saved as a text file in the folder which has been defined for the recorded images.
The Time Control defines the settings for the time-controlled image capturing. The image capturing can be performed either by using the minimal possible interval or by using the time settings which are inserted by the user. Depending on the selected option, the input boxes of “Total time” and “Interval Time” will be active or will change automatically.
The time controlled image sequence capturing can be started with the according button.
You can capture up to 10.000 images in one session.

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On this index card, the filters used for capturing multi-channel fluorescence images can be activated, added, deleted and edited. The checkbox at the end lets you activate or deactivate certain filters for your fluorescence projects.

The fluorescence images captured during a session can be displayed in the respective filter color as preset under preferences; otherwise it is displayed in monochrome.
The preset workflow in the fluorescence mode reminds you of inserting the next filter and performing the adjustments like exposure time and black balance application.

The “Gallery” becomes active after the completion of the fluorescence project and permits the adjustment of color display and intensity as well as the merging of images.
The correction for the so-called “Pixelshift” is easily possible. The superimposed individual images can be adjusted. Displacement due incorrect alignment of the fluorescence filters can be compensated.

ProgRes® MAC CapturePro allows for an unlimited number of distance measurements to be conducted in the live image as well as the captured image. It is possible to display a horizontal and a vertical calibration bar in both live and captured image.
In the area „Calibrations“, the calibrations which are available are listed. “Pixels” is the standard calibration preset in the factory. When this calibration is selected, the lengths of the shapes in the image are shown in pixels.

In the area “Units”, the unit of the shapes displayed in the window can be selected. When a new unit is selected, it will be immediately updated in the image.
With a click on the the according, an existing calibration or unit can be added or deleted. With a click on the button “Edit”, an existing calibration or unit can be edited.

In the area “Scale”, the length of the previously set scale is displayed in the currently selected unit.

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Black Shading
With a click on this button, a black shading calibration will be started. With a click on “Reset Black Shading”, the calibration will be reset. Mark the checkbox “Apply…” to apply the calibration to the live image.
With a black shading calibration, the sensor noise at exposure times of more than one second can be reduced by subtracting a black reference image from the captured image. This feature improves the image quality.

White Shading
Perform a white shading calibration. With a click on “Reset white shading”, the white shading calibration is deleted. Mark the checkbox “Apply…”to apply the calibration to the image.
With a white shading correction, irregularities in the image area caused by boundary light falloff in the optical system (vignetting) or by non-homogeneous lighting can be compensated. You will see the increase in image quality.
Before a white shading calibration can be carried out, a black shading calibration has to be available!

Scanner calibration
This feature is available for all scanning microscope cameras. The scanner can be calibrated yourself – no need for sending your microscope camera back to the factory.

Cooling
At ProgRes® the cooling of the microscope cameras can be switched on and off during operation.

Auto-Open
To open the image you have just captured automatically in a 3rd party software of your choice, e.g. Adobe® Photoshop®, “Auto Open” is one very interesting feature of the ProgRes® MAC CapturePro. This function replaces the Twain interface known from Windows based systems.

Gallery-Mode
In this mode captured images are displayed in a gallery. The images have to be previously stored in a folder which is selected in the dialogue “Preferences”.
If another image is captured, it will be added to this gallery.
Images may be renamed, duplicated, deleted and be shown in the finder.

Image description
In the area “Description”, an image description can be entered. In the input box “Prefix”, an image name can be inserted. When images are captured, a current number is added to the prefix for every image. The name of the next captured image is visible below the “Prefix” field.