2012-01-19 14:54:59 - Always see the dark and the bright with Olympus HDR imaging

Olympus today launched the latest version of its highly successful OLYMPUS Stream software family for industrial and material science microscopy applications. Building on the renowned functionality of previous iterations, OLYMPUS Stream 1.7 with High Dynamic Range (HDR) enables you to capture perfectly illuminated images, even when high material contrast occurs. All cameras have a limited dynamic range, meaning that they can only capture so much contrast within a single shot. Applications where the in-depth analysis of contrasting materials is required, such as the quality control of products built using a mix of light-reflecting and light-absorbing components, can therefore be problematic. The new HDR algorithms of OLYMPUS Stream 1.7 produce final images with optimised contrast, so that you can visualise the

brightest and darkest areas of a specimen, in a single image. This makes it ideal for applications where you need to analyse metallurgic microstructures, printed circuit boards, or composite components.

As an integral part of the OLYMPUS Stream 1.7 software, HDR automatically acquires a series of images at varying exposure times. It then merges sections of the different images together, producing a final image in which both the bright and dark sections of the sample are optimally exposed, ensuring every important detail is visible. The whole process takes mere seconds, and when combined with the Extended Focal Imaging (EFI) and Multiple Image Alignment (MIA) functions, you can capture a broad range of images, while significantly simplifying and speeding up the entire process.

When combined with a host of other exciting new features, HDR makes OLYMPUS Stream 1.7 the most powerful imaging and analysis software available to date.

The OLYMPUS Stream family

The OLYMPUS Stream software is designed to make advanced analysis and archiving options easy to perform for everyone, regardless of expertise. It is available in four versions: Start, Basics, Essentials and Motion. Each version incorporates the same intuitive user interface, so when upgrading to a higher level package, you are supplied with the familiar on-screen appearance, but including new functionality. By displaying only the required features at any given time, OLYMPUS Stream provides the ideal level of complexity to effectively meet any requirements. Analysis options include all measurement types, such as lengths, angles, counting, and phase analysis based on threshold values. In addition, the OLYMPUS Stream Motion platform can be upgraded to provide access to a large number of more in-depth, application-specific analyses via the purchase of additional OLYMPUS Stream Solutions.