Importing Image Files
The Image Loader works like a wizard, in which a succession of dialogs are presented to help you navigate the process of importing image files. In addition, two optional dialogs — Preview and Crop the Image — are available to preview a dataset and to change the dimensions of the files that will be imported.
The first step of importing image files is to choose the files you want to import. This task can be accomplished in the Import Datasets dialog box, shown below.
Import Datasets dialog
| Description | |
|---|---|
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Add |
Opens a standard Add File(s) dialog. All standard image files must all be of the same size and type so that multiple 2D image files can be combined into a single 3D volume. For this reason you cannot add multiple TIFF stacks, raw data, or other 3D volumetric datasets. To facilitate the file selection process, the following pre-defined file types are available — TIFF, TXM, JPEG, PNG, Bitmaps (BMP, DIB), RAW, DAT, Analyze 7.5 or NIfTI, REK, MRC, and ORSObject. |
|
Open Folder |
Opens a standard Browse for Folder dialog that allows you to choose a folder. All files in the selected folder, and its subfolders, will be added to the list of files to be imported. |
|
Remove |
Removes selected files from the list. |
|
Recent Files |
Click this button to select from a list of recently imported files. |
|
Reverse sort |
Changes the sort order of image files added to the Image Loader. If checked, the last image in an image sequence will become the first image in the stack and the first image in the sequence will become the last. |
|
See Preview |
Click this button to view the selected file in a Preview window. You should note that the Preview window will be refreshed if you navigate through the list of files in an image stack. You should also note that previews are not available for all data types. For example, raw data cannot be previewed as it does not provide the Image Loader with enough information to generate a preview. However, if you load the associated DAT file, you will be able to see a preview of the raw binary data. Standard Image Preview This is the preview that is shown for most standard image files, such as TIFF, BMP, and JPEG. If the image being previewed is larger than the window, it will be scaled. Note that the original aspect ratio will be preserved when the image is scaled. Standard image preview
DAT File Preview In the Preview window that is shown when importing DAT files, information about the composition of the associated raw data — such as its size in pixels, data type, and offset into file — is extracted and displayed for reference purposes. In addition, a Z-Slice slider is available for scrolling through the dataset. DAT file preview
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How to Import Image Files
- Choose File > Import Image Files on the menu bar.
- Do one of the following in the Import Datasets dialog:
- Click the Add button and then select the file or files you need to import in the Add File(s) dialog.
- Click the Open Folder button and then select the folder with the files you need to import in the Current Folder dialog. Note that all files in the selected folder and its subfolders will be added to the list of files.
- Click the Recent Files button and then select an image file in the drop-down list.
- Check the Reverse sort option to change the sort order of image files, if required.
- Click the See Preview button to visualize the contents of a selected file, optional.
- Click the Next button.
- If you are importing raw data, continue to Selecting the Image Characteristics for RAW Files.
- If you are importing standard image files or a 3D volumetric dataset, continue to Selecting the Image Settings.
Configurable Actions for Importing Image Files
You can configure the following actions for importing image files in the Preferences dialog. See Configurable Actions for information about modifying a default action.
|
Action |
Key |
Mouse |
|---|---|---|
|
Import image files |
Left Ctrl + I |
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