Overview

IPLab for Macintosh is a powerful image-display, processing, and analysis package. Important features include comprehensive control at the microscope level, including multiple filter-wheel and shutter controls as well as extensive image-editing, processing, and analysis capability. Once acquired, images can be viewed, enhanced, edited, analyzed, and archived, for which the program provides an array of sophisticated image-processing and analysis functions. IPLab also supports QuickTime-compliant video-acquisition hardware. Image acquisition by cameras, frame grabbers, scanners, and other input devices is accomplished through supported acquire modules. Acquisition and processing are easily automated by writing batch procedures using IPLab's simple scripting language.

How Long Did It Take to Learn to Use It Productively?

It took about 3 hours to be able to control the microscope using the IPLab interface, and about 6 hours more before I began writing scripts that worked. About 15 hours were required before I began truly to exploit IPLab's capabilities. Six months later, I'm still learning.

Product Quality

Customizability

Excellent.

Ability to Program in Scripts, Add Extension Modules, etc.

Excellent.

Ability to Import and Export in Different File Formats

Very good.

Useful or Unusual Features

Hardware support is currently available for Photometrics, Princeton Instruments, Hamamatsu, and Cooke PCO devices. In addition to its numerous functions, IPLab also permits ratiometric measurements, image overlays, the export of numerical data to spreadsheets, pseudocoloring, and particle measurements, to mention only some of its features. Device-independent image acquisition allows the use of a single command and script syntax for different devices.

It would be helpful if IPLab could recognize more graphic file formats, for example, the Zeiss LSM file format. The user needs to remember to turn scripts off and on. Otherwise the commands being used from the drop-down menu get inserted into the active script (this problem is not unique to IPLab). What would also be useful is a Dispose All Images command rather than the Dispose All Windows command, which also clears any scripts that are currently in use. Most users keep their scripts and data files in different folders, and accidental clearing of a script often requires burrowing through several folders to find it again.

IPLab is an excellent package for those who are willing to invest time and effort into learning how to use it.

Technical Support and Documentation

The manual is well written and comprehensive. It also includes a tutorial that should be completed by the novice user. The tutorial walks the novice through some basic concepts in imaging and explains how to use the many capabilities of IPLab. Unfortunately, not all the imaging jargon is explained and defined. Technical service, which is free, can be reached by telephone or email and via the Scanalytics Web site. I found the response adequate each of three times that I called.

Target Users

IPLab is a useful image-acquisition and processing tool for biologists who have an interest in digital imaging. It is not for the biologist who wishes to perform simple tasks such as scanning in images and preparing simple images for publication, since cheaper and more user-friendly applications exist for those tasks.