Release date: October 2008

This is the first version designed for and tested under Windows Vista (but it also works under XP). It has been produced by a different compiler (the latest available) and thus has inherited some enhancements of modern tools built-in (increased capacity or limits of some functions related to maximum image size).

Analysis is updated when the calibration method or its parameters are changed (while an analysis is displayed on screen).

Filters settings are saved with data in data files.

Enhanced scanner calibration files. Allow WinSEEDLE to support new scanners (with their positioning system with regard to our simple scanning interface) without modifications to it (no need to release a new version to support a new scanner).

Modifications to the interface

The mouse wheel can also be used to scroll the image horizontally (it was working before only in the vertical direction). Press ctrl and roll the mouse wheel to scroll horizontally. Press shift to scroll faster in both directions.

Modifications to the Command Area

• Its width can be changed interactively.
• You can right click the mouse in the Command area to set the information displayed there.

The graphic above the image display status (set with the ShowHide graphic button) is saved and restored at start up.

Will zoom closer to the mouse cursor location if it is in image area when pressing the “-” or “+” keys.

The information area above the image will display more accurate information about the active calibration (scanner.cal, file, or none) when it is changed or canceled.

Misc. minor changes to the window interface of a few menu commands.

Release date: January 22, 2007

FEATURES

• More filers are available to filter debris.
• One more information is saved with color data (color classes' group owner).
• Median and standard deviation values are calculated for the global data and are written in the Command area.

Bug(s) fix:

• Problem with STD1600 scanner. Cannot select the maximum scan area when Regent positioning system is used. Bug was present in version 2007a, b.

FEATURES

Color analysis (Pro version)

• Objects can now be classified into color groups (Disease vs. Healthy) based on selectable criteria. One of them is the group with the largest area (Ex: if for an object the area of the Healthy color group is larger than the Disease group it will be classified as Healthy). Another criterion is to assign it to a specific group if its area exceeds a percentage of the object area that you specify (Ex: an object is classified as Diseased if the color of this group is larger than 10% of its area). The objects color group classification can now be displayed on screen (in earlier versions only the pixels classification into color classes and groups could be displayed). The objects' color classification can be changed with simple mouse clicks (to override the automatic classification in case of errors). Changes made by the operator to the default classification are traceable in data files.
  
• An object color group classification can be seen over the image (object filled with or boundary drawn with the color of the group) and in the command area data when clicking an object.
• Color/Display Groups has been replaced by a hierarchical menu with three items (to accommodate the new color group classification).
• Color analysis produces and saves more data. For example, in addition to give each color class and group area per object and for the analysed region, its also saves the percentage of object and analysed region area in each class and group. More data are also saved for the dominant color class and group.
• The default color group names are now Background, Healthy and Disease.
• White balance can be done independently of pixels size calibration.

Modifications to the interface

• The sample identification window is now displayed at the beginning of the analysis (when clicking the image or defining the region to analyse) instead of at image acquisition. This allows to review or re-enter the sample identification information if the analysis is canceled and redone. During scanning, only the image size is asked if the scanner TWAIN interface or Regent Positioning system are not used.
• There are now two commands to save an image, one with the analysis and one without it. The one which saves the image with the analysis only saves the original image while the other can save any displayed image (pixels classification, color classes, color groups or color objects).
• The Analysis/Preferences items have been moved to Analysis/Parameters which has been redesigned. Total projected area only has been replaced by Individual seedle analysis (and means the opposite).
• Calculate projected perimeter and form coefficient in Analysis/Parameters has been removed (it is now always active).
• Analysis/Restart Analysis is gone. Simply click the image or make a selection to restart the analysis.
• Display/Analysed Image is gone. This image is always displayed.
• Image/Save Images After Acquisition has been moved from the Image menu to Analysis/Parameters.
• Display/Information Content has been splitted in two commands, one for Command area and one for the Image area. The text size can be set differently for each area.
• The sample identification name (entered in the sample identification window) is now written in the upper left corner of the analysed region.
• Image/Background unevenness compensation is gone
• Some commands names have been shortened.
• Updated manual with better instructions.
• You can choose measurements units (mm, or cm) for the Intrinsic calibration method (used with scanners).
• Support for new scanners, some ultra fast, some with dual lenses and other ultra-portable.
• Information about the Scanner.cal file (if it is effective or not) and the scanner which calibration it contains (Manufacturer, Model and Serial number) is now displayed in Calibration/Method.

Bug(s) fix:

• Interactive measurements (PATHS) are preserved after the creation or deletion of exclusion regions or modifications to the pixels classification (right mouse click, edition...).

• The analysis can be saved with the image (in standard tiff files). It can automatically be recreated when an image previously analysed and saved to a tiff file from WinSEEDLE is loaded. This includes exclusion regions and image edition. The program settings can be retrieved from the analysed image or discarded. A new command named Analysis/Preferences has been added to store that setting.
• The display of the color classes or color groups image is much faster (10X or +).
• Added support for the LC4800 scanner.
• The Pixels classification command has been improved. It now displays a histogram of the grey levels and color channels distribution to help select a threshold. It will also display the result of pixels classification from any method, including Based on color. This command can also be used to modify the classification of an analysed region (or image) after or before the analysis.
• The Calibration/Method command has been redesigned. The Calibrate after acquisition option can be activated even if no Regent's target is selected. This allows to calibrate with any target when it is present in the same image as the object to analyse. Note that when Regent's target are not used, you must manually define an exclusion region around the target or make sure it is not in the analysed region.
• An option to save analysed images during batch analysis (all or a sub-sample of them for a random verification).
• Grey levels images with more than 8 bits per pixels (up to 16) can be analysed (Pro version).

Exclusion regions

• They can be exported to and imported from files to apply them on different images.
• You can create them without activating menu commands by pressing the shift key and clicking the image.
• They can be activated by clicking them and commands can be applied to the active one (delete it for example). The active region is draw with a continuous line instead of dotted one.
• Exclusions/Delete Last Exclusion Region has been renamed Exclusions/Delete Exclusion Region and will delete the active region instead of the last created.

Minor modifications

• Color classes specifications and groups name are saved on each global data line. This allows to track color classes modifications over time when analysing data files.
• When editing the color of a color group (for display purposes), only the parameters that can be changed are now active.
• Global data are always saved (required to store the color classes definitions). It cannot be disabled.

Bugs fix:

• Color analysis data in individual SEEDLE data lines were offset by 2 columns when Analysis/Calculate projected perimeter and form coefficient was active.
• WinSEEDLE will not ask to restart the analysis after calibration (it will be ready to analyse the image).
• Right click mouse selection now works. Bug was in version 2006a.
• Exclusion regions addition/deletion will preserve user modifications to pixels classification done with the right mouse click command.
• All modifications to display colors are now saved in the cfg files.

Calibration with Regent's targets (for images from cameras)

• It is now simpler and faster to calibrate and analyse an image with Seedles and a calibration target in the same image. WinSEEDLE will make the calibration on the displayed image (rather than loading another image) and it will automatically create an exclusion region around the calibration target. The region remains if the analysis is canceled but can be manually destroyed with Exclusions/Delete Last Exclusion Region.

Other modifications

• Exclusion regions content has no more influence on the automatic threshold selection.
• Objects' boundaries are drawn over the image when the perimeter measurement is activated.
• The analysis can be interrupted at more places (while the progress bar is displayed).
• Regent's target calibration method is selected by default when the Object of known dimensions calibration method is active (in Calibration/Method).
• Calibration can be canceled from more situations.
• Display/Information Content has been redesigned.
• There are more image zoom magnifications and a fit to screen option.
• When creating a circular analysed or exclusion region, you must move it or resize it otherwise the whole image is selected (similar to when the rectangular and lasso tools regions are made). Also valid for right mouse click threshold adjustment (slider).
• There are now 14 display information colors that can be changed instead of 12
• You can specify the RGB value of display information colors in numbers from 0 to 255 (in addition to moving the scrollbars).
• White balance calibration is now possible for color analysis.

Pre-Release date: 01 November 2004.
Final Release date: 01 January 2005.

Features of the Pro version

• You can analyse whole images or sub-regions of any shape. Circular and rectangular shapes are predefined or you can outline irregular shape regions to analyse with a lasso tool.
• Analysed regions can be resized at any time (the analysis is automatically updated).
• An analysis done with a sub-region (of any shape) can be recreated after (useful to analyse the same region in more than one image).
• Regions of the image can be excluded from the analysis. You can create practically an unlimited number of such exclusion regions and of any shape. Excluded regions content have no effect on the analysis (It's as if these regions didn't exist in the image).
• Batch analysis can be done on the whole image or a sub-region of it (of any shape).
• The histogram above the image can display area per color classes or groups.
• You can display a single color channel (Red, Green or Blue) of an RGB color image and analyse only that channel. You can also analyse the image in color as before or in true grey levels (calculated from the color components).
• Information about the dominant color class (area, hue, saturation intensity, and class name) is saved with the data.
• Color analysis global area data are available separately for the image or for the total areas inside valid objects of the analysis.
• New functions have been added to remove background light variations for images that come from cameras.
• Flickering when resizing the main window has been removed.
• The custom selected color for image edition can be modified by clicking its rectangle in the command area.
• WinSEEDLE will ask to save color classes before quitting if they have been created or modified but not saved during the working session.
• A warning asking you to confirm your intention is displayed when deleting all paths or all exclusion regions. The display of this warning can be turned off.

Features of the Reg and Pro versions

• Pixels classification (into seedles and background) can be modified or specified interactively for regions of any shape or the whole image, before or after the analysis. The process is very interactive and easy (more than the previous Pixel Classifier). Pixels that falls into the seedle group are drawn a different color over the original image as the pixel classification criteria is modified by moving a slider bar.
• The pixels classification image can be edited (like it was possible for the original image before) to manually classify pixels into seedles and background. The analysis is automatically updated when the edition is complete.
• The seedles frequency distribution histogram above image has been redesigned and improved. The classes boundaries can be set more easily and more than 12 different data types can be displayed and save to data files.
• Calibration of images from a camera can be done with a single mouse click when Regent's new calibration targets are included in the image.
• More options are available as to how and when calibration of images from a camera are done (manually or automatically after load). Targets used for calibration can be in the same image as the object to analyse or in separate image(s).
• You can choose to reject or not seedles truncated by image boundary.
• The analysed image has more color encoded information (the color used to indicate if an object is analysed, a debris, cut by image boundary, rejected manually...).
• Form coefficient measurement has been added.
• Global area data are more specific about rejected objects (area is available for background, valid objects and rejected objects).
• The area of the analysed image (or region for the Pro version) is saved with the data and displayed on screen.
• Image edition is more precise and a few minor annoyances have been removed (white brush, small brush, image zoom...).
• New and improved manual.
• Paths related commands
  • The last deleted path can be recreated.
  • More paths can be created.
  • Interactive menu renamed Path (and the word Path removed from its items).

• Misc. modifications
  • Units are displayed close to the mouse position coordinates.
  • The data file format stores more information (like about the image acquisition device) and more data.
  • Image selection working mode has been removed.
  • Sample identification can be edited during or after the analysis.
  • Rejected cells area and some additional measurement data is displayed in the command area when these cells are clicked.
  • Color group names (Group1, Group2...) are no more saved in the data file title line when no color classes are loaded or defined.
  • Camera has been merged with Scanner in Image/Origin.
  • TWAIN compatibility with recent cameras and scanners has been added (LA2400, 6MP).
  • Text size is medium size by default instead of small.
  • Scrollbar thumb works with larger images.
  • The appearance of some windows (dialogs to enter settings) have been redesigned.
  • Local data renamed Individual data.
  • Analysis/Reanalyse Image renamed Analysis/Restart Analysis.
  • Color/Display Groups Rather Than Classes has been renamed Color/Display Groups.

• Bug(s) solved
  • A crash situation removed when editing while pressing the backspace key.
  • Sample identification is no more asked during calibration.

Release date: April 2004.

Features

• Any image used in the analysis can be saved (Pixels Classification Image, Color Classes Image and Color Groups Image).
• Analysis/Seedle Background & Color Analysis has been renamed Analysis/Pixels Classification and has been redesigned and simplified
• TWAIN compatibility with recent cameras and scanners (LC4800) has been added.
• About command has been moved to Help menu.
• DPI suggested by default (in Image/Acquisition Parameters) have changed for some scanners.
• Two minor scanning bugs removed.
• New and improved manual.
• New protection key.

Release date: May 2003.

Features

• Defaut scanning parameters for the LC3200 scanner are now compatible with Regent's positioning system.

Shipping date: March 2003.

Features

• The mouse wheel can be used to scroll the image.
• Scan images from more scanner models including the new LC3200 from Regent.
• It can analyse larger images.
• Images are no more flipped vertically.
• Units are displayed in the Filter command even when no image has been loaded.
• Total seedle length (straight and curved) has been added to the global measurements data line.

Release date: 01 August 2002.

Features

• This version supports the new LC1600 scanner.
• The program informs you when a scanner does not support some functions when its TWAIN interface is hidden (when you use Regent's simple interface).
• The four suggested dpi buttons in Image/Acquisition Parameters are better adapted to new higher resolution scanners (1600 or more optical dpi).
• There are more "Tooltips" help information in the main window (tooltips are shown when the mouse cursor is held stationary over a window item).
• At startup the main window does not fill the entire screen but an area slightly smaller.
• Measurements made on images acquired in dots per cm (rather than dots per inch) from programs not made by Regent Instruments are now more precise.

Shipping date: July 25, 2001. Please allow 1 to 3 weeks for delivery.
Eligibility: All users whose free update period has not ended.
Last version shipped before: 5.1a.

• Images can be printed or saved to a bmp file with or without the analysis marks over them. The graphic above the image can also be included.
• You can edit images with any color of your choice. Pick up a color in an image simply by clicking it, and use it to edit the image.
• The edition brushes are round instead of rectangular.
• There is more help information (Tooltips) displayed when the mouse is held over window's items (buttons, check boxes, edit boxes...).
• The sample identification window is not asked during calibration with Object of known dimension method.
• A minor bug has been fixed when saving data with color analysis active. If Based on grey levels was selected or that the image was in grey levels the color class file name was written instead of the threshold value.

Shipping date: Shipped January 5, 2001
Eligibility: Free if your free update period has not ended.

• Analyses are approximately four times faster than with earlier versions (it depends on which analyses are active).
• You can edit images with any color of your choice. Pick up a color present in an image by clicking it, then edit with that color.
• Help information is displayed when the mouse is held over the controls (Tooltips).
• The Analysis/Threshold command has been redesigned and merged with Color/Color Analysis Parameters.
• Edition buttons in the command area are now hidden when they cannot be used (they are visible only when the image edition mode is active).
• More image files can opened and analyzed (will accept more variations of the same formats as before).
• The "About WinSEEDLE" window now identifies the version model (Basic, Reg or Pro) running.
• Some image edition flaws have been eliminated (drawing strokes were temporarily lost after window resize or activation).
• Minor improvements with jpeg images loading. New dll required.
• Data saving is now easier. It is done automatically at the end of the analysis.
• Pause before analysis is on by default.
• Undo edition has been moved to the Display menu.
• Calibration/Unit command has been removed. Units are entered during calibration.
• A menu called Interactive has been added. Path related commands (from Analysis menu) have been moved there.

Shipping date: 21 August 2000.
Eligibility: Free if your free update period has not ended.

Pro version

• Interactive manual length measurements have been added.

All versions

• Data saving is now easier. It is done automatically at the end of the analysis (and updated automatically if you make changes to the analysis).
• More information is saved in data files. The analysis settings, image file name and resolution are now stored.
• Seedles invalidated (rejected) by the operator are shown in a darker red and can be revalidated.
• Reason for a seedle's rejection from the analysis is now available by clicking the seedle.
• Text size of the information displayed over the image and in the command area is now user selectable.
• The text of the graphic above the image is larger.
• Seedle numbers are continuous.
• Jpeg and Windows bmp files can be analyzed.
• Names of some measurements name have been clarified (Ex: projected area instead of area).
• Support for new scanners (STD1600+ and LA1600) has been added.
• Seedle perimeter measurement has been added.
• All seedle cross-section models are active at all times (you do not have to select one, they are all calculated).
• Two new cross-section models for volume and surface area calculation have been added. One of these methods allows measurement of needles with irregular cross-sectional shape (it can work with any shape).
• The rectangle cross-section model now uses the Height to Width ratio. The previous versions' model was square rather than rectangular.
• When analysis parameters are changed, a warning informs the operator if the changes are effective only after the current analysis.
• Save Image After Analysis has been renamed Save Image After Acquisition.
• Instructions manuals have been rewritten and improved. There are more illustrations.
• The computer CPU is no longer utilized at 100% while SEEDLE is idle.
• Modification to the calculations that influence the analysis results: Object widths are now one pixel larger. There was one pixel missing on width measurement in previous versions. This led to underestimation of the surface area and volume (but other measurements like projected area were not affected). One pixel is typically 1/400 of an inch or .063 mm, as most people scan needles at around 400 dpi.
• All surface area and volume calculations have been revalidated (no modifications other than those described above were required).
• It can analyze images with a greater number of objects. Earlier versions might crash when the number of objects is too high (several thousand). The exact number depends on the object shape complexity.