Release date: April 10, 2013

• It can now scan at maximum TPU width with Regent's simple scanning interface (STD4800 scanner).
• Analyses are faster than version 2012 (11.8 % to 62 % faster depending upon if whole image or analysed and exclusions regions are used and their shape).
• Free style (Lasso) Analysed and Exclusion Rgns created interactively are done faster (does not apply to those loaded from files).
• A new 64-bit version is now available (as an option at an extra cost). It can analyse larger images and is faster by 1.5 to 13 % compared to the new 2013a 32-bit version. It also has some limitations compared to the latter (inquire for details).
• Drawing of analysed cells (identification number, length, width, boundary...) is faster (more noticeable with large images).
• There is now a setting that allows to choose a trade-off between analysis speed and memory consumption.
• Image/Acquisition Parameters has new options for Regent's simple scanning interface:
  • Dust/Particle removal filter
  • Choice of speed vs. higher quality scans (for very thin or pale roots)
  • Sharpen filter
  • Use TWAIN Interface has been renamed Use Scanner Manufacturer Interface (TWAIN).
  
  
• Modifications to the interface (to make it easier for new user).
• In the welcome screen at startup, the user is offered to choose between two settings, those used the last time and the defaults.
  
• Analysis menu has been simplified and now contain the most important commands to the analysis.
• Edit Sample Identification was moved from the Analysis to the Regions menu.
• Pixels classification was moved up in the Analysis menu just below Measurements (to highlight the fact they are closely related) and renamed Objects & Background Distinction (to highlight what this command do in less technical terms).
• Data/Data Save Options was renamed Data/Saving Options.
• Calibration/Method was renamed Calibration/Pixel Size Method minor modifications have been done to its design.

Miscellaneous:

• New App, Acquisition and Image selectors icons.
• Image edition can only be done in the active Analysed Region. This accelerates the analysis updating when editing just one region.
• After importing a set of Analysed Regions, they are automatically recreated (if an image is loaded before), there is no more need to activate Recreate.
• The TWAIN code has been revised to support new scanners and improve existing ones.
• Calibration with the Object of known size method can be done with a single object in one axis only (instead of requiring 2, one for the horizontal and one for the vertical axis).
• Analysis/Filters renamed Analysis/Debris Filtering.
  

Bug fixes:

• In Batch/Acquisition Parameters the directory where images are saved now works. Minor modifications to its design.
• Image/Save Original Image was active only after an analysis was done, now it is as soon an an images is scanned or loaded (analysed or not).
• Color analysis: Won't allow for more than 12 color classes per group.

Release date: August 10, 2011

Modifications to NDVI/Color index Analysis

• The display of color index images is much faster. Switching the display back and forth between them and other images is also faster.
• A new pre-defined NDVI formula called ENDVI (Enhanced NDVI).
• Support for a new NDVI camera which has 2 visible color channels (instead of 1) and 1 NIR channel.
• A new display option for NDVI data.
• Analysis of NDVI images in two files is no more supported. NIR and visible channels should be stored in the same image in different channels.

The display of Color classes, Color groups, Objects color classification, Color index and NDVI images can be done from menu items or by clicking the Color image selector in the Command Area (the displayed image is changed each time you click it).

It is now possible to define a few exclusion regions and have the analysis updated only at the end of the last one (rather than after each one).

Analysis/Pixels Classification will no more modify the analysed region. It is provided to be used before the analysis. After an analysis, the slider (right mouse click) command should be used instead.

The mouse cursor color in the Image Area can be changed.

Bug Fixes:

Crash when saving the color classes, groups or objects classification image.

Display of a wrong color index image after an analysis.

Release date: December 2010

• There can be more than one analysed region per image.

• A set of analysed regions defined on one image can be saved for later recreation on other images.

Warning of a limitation:
This version cannot read analyses saved in tiff image made with previous versions of WinCAM.

Release date: November 19, 2009

• New measurements have been added:

• The NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) which is widely used in agriculture and forestry healthiness/stress assessment. It requires two images of a scene, one in the NIR (near-infrared) wavelengths and one in the Red. NDVI images and data can be created interactively or in batch (without operator supervision) from NIR and R images stored in a folder.

• Color indexes can be computed on color images. The user can define its own index as a mix of an image RGB (Red, Green or Blue) channels or the ratio of two such mixes. One frequently used index, the Greenness also used in agriculture and forestry healthiness/stress assessment, is pre-defined. Color indexes images and data can be created interactively or in batch (without operator supervision).

• WinCAM NDVI can use the NDVI or Color index images as input for the pixels classification and for area or morphology analysis.

• Functions that turns WinCAM NDVI into a Profilometer, to analyse the grey levels (light intensities) or color variations along paths drawn by the operator over images. Grey levels profiles can be saved in data files while color profiles’ data are saved as a summary of their color content (length [in mm or other units] and percentage of total path length per color).
  

• There are two more methods to classify objects in function of color.

• Objects can be classified in function of two color groups ratio (smaller or larger than a specified value).

• Objects can be classified in function of their Color index or NDVI (see above) value which can be: 1) smaller than a specified value, 2) larger than a specified value or 3) in a specified range (between two given value).
  

• Reflectance calibration can be done using multi-steps targets to get reflectance measurements data and image.

• Miscellaneous modifications to allow larger image analysis.

• WinCAM NDVI will automatically extract GPS data (Latitude, Longitude, Altitude, Direction, Date, Time) when they are present in tiff or jpeg files. These data will also be saved with the measurements data.

• Color classes specifications can be saved in RGB (Red, Green, Blue) or as before in HSI (Hue, Saturation, Intensity).

• WinCAM NDVI now displays in the Information area (above the image) the pixel value at the mouse cursor position in the image. The data written depends on the image displayed. It can be; the RGB, Grey levels, Hue, Saturation, Intensity or Color index/NDVI value.

• Rejected objects are no more visible in the pixels classification image and their area is now included in the background area.

• Improvements to color calibration.

• Minor bugs fixed.

Release date: March 10, 2009

Image loading and saving in tiff files is much faster (±10X). This is most noticeable on large images (50MB and over).

It can load one more color tiff file format.

It can load wider images in old tiff format.

Image display at low zoom magnifications (1/16, 1/32, Fit) is done much faster (±4X).

The “Fit” zoom magnification will display larger images.

Right Click Slider (interactive pixels classification adjustment) is faster and work with larger images.

All functions of the program have been revised/modified to ensure they work with very large images produced by high-end very high resolution scanners and digital cameras.

Object color group classification % criteria is now precise up to 2 decimal digits.

It can scan a new image format: bi-level black and white (equivalent to a pixels classified image). The pixels classification is done by the scanner at the scanning stage. Note that this format is not suited for color analysis.

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).

Enhanced scanner calibration files. Allow WinCAM 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.

• One more information is saved with color data (color classes' group owner).

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.

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 (Reg & Pro version)

• 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.

Morphology analysis (Pro version)

• Objects can be manually grouped and analysed as a whole (number of groups, number of objects per group, total and average area, length, width, perimeter...).
• Objects can be manually splitted in two or more parts (for touching objects).

Other Modifications

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• A plus "+" sign is drawn by default in objects center instead of a bounding box.
• Global data are always saved (their saving cannot be turned off).
• There is one more title line for grouped (merged) objects.
• You can choose among three sample identification naming schemes. One of them is an automatic naming scheme optimised for field image acquisition (it requires less or no keyboard typing).
• Updated manual with better instructions and more information for field image acquisition and analysis.
• 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 WinCAM 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.

Bugs fix:

• WinCAM 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.

Modifications to the analysis

• You can choose amongst four methods of measuring objects length and width.
• There are more measurements that can be done per object (form coefficient, perimeter...).
• Debris filtering has more available criteria to reject invalid objects (based on their morphology).
• Pixels classification (into objects and background) can be modified interactively for regions of any shape or the whole image after the analysis. The process is very interactive and easy. Pixels that fall into the object 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 object and background. The analysis is automatically updated when the edition is complete.
• You can display, analyse and save to a tiff file an HSI (hue, saturation or intensity) channel of a color image.
• Analysed objects can be drawn over the image by three different methods. More measurements made on them are visible (length, width, perimeter...).
• You can choose to reject or not objects truncated by image boundary.
• More data about rejected objects is given when they are clicked on (the reason of their rejection and more measurements data when possible).
• Exclusion regions content has no more influence on the automatic threshold selection.
• The data file format stores more information like the dominant color class (area, hue, saturation intensity, and class name) for the analysed region and per object.
• Analysed regions made with lasso tool can be resized.
• Analysed regions can be moved.

Modifications to Calibration

• White calibration can be done to minimize color differences due to lighting or camera settings between different images. This allows to use the same color classes for more images.
• Calibration of images from a camera can now be done with a single mouse click when Regent's targets are used (or similar ones you can make). Regent's targets are part of Regent's In-Field Image Acquisition Kit. Calibration can be done on the same image as the objects to analyse when such targets are used.
• New functions have been added to remove background light variations for images that come from cameras.

Misc. modifications

• There are more image zoom magnifications and a fit to screen option.
• There are now 14 information colors that can be changed instead of 12
• When changing the information colors, you can specify the RGB value in numbers from 0 to 255 (in addition to moving the scroll bars).
• Screen flickering at different places (like when defining new color classes or resizing the main window) and useless redrawing of the image have been removed.
• Histogram above image can display morphological measurements data (objects distribution in function of a measurement) in addition to color data (area per color). and can also be saved to data files.
• The custom selected color for image edition can be modified by clicking its rectangle in the command area.
• The analysis can be interrupted at more places (while the progress bar is displayed).
• A path measurement mode has been added. It can automatically measure the length of objects intersected when tracing a line over them.
• TWAIN compatibility with recent cameras and scanners has been added (LA2400, LC4800-II, 6MP)

• Individual objects analysis has been added (in addition to the existing global whole image analysis):
  • Area per color per object (area of object which falls into each color class or group).
  • Object length and width.
  • Interactive information about analysed objects when clicking them.
  • A new type of data in data files (in lines or columns format) for new individual measurements (one line or column per analysed object).

• Select a color channel for viewing and analysis. A color image can be viewed and analysed:1-) in RGB (full) color space, 2-) in true gray levels (converted from the three color channels not just the green channel), 3-) in its red, green or blue channel.
• You can save any image used by the analysis (color classes image, color groups image, pixels classification image...).
• Debris removal filter. Debris can be excluded from the analysis based on area, color or shape.
• A new filter to smooth out object's rough edges.
• Totally redesigned, more complete and improved instruction manual.
• Can acquire images from new cameras (Firewire 1MP).
• Can acquire images from more recent scanners (LC4800).
• Saves information about the image acquisition device into data files.
• Asks to save color classes if not already done when quitting WinCAM.
• Added second (was missing) and third title lines (for new individual measurements).
• More significant digits in the mouse coordinate position.
• Object background and color analysis command has been renamed (Pixels Classification), redesigned and simplified.
• Can transpose image (from landscape to portrait) for images that come from a camera.
• Scanner and camera based versions with the right default settings for analysing images from these two types of image acquisition devices.
• The About command is now in the Help menu and it indicates if the running version is for camera or scanner.
• A Warning message is displayed when opening some incompatible image file formats.

Shipped: April 05, 2001

• Analyses are approximately four times as fast as with earlier versions (depending on which analyses are active).
• 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.
• Help information is displayed when the mouse is held over the controls (Tool-tips).
• 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).
• It can open and analyze more image files (it will now accept more variations of the same formats).
• Some image edition flaws have been eliminated (drawing strokes were temporarily lost after window resize or activation.
• The computer CPU is no longer utilized at 100% while CELL is idle.
• Memory leak problem solved with Analysis/Reanalyse image.
• Minor improvements with jpeg images loading. New dll required.
• Batch analysis directory selection has been improved.
• Batch analysis is now done on all images stored in a folder (all supported format rather than a single one).
• Pause before analysis is always on.