Version 3.6 of Imatest’s Master Edition delivers sophisticated blemish detection capabilities based on the human visual system’s ability to detect blemishes. Soon this feature will also be added to the Industrial Testing Edition to enable blemish detection in high-volume camera-system production. Details here

Imatest has expanded its capabilities and staffing to better meet customer demand for consulting services. Now offering skills and experience in imaging science, optics, image quality testing, camera system design, software development, and project management, Imatest looks to play an increasing role in helping customers deliver leading-edge imaging systems. Details here

ISO sensitivity (also called ISO speed), is included in Release 3.5 of both Imatest Master and Industrial Testing (IT) packages. ISO sensitivity is a measure of how strongly an image sensor and/or camera responds to light. Both Saturation-based and Standard Output Sensitivity, as described in ISO 12232, are calculated, but the measurement procedure has been considerably streamlined as compared to the ISO specification. (more…)

Version 3.4.1 of Imatest Master, IT, and IS is now available and includes optimizations to SFR and SFRPlus that drastically reduce processing time for computing MTF (sharpness). Depending on options and settings, results are delivered in half the time or better. Download the latest version today: www.imatest.com/download

• 3D plots with automatic or manual scaling are available in SFRplus and Light Falloff. These plots can be rotated for improved visualization and offer numerous display options. 3D Fig files should be used sparingly: they’re much larger than PNG image files.
• A second secondary readout is available in SFR and SFRplus.

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Boulder, Colo. — Imatest LLC, the leading provider of digital image quality testing software, and The Center For Artificial Vision (C4AV; www.C4AV.com), in Novi., Mich., the leading digital camera module supplier in North America, have partnered to expand distribution and support for the recently released DevWare Edition of Imatest, a software package that enables rapid, automatic testing of image quality during the process of configuring ON Semi image sensors (www.onsemi.com), an image sensors company based in San Jose, Calif. (more…)

Imatest partners with ORA to deliver customized charts and software

ORA Finds Imatest Charts and Software to be Just the Right Medicine In medicine, seeing the problem requires clarity. Is that blemish part of the imaging system, or an early-stage tumor? Companies on the forefront of medical diagnosis systems know that image quality is paramount to the success of any new product. So, when one of the world leaders in medical imaging needed help, they turned to the combined team of Optical Research Associates (ORA), one of the most respected optics consulting companies in the world, and Imatest, the leader in image quality testing. (more…)

In the world of video security systems, a picture is worth a thousand words, but only if the picture is sharp, crisp, and has deep contrasts. It is an industry so intolerant of doubt and shades of gray that it depends on software to achieve precision, clarity and resolution.

Pelco, the world leader in the design, development and manufacture of video and security systems, has long understood the software component in the image quality equation, which is why it has relied on Imatest software and testing products for years. (more…)

CMOS sensor R&D is enabled by Imatest

There are no shortcuts in the process of CMOS image sensor configuration. There is only a myriad set of tasks: setting sensor registers; capturing images; conducting tests; and analyzing results – a cycle that is repeated again and again to achieve an ideal configuration. From medical devices to mobile-phone cameras to military targeting systems, CMOS image sensors support a diverse range of imaging applications. (more…)

Release 3.2 of Imatsest Master includes SFRplus, a new capability that automatically identifies regions of interest (ROI) and helps you rapidly complete a wide range of image quality tests, including sharpness, lateral chromatic aberration, lens distortion, gamma (contrast), and tonal response. (more…)

Multiple files can be read and averaged (and saved) to facilitate measurements of fixed-pattern noise (in Stepchart, Colorcheck, and Light Falloff) and image stabilization (SFR). Highly distorted regions of interest (ROIs) can be analyzed with Colorcheck and Stepchart. New ΔE measurements and hot/dead pixel options have been added to Light Falloff.

Imatest Master and Studio have been introduced, replacing Pro and Light. Support for Bayer RAW images has been strengthened.

The new Dynamic Range module calculates dynamic range from Several Stepchart images of reflective targets (much easier than using transmission targets).

The Screen Patterns module displays several patterns for Imatest modules, monitor calibration, and camera testing.

Spot detection is now available in Light Falloff. CIEDE2000 color difference metrics are now available in Multicharts and Colorcheck.

Two new options are available for refining multiple ROI selections in repeated SFR runs (Imatest Master only). (1) Multi-ROI fine adjustment (shift, magnify, reduce), and (2) Automatic ROI refinement. These speed up test sequences of different cameras and lenses, where it may be difficult to maintain exact chart alignment.

Norman Koren’s Google TechTalk, Image Quality Measurement: Real world challenges, is now available online. For a clearer view of the image quality factors, download the the Presentation (PDF format) (2.8 MB). (more…)

RAW files are supported for a large number of digital cameras using Dave Coffin’s dcraw program. Files are converted with minimal signal processing— no sharpening or noise reduction. This allows the true performance of cameras and the behavior of raw converters to be analyzed.

Chromatic Aberration is now measured as percentage of the distance from the image center. This is an improvement over area in pixels because CA tends to be proportional to that distance. (more…)

Greatly expands noise and dynamic range calculations in Q-13 Stepchart and noise calculations in Colorcheck. Noise measurements in f-stops have been added to both programs. These are relative measurements, which correspond closely to the workings of the eye. Q-13 Stepchart now calculates total dynamic range (using a more sensitive detection algorithm) as well as noise-limited dynamic ranges for several quality levels. Colorcheck now includes noise measurements for the third Colorchecker row, which includes Blue, Green, Red, Yellow, Magenta, and Cyan.

In evaluation mode, multiple region SFR runs now count as two runs (even if more than two regions are selected).

Boulder, Colorado
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September 3, 2004 -Imatest LLC announces the release of Imatest 1.0, a software package that measures the sharpness and image quality of digital camera images and digitized film images using inexpensive widely-available targets. Never before has it been possible for photographers to measure the performance of their cameras and lenses with such accuracy and convenience. You had to rely on subjective judgments or published test results. Now you can perform your own measurements, simply and easily, by photographing a target and analyzing the results with Imatest software. (more…)