Installing the AMCap macro to acquire camera images with ImageJ The AMCap macro was developed from the ImageJ Video Capture Tool for use with NeutronOptics cameras.

To install and update ImageJ

• Download ImageJ bundled with 32-bit Java (26MB) and install it in C:\Program Files\ImageJ\
• Start ImageJ and update both it and its menus from its "Help" menu, then restart it.

To take Video Snapshots using StillCap

• Download AMCap and pay $29 to register it. A licensed version is now included with NeutronOptics cameras.
• Install AMCap with StillCap in the parent directory of ImageJ eg C:\Program Files\AMCap\
• You can now use AMCap alone to visualise the output of your video camera. Press "Enter" to take a snapshot.
• To display the crosshair, useful for positioning targets, choose "Windowless mode" under Capture/Setup/Options
• Under AMCap "Options/Video Capture Filter" turn OFF all the options. Please read the AMCap FAQ

Optional corrections for Barrel/Pincushion lens distortions (essential for precise measurements)

• To enable lens corrections, install SplineDeformationGenerator (not needed for initial tests).
  Download the NeutronOptics version, which will run silently in the background
• Double-click the mySplineDeformationGenerator.zip file
  Drag the mySplineDeformationGenerator folder to the C:\Program Files\ImageJ\plugins directory
• Restart ImageJ. SplineDeformationGenerator should appear in the Plugins menu.

To use the AMCap.txt ImageJ plugin

• Download AMCap.txt to the \ImageJ\macros\toolsets directory - NOT the \ImageJ\macros\tools directory.
  Click the >> icon in the ImageJ toolbar and select the AMCap tool
• Right-click the Camera Capture tool icon that appears and set the capture options.
  For NeutronOptics cameras, choose listed USB 2861 Devices with PAL resolution (720x576)
  You must specify a directory to store captured images, eg C:\temp\ and the file format eg tif
  For a dual-CCD camera, specify the relative offsets & scales of the second camera wrt the first.
  (These parameters will be supplied for each camera; if ever you need to re-determine them,
  you should use a pinhole calibration screen in place of the scintillator plate).

Start capturing images

• Now everything is ready for image capture with this macro: Left-click the camera icon to start capturing
• This will temporarily close AMCap to allow StillCap access to the camera, then re-open AMCap when finished
• With two cameras, ImageJ snapshots will be automatically stitched together and the resulting mosaic displayed
• Note that two cameras can have the same name; AMCap and StillCap use the device number.

Notes