Imatest - FAQ

Imatest is pronounced like a contraction of "Image" and "test." It is not pronounced like "I'm a test." But we'd rather hear it mispronounced than not pronounced at all.

How do I get started?

Begin by reading Image quality factors and the Tour pages Then download and install the evaluation version. The evaluation version allows up to 20 runs of individual modules, enough to show you what Imatest can do. We strongly encourage you to try before you buy. After you purchase Imatest, you'll need to register it to upgrade to the full version. Registration is self-explanatory, especially on computers connected to the Internet. If your computer is offline or behind a strong firewall, you'll need to follow the offline registration instructions.

The essential Imatest workflow is (1) photograph a test chart, (2) save it in a standard file format (TIF, high quality JPG, PNG, etc.), then (3) open it for analysis in the appropriate Imatest module. All instructions are available online. Imatest Master can also analyze Bayer RAW files.

Which version should I buy?

If you are a photographer planning to test your cameras and lenses, Imatest Studio should meet your needs. If you are an imaging system developer or if you are involved in intensive testing, you will appreciate the extra features of industrial-strength Imatest Master, outlined in Version comparisons and on the Purchase page. If your needs grow you can always upgrade from Light to Pro.

How do I purchase Imatest ?

Imatest is normally purchased with a credit card from Regsoft.com's secure site, which is linked from the Purchase page. Several alternative means of purchase are available, including wire transfer and custom Paypal invoice (faster and less expensive than a wire transver) that we can create on request. These are useful for custom orders (e.g., academic / educational / quantity discounts), for purchasing Imatest API, or if a credit card is inconvenient. An Imatest Store that uses Google or Paypal checkout is under development. If you have an inquiry, please contact .

I purchased Imatest but didn't receive the confirmation email with the password. What should I do?

If you fail to receive the confirmation email, it may have been intercepted by a strong SPAM filter such as Spam Arrest, which requires that emails be sent from authorized domains or manually confirmed. If you have such a filter, please ensure that it allows emails from '@regsoft.com.' You may be able to find the missing email in your SPAM mailbox. If you don't receive the email within about fifteen minutes, contact us or go to the Regsoft Order Questions page.

Is there a CD version? Will I receive anything in the mail?

No. Imatest is only available as an Internet download. You will receive nothing in the mail. All Imatest documentation is available on the website. A CD is available on special request, but not recommended because Imatest is frequently updated, and you'll want to keep your installation up to date by downloading and installing the latest version. You are entitled to free upgrades for one year from the date of purchase. After a year you'll need to renew your subscription to install the latest updates.

How do I install Imatest on a computer that isn't connected to the Internet?

Download the current version of Imatest as well as the Imatest Library to a computer that is connected to the Internet. You may also want to download the PDF version of the documentation, though the website is usually more up-to-date and easier to navigate. Techniques for downloading individual web pages are given below. Copy the downloaded files to a USB memory device (you can burn a CD, but USB devices are handier) and transfer them to the offline computer. Install Imatest by double-clicking on the installation file, Imatest-version.exe. Then follow the offline registration instructions.

What test charts do I need? Are they included with Imatest?

Test charts are listed in the instruction pages for the individual modules (click on any of the links below), and they are summarized on the Cross-reference page. They are not currently supplied with Imatest, though you can print charts for SFR, Distortion, and Rescharts on high quality inkjet printers using the Test Charts module. Charts for measuring tonal and color response (using Stepchart, Colorcheck, and Multicharts) must be purchased; inkjet prints don't have accurate enough tonal response or sufficient color gamut.

SFR For large charts (24 inches = 60 cm or wider) excellent results can be obtained with charts created by the Imatest Test Charts module and printed on a high quality inkjet printer. Several smaller charts can be combined on foam board. The SVG charts have several advantages over ISO charts: much less wasted area and lower contrast, which produces more accurate and consistent results.

SFR For 13x19 inch (Super A3) or smaller charts, finer results can often be obtained with photographically-printed charts, which have better MTF (i.e., sharper edges). The QA-72 and QA-77 charts from Applied Image are excellent. Applied Image offers a discount on Imatest software purchased at the same time as their charts.

Colorcheck uses the widely available 24-patch GretagMacbeth Colorchecker.

Stepchart uses linear grayscale step charts such as the Kodak Q-13/Q-14 (reflective) or the Stouffer T4110 (transmissive). It also uses specialized charts (OECF, etc.) from Applied Image and others.

Multicharts uses the the 24-patch GretagMacbeth Colorchecker, the ColorChecker SG, the IT8.7, the CMP DT 003, the QPCard 201, and several grayscale charts.

A detailed list of test charts, corresponding image quality factors, and Imatest modules is given in the Cross Reference.

What is Matlab? Do I need it to run Imatest?

Imatest is written in Matlab, a high level interpretive computer language designed for the efficient solution of scientific and engineering problems. It has particularly powerful graphics. Matlab source code requires Matlab to run. But Imatest has been compiled with the Matlab Compiler to run on any Windows computer. Compiled Matlab programs require the Matlab runtime library, which is installed along with Imatest. Installation is automatic on computers connected to the internet. Details can be found on the Imatest Installation page.

If you want to write your own analysis programs, consider one of the free Matlab clones. Well... almost clones. They're not as powerful and not fully compatible (and they don't have compilers), but the price is right. Octave and Scilab are the most recommended. Some image processing packages are also available, for example, Imlab.

When will a Macintosh version be available?

As much as we'd like to, we cannot make a commitment at this time. The new Matlab Compiler works under Mac OS X, but it's something of a bloatware monstrosity (requiring a 120 MB library download), and there are a number of additional devilish details to resolve. We have several high priority projects to tackle first (see Plans), but the Mac version is extremely important, especially for the educational market.

How often is Imatest updated?

Imatest is typically updated every week or two, except when we're traveling. It is updated whenever a feature is added or a bug is fixed. Minor updates are indicated incrementing x in version 2.n.x; major updates (usually new modules, such as Distortion or Starchart) are indicated incrementing n. Significant updates are announced on the main page. Full details of updates are posted in the Change log.

I purchased Imatest several months ago. How do I get the latest version?

You are entitled to free updates to Imatest for one year from the date of purchase. If you purchased Imatest more than a year ago, you should renew your license before downloading the latest version. You can download the latest version from the Download page. To install it, just double-click on the download file (Imatest-n.m.x.exe). You don't need to uninstall the previous version (though it may be advisable in rare instances of trouble). Versions are listed in the Change log. Full instructions are on the Installation page.

Imatest isn't working. What do I do?

Make sure you have the latest version. The primary causes of installation or registration failure are strong firewalls and lack of administrator privelege (rare except in highly-secure networked systems). If the troubles persist, go to the Troubleshooting page, which explains how to collect the information needed to identify the problem. E-mail it to Imatest support.

How can I download Imatest documentation for offline viewing?

There are two ways: you can download a PDF document that contains the entire website (over 8 MB) or you can download individual pages. The PDF documentation (on www.imatest.com/docs/Imatest_Documentation.pdf) may be a little out of date— it's updated infrequently. It's also long (215 pages at last count) and difficult to navigate. Downloading the current (individual) pages is recommended where feasible.

Create a convenient folder for storing the website. Then open a web browser and go to a page you want to save. You may want to click on, as described below.

From Internet Explorer, click on File, Save As..., then save the web page (complete) in the folder you created. A subfolder will be created for the images.

From Mozilla or Firefox, click on File, Save Page As..., then save the web page (complete) in the folder you created. A subfolder will be created for the images.

As an alternative, you can create a PDF document by printing to PDFCreator (see the section below for optimizing the format). PDFCreator is an incredibly useful free open source program. Strongly recommended. Windows Vista users will need CutePDF Writer.

With this technique you can download the entire website in minutes.

How can I get the good printouts of Imatest documentation?

Click on in the box on the upper-right of the page. This loads a version of the page that prints correctly because the header and sidebar are omitted. Click the Back button to return to the regular page and restore normal navigation.

On most browsers, images tend to print too large with the default settings.

On Internet explorer version 6 or lower the image size cannot be reduced, hence IE 6 or lower is not recommended for printing web pages. However, IE 7 may have this capability.

On Mozilla/Firefox, click File, Print Preview, then set the Scale box at the top of the page to 80%. (The default is Shrink To Fit.) You can also click Page Setup and set Print Background (colors & images) and Margins &Header/Footer as desired. Then click OK. The print preview image may look a little rough (links are oversized), but the page should print nicely.

The Display resolution setting (accessible in Firefox by clicking Tools, Options..., Fonts & Colors, or in Mozilla by clicking Edit, Preferences, Appearance, Fonts) has no effect on image size.

The Opera browser produces excellent printouts with appropriately-sized images using the Print options settings shown on the right. Downloading and installing Opera is simple and straightforward.

What are the terms of the Imatest license?

The Imatest (Light and Pro) license allows an individual user to install and use the software on (A) a maximum of three computers (for example, home, laptop, and office) used exclusively by a single individual, or (B) a single workstation used nonsimultaneously by multiple people, but not both. It is not a concurrent use license. If more than one person uses Imatest on more than one computer, you should purchase additional licenses.

License holders are encouraged to publish test results in printed publications, websites, and discussion forums, provided they include links to www.imatest.com. You may not use Imatest for advertising or product promotion without explicit permission from Imatest LLC. Contact us if you have questions. The full text of the license can be found here.

What are those green boxes all about?

Green is for geeks. Do you get excited by a good equation? Were you passionate about your college math classes? Then you're probably a math geek— a member of a maligned and misunderstood but highly elite fellowship. The text in green is for you. You'll also enjoy the numerous links to the ultimate math geek resource: MathWorld, hosted by Wolfram Research. If you're normal or mathematically challenged, you may skip these sections. You'll never know what you missed.

What are Imatest's plans? Without giving too much away,

Continued development of EXE and DLL versions of several modules for automated testing. Imatest API/EXE is now available.
A new module for measuring MTF that takes advantage of new SVG test charts to achieve a higher level of automation— especially automated detection of regions of interest (ROIs). 4th Quarter 2007.

Please write us to let us know your needs. Our priorities are strongly influenced our customers.

Imatest is committed to providing individual photographers, researchers, developers, and manufacturers with comprehensive solutions for measuring digital image quality. Whether you are an individual photographer with lenses to test or a manufacturer of imaging chips and modules, Imatest has something for you.