NIS-Elements tips

Multi-channel viewing

Multiple channels can be viewed in a split-screen style. Images are pseudo-colored by default but can be made greyscale. A maximum intensity projection can be done in one click.

Stage movement

In addition to using the joystick to control stage movement, the mouse can be used as well. Clicking on a button in the "Live" window will allow you to move by dragging the image.

Focusing can also be done with the scroll wheel, but this is at a set speed¹. If PFS is engaged, it will try to fight your focusing attempts.

Changing the z-limit

Software z-stage limits are intended to prevent damage to the objectives. However, the default setting does not allow for the dry 4x objective to image deep enough into a plastic multi-well plate. In this case, a temporary and slight tweak to the z-stage limit is allowed.

Changing the z-limit through Elements must be done with on an account with admin rights.

Keyboard shortcuts to make your life easy

Function	Keyboard shortcut	Notes
Live		on the numpad
Stop		on the numpad
Zoom in		arrow key
Zoom down		arrow key
Magnifying Glass		Press again to enhance contrast
Pointer		Commonly used to switch back to default behavior after using magnifying glass

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1. While you could change the speed of the scroll wheel through Elements, it's easier to use the joystick controller for course / extra-fine focusing. And you don't mess with the expected behavior for other users. ↩