❓What is ImageJ

ImageJ is a free and open-source software developed by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that allows users to analyze, process, and edit digital images. It is widely used in the scientific community for tasks ranging from basic image processing to complex image analysis. With its user-friendly interface and extensive plugin library, ImageJ is an essential tool for many research fields.

🔬Adding a scalebar to an image

📏Setting up the scale of measurement

• Open the reference image in the software (Click here to get the reference image)
• Select the line tool and draw a line on the measurement scale beside the appropriate magnification – 4X, 10X, 20X, 40X or 100X (Note: These are objective magnifications)
• Go to Analyze on the toolbar and select Set Scale.
• From the dialogue-box, set the known distance value to the measurement of the line drawn in the previous step.
• Change the unit to “um” for micro-meter.
• Check the “Global” checkbox and hit OK.

Now you are set for adding a scale bar to your image

📷Adding a scale bar to the desired image

• Drag and drop or Open the image of choice in ImageJ where you want to put the scale bar
• Go to Analyze and select Tools.
• Under Tools select Scale Bar
• Set the width of the scale bar to whatever you want and change the settings to your liking.

You will immediately see a scale bar appearing on your image

📁Saving the image with scale bar

Save the image in either JPEG or PNG.

Don’t save in TIFF. It will save the image without the scale bar.

Uploaded a video on my YouTube channel where I walk you through the whole process.