Color (and 3D) for Scanning Electron Microscopy

Abstract

Colorizing images and representing them in 3D are common practices in many fields of science and industry. Automation of these processes is now bringing new presentation possibilities to scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Here, we discuss various methods used to bring micrographs to life and make details contained within them easier for the human eye to comprehend. These include stereophotogrammetry, reflectometry (“shape from shading”), and a new technique for adding color to objects that soon could make flat, gray SEM images a thing of the past.