Learn How to Download and Use ImageJ for Your Research Projects

How to Download ImageJ

If you are looking for a software that can help you process and analyze scientific images, you might want to try ImageJ. ImageJ is a public domain software that has been under continuous development since 1997. It has many features, derivatives, and variants that make it suitable for various applications. In this article, we will show you how to download and install ImageJ on different platforms, as well as how to access documentation and resources for using it.

how to download image j

What is ImageJ?

ImageJ is a software that can display, edit, analyze, process, save, and print images. It can read and write many formats, including TIFF, GIF, JPEG, BMP, DICOM, FITS, and raw. It can also handle stacks, or series of images that share a single window. It supports standard image processing functions such as contrast manipulation, sharpening, smoothing, edge detection, and median filtering. It can also perform geometric transformations such as scaling, rotation, and flips. Moreover, it can do measurements of area, mean, standard deviation, min and max of selection or entire image. It can also calculate histograms and line profile plots.

Features of ImageJ

Some of the features of ImageJ are:

• It is platform-independent. It runs on Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, and any other system that has a Java runtime environment.

• It is multithreaded. It can take advantage of multiple processors to speed up operations.

• It is extensible. It has a built-in macro language that can automate tasks and add new features. It also supports plugins that can extend its functionality.

• It is open source. It is freely available for download and modification.

Derivatives and variants of ImageJ

ImageJ has many derivatives and variants that are based on its source code or use its framework. Some of them are:

• ImageJ2. It is a complete rewrite of ImageJ that aims to provide a more modern user interface, a more powerful plugin system, and better integration with other tools.

• Fiji. It is a distribution of ImageJ that includes many plugins for image analysis, especially in life sciences.

• Bio-Formats. It is a plugin that enables ImageJ to read and write over 150 file formats from various microscopy software.

• CellProfiler. It is a software that uses ImageJ to perform high-throughput image analysis for cell biology.

How to download and install ImageJ on different platforms

To download and install ImageJ on your computer, you need to follow different steps depending on your operating system. Here are the instructions for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux.

Download and install ImageJ on Windows

To download and install ImageJ on Windows, you need to do the following:

Download ImageJ bundled with Java

Go to the and click on the link that says "Download ImageJ bundled with Java 1.8.0_172 (75MB)". This will download a ZIP file that contains ImageJ and a Java runtime environment.

Extract the ImageJ directory

Open the ZIP file and extract the ImageJ directory to a location of your choice. You can also rename the directory if you want. For example, you can extract it to C:\ImageJ.

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How to run ImageJ on Mac OS X

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How to download ImageJ source code

How to run ImageJ on Linux

How to download ImageJ bundled with Zulu OpenJDK

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How to download ImageJ Tiago Ferreira's comprehensive user guide

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How to download and install the Earth Analysis Techniques version of ImageJ

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Update or downgrade ImageJ

To update or downgrade ImageJ, you can use the built-in updater. To launch it, double-click on the ImageJ.exe file in the ImageJ directory and select Help > Update ImageJ... from the menu bar. This will open a dialog box that shows the current and available versions of ImageJ. You can choose to update to the latest version, downgrade to an older version, or stay with the current version. You can also check for updates automatically by selecting Help > Update... > Check for Updates on Startup.

Download and install ImageJ on Mac OS X

To download and install ImageJ on Mac OS X, you need to do the following:

Download ImageJ bundled with Java or Zulu OpenJDK

Go to the and click on the link that says "Download ImageJ bundled with Java 1.8.0_172 (82MB)" or "Download ImageJ bundled with Zulu OpenJDK 1.8.0_302 (82MB)". This will download a ZIP file that contains ImageJ and a Java runtime environment.

Work around Path Randomization

Since Mac OS X 10.12 (Sierra), there is a security feature called Path Randomization that prevents applications from accessing files outside their own sandbox. This can cause problems for ImageJ, as it needs to access plugins and other files in its directory. To work around this issue, you need to move the ImageJ.app file out of the ZIP file and into a folder of your choice. You can also rename the folder if you want. For example, you can move it to Applications/ImageJ.

Update or downgrade ImageJ

To update or downgrade ImageJ, you can use the same method as for Windows. To launch the updater, right-click on the ImageJ.app file and select Show Package Contents. Then, navigate to Contents/MacOS and double-click on the ImageJ-macosx file. This will open ImageJ and you can select Help > Update ImageJ... from the menu bar.

Download and install ImageJ on Linux

To download and install ImageJ on Linux, you need to do the following:

Download ImageJ bundled with Java

Go to the and click on the link that says "Download ImageJ bundled with Java 1.8.0_172 (75MB)". This will download a ZIP file that contains ImageJ and a Java runtime environment.

Extract the ImageJ directory

Open the ZIP file and extract the ImageJ directory to a location of your choice. You can also rename the directory if you want. For example, you can extract it to /ImageJ.

Update or downgrade ImageJ

To update or downgrade ImageJ, you can use the same method as for Windows. To launch the updater, open a terminal and navigate to the ImageJ directory. Then, run the command ./ImageJ --update. This will open ImageJ and you can select Help > Update ImageJ... from the menu bar.

How to access documentation and resources for ImageJ

Once you have downloaded and installed ImageJ, you might want to learn more about how to use it and what it can do. There are many documentation and resources available online that can help you with that. Here are some of them:

User guide and online JavaDoc API documentation

The user guide is a comprehensive manual that covers all the features and functions of ImageJ. It also includes tutorials, examples, tips, and tricks. You can access it by selecting Help > User Guide from the menu bar of ImageJ, or by visiting .

The online JavaDoc API documentation is a reference for the classes and methods of ImageJ. It is useful for developers who want to write plugins or macros for ImageJ. You can access it by selecting Help > Online JavaDoc API from the menu bar of ImageJ, or by visiting .

Source code and example images

The source code of ImageJ is available on GitHub, where you can browse, download, or fork it. You can also submit issues or pull requests if you find any bugs or want to contribute to the development of ImageJ. You can access the source code by visiting .

The example images are a collection of images that demonstrate various features and functions of ImageJ. They are useful for testing, learning, or teaching ImageJ. You can access them by selecting File > Open Samples from the menu bar of ImageJ, or by visiting .

Plugins and developer resources

The plugins are additional modules that extend the functionality of ImageJ. They can be written in Java, JavaScript, Python, Ruby, or other language