Tracing contours (2D)

Before you start

Bring a specimen into view, make sure that a reference point has been placed.
Enable AutoMove if you plan to trace contours that are larger than the field of view.

Use closed contours to obtain measurements of the area within the contour or to specify regions of interest for automatic cell detection.
Open contours can be used as delineations or reference lines to indicate layers in a reconstruction; this may be useful for measuring structures.

At any time during contour tracing, you can:

Adjust the thickness of the contour by scrolling the mouse wheel.
Press Ctrl-Z to erase the last drawn points one by one back to the beginning of the contour.
Focus with the joystick or the Page Up | Page Down keys on your keyboard.
End a contour by right-clicking and choosing End Open Contour or Close Contour.

Controls for drawing contours are in the Contours section of the Registration ribbon.
- (optional) Select a named contour from the drop-down menu. The default is the first contour name in the list.
  
  You can change the name and/or color of the listed contours in Contour preferences, accessible from the cog icon in the ribbon or File > Preferences > Tracing > Contours.
- (optional) Choose to draw a circle- or square-shaped contour by selecting one of those options from the drop-down menu. The default is to draw a freehand shape.
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Select a tracing method by right-clicking in the tracing window. The method chosen is strictly a matter of preference and can be changed at any time during the tracing by right-clicking and selecting a different method.
Trace the contour of choice: Click to place points along the boundaries of a region of interest; when you're done, right-click and select close contour or end open contour.