Current compatibility matrix
The matrix is derived from current SlideScope application routing and reader behavior. Use it as a screening reference, then test representative files from the exact microscope, scanner, software version, and compression settings used by your team.
Format-specific detail and authoritative references
CZI: multidimensional review without implying ZEISS certification
CZI can contain multiple scenes, channels, Z planes, time points, acquisition metadata, and tiled sub-blocks. SlideScope reads common review dimensions and metadata, but the CZI family is broad enough that a real file test matters. ZEISS documents the format and its application ecosystem on the official CZI image file format page. That reference defines the source format; it does not represent an endorsement or certification of SlideScope.
ND2: time, Z, channels, and positions
SlideScope maps the primary ND2 axes into its viewer contract. A position axis is intentionally flattened into time navigation, so multi-position experiments should be checked before a team standardizes on that behavior. Nikon's official NIS-Elements software resources describe Nikon's free standalone viewer, multidimensional dataset viewing, and TIFF export in Nikon's own ecosystem.
SVS: whole-slide pyramids and compression
SVS files are TIFF-based whole-slide images with pyramid levels and Aperio metadata. SlideScope chooses a level that balances display detail and available memory. The open-source OpenSlide project documents the Aperio format structure, including tiled images, pyramid levels, associated images, and metadata properties.
TIFF and OME-TIFF: a container, not one uniform layout
A file ending in .tif can be a plain 2D image, RGB image, ImageJ stack, OME-TIFF dataset, BigTIFF, or a pyramidal image with different compression. SlideScope's reader recognizes OME and ImageJ metadata when present, but every variant should not be treated as identical. The OME-TIFF specification explains how TIFF planes and OME-XML metadata encode dimensions and pyramids.
DICOM: standard single- and multi-frame research review
Current public Windows and macOS installers support ordinary single- and multi-frame DICOM for research review. They do not bundle the optional reader required for tiled whole-slide DICOM, so WSI DICOM is not advertised as supported. SlideScope is not a PACS and is not presented as a validated diagnostic workstation. The DICOM Standards Committee's Supplement 145 defines whole-slide microscopic image objects and helps explain why WSI is a separate compatibility class.
A practical pre-adoption test
- Choose files from every microscope or scanner model your team actually uses.
- Include a small file, a typical file, the largest routine file, and one older archived file.
- Verify channel colors, time points, Z planes, positions, pyramid detail, and spatial calibration.
- Compare key metadata against the acquisition software or another trusted reader.
- Test TIFF export and confirm what dimensions and metadata the downstream workflow expects.
- Record the application version, operating system, hardware, source software, and outcome.
This creates evidence a lab can review later and is more reliable than assuming every file with the same extension is identical.
Formats not currently advertised as supported
Current extension routing does not advertise LIF, LSM, VSI, MRXS, SCN, OME-Zarr, NIfTI, or general video formats. Do not rename one of those files to a supported extension. If one of these formats is important to your workflow, contact support with the format name and acquisition software before purchasing.
For supported files that still fail, the in-app support flow can include non-sensitive slide context. Do not send patient-identifying data or proprietary files unless your organization has approved that sharing.