How an OME-TIFF stores channels, Z and time
An OME-TIFF stores each 2-D plane as one TIFF image and describes them in OME-XML inside the first image's description: SizeC, SizeZ, SizeT and a DimensionOrder such as XYZCT say which plane is which, Channel elements carry names and colours, and PhysicalSizeX the pixel size. Since OME-TIFF 6, large images keep their reduced resolutions in SubIFDs. The viewer reads all of this, so a 3-channel time-lapse opens as three coloured channels with a time slider rather than as a pile of pages.
What it opens
What it does not open
- JPEG 2000 SVS (Aperio compression 33003/33005), JPEG XR and JPEG XL cannot be decoded in a browser without WebAssembly, which this page does not load.
- Not TIFF-based: CZI, ND2, LIF, MRXS, VSI, IMS, OIB/OIR and DICOM need a desktop reader. NDPI is TIFF-like but stores each level as one huge JPEG, too large for a browser tab.
- OME-TIFF with several series shows the first series.
- No measurements, annotations or analysis: it is a viewer.
For those formats, and for measuring, annotating and counting cells on your own images, SlideScope opens 34 microscope and slide-scanner formats on Windows and Mac. SlideScope, the desktop microscopy app made by the same team, is a paid app with a free sample library (every tool) and a 3-day free trial for your own images. Free alternatives: Fiji (Bio-Formats) and QuPath.
How it opens a file without uploading it
When you choose a file, the browser hands this page a handle to it on your disk. The page reads only the bytes it needs: the TIFF directory first, then the tiles for the part of the image on screen, and decodes them in the page with an open-source TIFF reader (geotiff). Nothing is sent to a server, so unpublished data and slides with patient labels stay on your computer, and multi-gigabyte slides open in seconds because they are never copied anywhere. Close the tab and the file is gone from the page.
The page loads its own scripts from slidescope.science and the site's privacy-respecting page-view counter; neither ever sees your image. Open-source licences: image-tools-vendor.LICENSE.txt.
Questions
How do I open an OME-TIFF file?
In the browser, open it in this page. On the desktop, Fiji (Bio-Formats), QuPath, napari and SlideScope all read OME-TIFF.
Why are my channels shown in different colours?
The viewer uses the colours in the OME-XML; channels without one get red, green, blue and so on. Change any colour with the colour box next to the channel.
Does it read OME-TIFF pyramids?
Yes, reduced resolutions stored in SubIFDs (OME-TIFF 6 and later, bfconvert, QuPath and vips exports) are used for zooming.
What if the file has several series?
The viewer shows the first series and says how many there are. A desktop viewer is needed for the others.
Is this OME-TIFF viewer free?
Yes, it is free and needs no account. SlideScope, the desktop microscopy app made by the same team, is a paid app with a free sample library (every tool) and a 3-day free trial for your own images.
Need more than a browser can do?
SlideScope opens 34 microscope and slide-scanner formats on Windows and Mac, CZI, ND2, LIF, MRXS and JPEG 2000 SVS among them, with measuring, annotations, cell counting and full-resolution OME-TIFF export. Try every tool free on the built-in samples, then open your own images with the 3-day free trial. Already decided? Subscribe now.