Alternatives to Flir Tools to see MSX images - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: glradio
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: January 18, 2025, 11:00:55 am
content: I have a Flir E6 thermal camera that has a thermal sensor and a classic camera sensor, which produces a single .jpg file containing both the images (detailshere).To see both photos contained in the .jpg file you need to use the Flir Tools software which is not handy because it always needs to be installed, and I was wondering if there is any portable image viewer that can see both the thermal and the classic images.Does anyone know an alternative to Flir Tools ?

author: Sorama
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 18, 2025, 11:33:43 am
content: Are you sure you cannot configure jpg when saving?In our flir Exx you can do this in the settings of the camera.Dunno if the devices have that setting.

author: glradio
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: January 18, 2025, 11:43:57 am
content: The thermal camera has a setting to save the thermal image and the classic image in separate files, but I would prefer to have them in the same file ...

author: Sorama
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 18, 2025, 11:57:49 am
content: But then indeed it is a radiographic file which needs specific software.It is not a jpeg as you wrote.If it was, you wouldn’t post the question, would you ?

author: glradio
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: January 18, 2025, 12:04:58 pm
content: It's not an"radiographic"file as you call it, but a simple .jpg file that can be read by any program, which, however, cannot read the second image within the same file.

author: Sorama
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 18, 2025, 12:07:59 pm
content: We use Flir ourselves.If you can only open the Ir image with flir tools, then it is a radiographic image where you can change the palette, emission,measure temperatures.You cannot do that with a jpeg unless it is a radiometric jpeg. ( for which if you want to decompose both images in that single radiometric jpeg, you need Flir Tools).So something in you explanation is not right.

author: Sorama
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 18, 2025, 12:11:21 pm
content: So you better change the setting in the camera so it saves 2 separate images in jpeg.One image is the IR image,the other is the ‘normal’ one.Edit:https://flir.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1729/~/flir-cameras---radiometric-jpeg-images

author: DaneLaw
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 18, 2025, 01:55:24 pm
content: QuoteIts the MSX images you wanna see, split.?MSX is an edge detection algorithm constructed on the visible camera that is superimposed onto the thermal picture.Its not the radiometric data you wanna acces (or radiographic as the user above seems to label it, which usually refers to "x-ray")It's the MSX data, that you're looking to see, that doesn't work on other than Flir tools. (I don't have any Flir cameras, so not familiar with how they store their JPEG metadata or their programs) or if its some of the standard JPEG meta-data's like fx EXIF.. I know my Micsig scopes.. stores its JPGs screendump metadata in EXIF that then can be accessed on the scopes one inbuilt picture image analyzer but it seems Flir is relying on XMP & also EXIF but it seems to vary depending on models.Have you tried some of the online JPEG metadata extraction tools.?Otherwise, these tools claim to offer portable version that can access Flir JPEGs metadata, that holds both radiometric information and MSX data.Quote

author: Sorama
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 18, 2025, 02:41:10 pm
content: i have been using the words radiometric and radiographic in the same message, which I should not.For that I am sorry.Funny thing is that thermographers hate MSX and therefore will never use it.

author: glradio
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: January 18, 2025, 03:03:17 pm
content: Quote from: Sorama on January 18, 2025, 12:07:59 pmQuote from: DaneLaw on January 18, 2025, 01:55:24 pmI probably did not explain myself well: I just want to display on my computer screen the graphical representation of the thermal image (the one on the left in the image below) and the non-thermal version of the same image (the one on the right in the image below), which I know are contained in the .jpg files created with my Flir thermal camera.I do not pretend to display with a standard image viewer the metadata associated with the thermal image, which might contain information accessible only with Flir Tools.To be even clearer: by opening the Test.jpg image with Flir Tools and using the appropriate function I can toggle between displaying the thermal image and the non-thermal image as visible in the photo below.If I open Test.jpg image with any other image viewer, I can view only the thermal image (the one on the left in the image above), but not the non-thermal image contained in the same file (the one on the right in the file above).

author: glradio
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: January 18, 2025, 03:12:50 pm
content: Quote from: DaneLaw on January 18, 2025, 01:55:24 pmThanks for the suggestion, I will try some of these programs and if they don't work I will fall back on the portable version of Flir Tools.I have already talked to the author of Irfanview and he told me that he does not intend to add support for these images as they are little used except in specific industries.

author: Bud
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 18, 2025, 03:53:29 pm
content: Check out JoeC's Thermovision softwarehttps://www.eevblog.com/forum/thermal-imaging/freeware-software-for-thermal-analysis-thermovision_joec/msg949563/#msg949563

author: Sorama
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 18, 2025, 05:52:55 pm
content: Quote from: glradio on January 18, 2025, 03:12:50 pmAgain, all you need is to change the setting so the camera saves a separate digital picture.I know you don’t want to work like that, but that is the way how it works and how everyone uses it.