An imaging system for imaging a sample comprising an infrared or near-infrared fluorophore, comprising: an image sensor to detect visible light and emission light and generate sensor signals; a laser to emit an excitation light for the infrared or near-infrared fluorophore, wherein the excitation light is conducted to the sample; a laser clean-up filter in the excitation light path from the laser to the sample, wherein the laser clean-up filter narrows the wavelength band of the excitation light to the peak absorption band of the infrared or near-infrared fluorophore, wherein the narrowed excitation light excites the infrared or near-infrared fluorophore in the sample to emit an emission light, wherein the emission light is conducted to the image sensor, and a notch filter in the emission light path from the sample to the image sensor, wherein the notch filter blocks the excitation light; a white light source to emit a light comprising visible light, wherein the visible light is conducted to the sample, wherein the sample reflects the visible light, wherein the reflected visible light is conducted to the image sensor, and an image processing unit for generating image frames and connected to the image sensor, wherein the image processing unit processes sensor signals to generate at least one white light frame when the sample receives only visible light, at least one stray light frame when the sample receives neither visible light nor the excitation light, and one or more near infrared frames (NIFs) when the sample receives only excitation light, and wherein the image processing unit subtracts the SLF from each NIF and then adds together all SLF-subtracted NIFs to generate a final NIF, and the final NIF and the WLF are added together to generate a composite image, wherein the image sensor is one image sensor configured to detect both the emission light and the visible light from the sample and configured to generate sensor signals, and wherein the image sensor comprises blue, green and red pixel sensors. an image sensor to detect visible light and emission light and generate sensor signals; a laser to emit an excitation light for the infrared or near-infrared fluorophore, wherein the excitation light is conducted to the sample; a laser clean-up filter in the excitation light path from the laser to the sample, wherein the laser clean-up filter narrows the wavelength band of the excitation light to the peak absorption band of the infrared or near-infrared fluorophore, wherein the narrowed excitation light excites the infrared or near-infrared fluorophore in the sample to emit an emission light, wherein the emission light is conducted to the image sensor, and wherein the laser clean-up filter narrows the wavelength band of the excitation light to the peak absorption band of the infrared or near-infrared fluorophore, wherein the narrowed excitation light excites the infrared or near-infrared fluorophore in the sample to emit an emission light, wherein the emission light is conducted to the image sensor, and a notch filter in the emission light path from the sample to the image sensor, wherein the notch filter blocks the excitation light; a white light source to emit a light comprising visible light, wherein the visible light is conducted to the sample, wherein the sample reflects the visible light, wherein the reflected visible light is conducted to the image sensor, and wherein the visible light is conducted to the sample, wherein the sample reflects the visible light, wherein the reflected visible light is conducted to the image sensor, and an image processing unit for generating image frames and connected to the image sensor, wherein the image processing unit processes sensor signals to generate at least one white light frame when the sample receives only visible light, at least one stray light frame when the sample receives neither visible light nor the excitation light, and one or more near infrared frames (NIFs) when the sample receives only excitation light, and wherein the image processing unit subtracts the SLF from each NIF and then adds together all SLF-subtracted NIFs to generate a final NIF, and the final NIF and the WLF are added together to generate a composite image, wherein the image sensor is one image sensor configured to detect both the emission light and the visible light from the sample and configured to generate sensor signals, and wherein the image sensor comprises blue, green and red pixel sensors. wherein the image processing unit processes sensor signals to generate at least one white light frame when the sample receives only visible light, at least one stray light frame when the sample receives neither visible light nor the excitation light, and one or more near infrared frames (NIFs) when the sample receives only excitation light, and wherein the image processing unit subtracts the SLF from each NIF and then adds together all SLF-subtracted NIFs to generate a final NIF, and the final NIF and the WLF are added together to generate a composite image, wherein the image sensor is one image sensor configured to detect both the emission light and the visible light from the sample and configured to generate sensor signals, and wherein the image sensor comprises blue, green and red pixel sensors.