Go back one level to : SerialEM Basics
Please watch the following video to understand how to start up SerialEM and
to do the very basics of taking an image, using the options in the floating panels
and menu items.
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The concepts of the various modes is pretty important to understand. You will notice you have
access to change the "View", "Focus", "Trial" ,"Record" , and "Preview" modes. Typically you
will always use the "Record" mode as the final image to keep for your data set. This means it
should be set to binning x1, reading out the full frame of the chip, and have the appropriate
exposure time set for the final data. The "Trial" mode is typically used for tracking the specimen
for one tilt angle or stage translation to another. This setting should typically have it set to
binning x2, reading out the full frame, and half the exposure time of the "Record" setting. Finally
the Focus parameter setting should be set to binning x2, reading out "half" the frame size, and
with half the exposure time of the "Record" parameter setting. This is all a general guideline
setting. See below for accessing the "Setup" window.
Before acquiring data you will want to check the setup by clicking the “Setup” Button and you should see the menu below
You will always want to check how the “Record” setup is initialized. You will want to make sure you are on Binning 1, and select “Gain Normalized” under Processing.
Set your Exposure Time to your designated time. If you ever feel your image looks “funny”, double check your settings in this setup box.