ChimeraX does not have a 2d image label capability. When you open a 2D TIFF or PNG it is treating it as a 3d density map with one plane -- this is a bad way to try to insert a 2D image, the brightness profile won't even be linear, transparency will be used instead of having an opaque image, the gray one pixel edge border is probably unintentional.

For adding color bars and graphs to 2d images the most common approach is to do this in an image editor, not in ChimeraX. Same for movies, use a movie editor. ChimeraX is not intended to replace Photoshop and Final Cut. That said, our 2d text labels are just images in the graphics and it would not be especially hard to add 2d image labels. But we have hundreds of other features we are trying to get into ChimeraX and I think this is a low priority (although I'm about to hack exactly this kind of feature in today for multi-person virtual reality ChimeraX sessions to show a picture of each person's face in the scene -- but won't be accessible as a general command which is 20 times more work). I'll make a feature request ticket but you should find other means to do this.

On Jan 31, 2018, at 11:15 AM, Emmott, Ed wrote:

Hi,
Is there (or likely to be in future) a 2d image feature, allowing you to overlay 2d graphics (.tif, .png) in the same way as the 2dlabel command (e.g. Xpos Ypos )? My use case is wanting to add additional 2d graphics (e.g. color bar or graphs) over a pdb structure prior to rendering images/generating movies.

Whilst I can get ChimeraX to open the images easily e.g. (open “…test.tif”), they are acquiring edges (white background image on white background scene -> grey borders) I assume as a result of being interpreted as a 3d object. Otherwise loving the software!
Thanks a lot,
Ed

Using ChimeraX build v0.5 (2018-01-12)

Dr Edward Emmott
Research Associate
Slavov Lab
Northeastern University
332 Mugar, 360 Huntington Ave.
Boston, MA.

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