Editing Scanning electron microscope (section)

===False color using a single detector===
* On compositional images of flat surfaces (typically BSE):
The easiest way to get color is to replace each grey level with an arbitrary color, using a [[color look-up table]]. This method is known as [[false color]] imaging and can help to distinguish phases of the sample with similar properties or composition.<ref name="Mignot-2018">{{cite journal |last=Mignot|first=Christophe|year=2018 |title=Color (and 3D) for Scanning Electron Microscopy |journal=Microscopy Today |volume=26| issue = 3|pages=12–17 |doi=10.1017/S1551929518000482|doi-access=free}}</ref>

* On textured-surface images:
As an alternative to simply replacing each grey level by a color, a sample observed by an oblique beam allows researchers to create an approximative topography image (see further section [[#Photometric 3D rendering from a single SEM image|"Photometric 3D rendering from a single SEM image"]]). Such topography can then be processed by 3D-rendering algorithms for a more natural rendering of the surface texture.
<gallery widths="220px" heights="160px">

File:Surface of a kidney stone.jpg|Surface of a kidney stone

File:Surface of a kidney stone Re-colorized SEM Image.jpg|The same after re-processing of the color from the estimated topography

File:Discoaster-side-diag-alt hg.jpg|SEM image of a diagenetically altered discoaster

File:Discoaster-side-diag-alt Re-colorized SEM Image.jpg|The same image after similar colorization

</gallery>