Is Photoshop With Qualitative Image Analysis a Valid Technique for Measuring Hair Morphology? A Test Using Wires of Known Dimensions

The study compared three image analysis methods to measure the length and width of wires representing mammalian hair. It found that the Qualitative Image Analysis 64 software (QIA-64) accurately measured the length of straight wires when features were manually selected, but struggled with curved wires. For width measurements, the Inscribed Radius procedure was more accurate than Mean Fibre Width. Although QIA-64 showed potential for research use, it required further refinement and validation before it could replace manual measurements with a microscope.