ScreenMeasure is a light-weight utility program for measuring the size and orientation of objects in images displayed on your computer. By default it simply reports dimensions in pixels, but if there is a calibration image available, then it can report the actual dimensions of the object.
ScreenMeasure can also extract the data values from points on a graph.
It can thus be used for measuring data values from images like micrographs, maps, scientific charts etc.
Object Measurement
ScreenMeasure can use a line, rectangle, oval, polygon or free-form shape as the datum from which to measure the object. It can also create tracks by identifying successive locations in the image. For a video image, the track can include measurements made from a sequence of frames, thus enabling velocity to be measured, as well as location.
A snip of the desktop showing ScreenMeasure in use. When you click Measure the program interface is hidden and replaced by an image of the underlying desktop. You then drag a line or other shape (in this case a rectangle) across the object of interest. The interface then reappears showing the values of the measurements.
In this example a PDF of a research paper was displayed on the desktop, and ScreenMeasure was used to determine the base-to-peak amplitude of the waveform labelled PMM in C. The measurement was first calibrated from the 60 mV vertical scale bar, and then a rectangle was dragged from the base level to the peak deviation. The height is about 87mV, The other displayed values are irrelevant in this case. Note that to measure the time (width) value would require recalibration from the horizontal (15 ms) scale bar.
A rectangle was chosen purely for illustration, because its interior can be filled by inverting the screen image, which highlights the region of measurement. A simple line could have been used instead.
Un-graph
To extract data values from a graph, you first calibrate the X and Y axes from the graph scales. Then click Meaure, and click on each data point in turn. Press Esc (or right-click) when you have finished. The X-Y values of each click point then display.
A simple X-Y scatterplot was constructed in Excel, and then the Un-graph facility was used to retrieve the data value. The accuracy of retrieved values obviously depends on the screen resolution and graph size (and the accuracy of the clicks).
Latest version: 4.1 (released January 2025)
What's new? V 4.1 implements the Un-graph routine used to extract data values from a graph.
ScreenMeasure is free software. To obtain the program:
Right-click the file and extract ScreenMeasure.exe.
Double-click ScreenMeasure.exe to run the program.
The first time you do this you may get a warning that you are about to run a program downloaded from the internet, but you can ignore this.
You may also have to selectively configure security programs such as WithSecure
(which by default block all downloaded exe files) to allow Screen Measure to run.
You do not have to install the program, it should run from any file location. However, if you right-click the exe file, you can pin it to your Start display or taskbar for convenience.
ScreenMeasure requires certain Microsoft run-time files. These are normally pre-installed by the operating system, but if you get a message saying that run-time files are missing, you can download and run installers directly from the Microsoft site.
ScreenMeasure is also available from the Microsoft Store, or through the Store App.
Please note that ScreenMeasure comes with no guarantees whatsoever, and although considerable effort has been made to ensure that it works correctly, you use it at your own risk.
Privacy
ScreenMeasure does not collect or transmit any personal information from the user.
Feedback
Please send bug reports and/or comments to the author.
