It is extremely important that you keep an intact copy of all your original files: Some journals request the access to the unmodified, original data before publication If you open and save a .lif file in LAS AF Lite or the offline full version of LAS AF, you may not be able to open this file and reapply its settings on the confocal machine (The confocal and the offline have a version 1.8.2, whereas the Lite version is 2.0.2).
The workstation 1 hosts an offline version of the LAS AF software, as well as Image J. The workstation 2 has Photoshop and two free software programs (LAS AF Lite and Image J) allowing limited manipulation of your Leica files.
There are 2 possibilities:
LAS AF lite allows you to view your images, perform overlays and export your images in TIFF or JPEG format. To install it, download the install file (Download the File) on your desktop and double-click on it.
Image J is a free software that will allow you to look at your native Leica LASAF files .lif on your own computer. It possesses many useful tools such as measurement tools, section of your Z-stacks at any angle, etc. It needs to be slightly modified from the original software settings to accommodate specificities of the .lif files. To install Image J on your computer, Download ImageJ 1.38 bundled with Java 1.6.0_02 (21MB) then copy and paste this file(loci_tools) on your desktop:
1 - Double click on the WCIF_ImageJ_Setup file to install the software.
NOTE: you may want to change the default location for the installation to:“C:\Program Files\ImageJ”
2 - Copy and paste the loci_tools.jar file into the “PLUGINS” folder of the ImageJ software.
3 - Now start the WCIF ImageJ software via the start menu of windows or with the desktop shortcut.
4 - Import your “.lif” file by selecting the plugins field, then “LOCI” and finally “Bio-Formats Importer”.

5- Choose whether you like to display multichannel series as merged RGB series or as separate windows. A window will pop up and you will be able to select the files you want to display. That’s done! For more info on how to use Image J, follow this link: http://rsb.info.nih.gov/ij/
