Step 1: Image Settings (OV20i)

Before the AI can inspect anything, the camera needs to capture a clean, consistent image. This step configures how the camera takes photos.

Remember the waterfall: Everything downstream depends on these settings. If you change image settings later, you'll need to recapture your template image, redo alignment, and potentially retrain your AI model. Get it right now.

Which interface version do you have?

The OV20i web interface was redesigned in v2026.5. Check your software version in the top-right corner of the camera UI and pick the matching tab. Your choice carries across every page in this setup flow, and the whole page below switches to match.

Older versions

Open imaging setup

In your recipe editor, click Configure Imaging. Place your part in the camera's field of view. You'll see the current camera view with your settings applied.

Focus

The OV20i has software-controlled motorized focus. Adjust via the slider in the imaging panel until edges look crisp and sharp. Use a target with clear edges (like a ruler or the part itself) as your reference.

Exposure (ms)

How long the sensor is exposed to light per capture.

• Higher exposure = brighter image, but more motion blur if the part is moving
• Lower exposure = sharper image, but darker (may need more lighting)
• Start in the middle and adjust until the image looks properly lit without blur

Gain

Digital brightness boost (like ISO on a regular camera).

• Higher gain = brighter but noisier (grainy)
• Lower gain = cleaner but needs good physical lighting
• Rule of thumb: Fix brightness with lighting and exposure first. Use gain as a last resort.

Lens Distortion Correction

What is Lens Distortion Correction?

Wide-angle lenses (especially 4-6mm) bend straight lines near the edges of the frame. This setting corrects that distortion so the AI sees accurate geometry.

Use it when: You're using a wide-angle lens (4-6mm) and need accurate alignment or edge detection. The aligner (Step 2) depends on straight edges, so uncorrected distortion can cause unreliable alignment.

Skip it when: You're using a longer focal length lens (12mm+) where barrel distortion is minimal and straight lines already appear straight near the edges of the frame.

If you skip this now and enable it later, you'll need to redo alignment and everything after it.

LED Settings

The OV20i has built-in LED lighting you can control directly from the imaging panel:

• Strobe Mode: Off (continuous) or On (flash only during capture, which reduces heat and saves power)
• Light Pattern: Which LEDs are active. Adjust to reduce glare on shiny surfaces
• Light Intensity: Start low and increase until the image is well-lit without hot spots

Other useful settings

Setting	What it does	When to adjust
White Balance	Adjusts color temperature	Auto for variable lighting, manual for consistent setups
Gamma	Adjusts mid-tone brightness	When image is too dark in shadows but highlights are fine
Image Rotation	Rotates the image 0 or 180 degrees	When the camera is mounted upside down
Photometric Control	Multiple captures with different LED angles, combined	For detecting subtle surface defects on reflective parts

Verify image quality before moving on

A good rule of thumb: if you cannot clearly see the defect or feature in the camera image, the AI will not be able to learn it either. Zoom in on the areas you plan to inspect and confirm the detail is visible before moving on.

Struggling to collect defect samples?

If defects are rare and slowing down your data collection, use the Defect Creator Studio to generate photorealistic synthetic defect images from a single good part image. Getting image settings right first ensures the synthetic images match your real production conditions.

Changing image settings after capturing a template requires rework

If you change image settings after capturing a template, you must recapture the template and redo alignment. Your regions of interest (ROIs) and trained model may also need to be updated. Get image settings right before proceeding.

Verify before moving on

1. Review the camera view and capture several test images
2. Check that every image is:
   • Sharp (not blurry)
   • Well-lit (no dark areas or hot spots)
   • Consistent (each capture looks similar to the last)
   • The part fills most of the frame
3. Click Save Imaging Settings

Image settings checklist

Before moving on, confirm:

• Focus is sharp: edges look crisp in the camera view
• Exposure is set: image is properly lit without motion blur
• Gain is minimal: brightness comes from lighting, not digital boost
• Lens distortion correction enabled (if using wide-angle lens)
• LED settings configured: no glare or hot spots
• Captured images show consistent results shot to shot
• Settings saved

v2026.5 and newer

Open Imaging Setup

In the recipe editor, open Step 1: Imaging Setup. The screen has two halves:

• On the left is the live camera view, with zoom in, zoom out, and Reset controls above it. Place your part in the field of view here.
• On the right are the settings, grouped into six numbered sections. Work down them in order.
• The Quick guide button at the top runs a short guided tour of the page.

1. Mount & orientation

Image Rotation matches the picture to how the camera is physically mounted. Choose No Rotation, or 180° when the camera is mounted upside down.

2. Lens

Lens Distortion Correction tells the system which lens you fitted so wide-angle barrel distortion can be undone. Pick the option that matches your lens: No Correction, 6mm, 8mm, 12mm, 16mm, or 25mm. Correction adds roughly 10 to 20 ms of cycle time per capture. On a wide lens the difference is dramatic: straight lines that bow near the edges of the frame become straight again.

When to correct lens distortion

A wide lens (a short focal length such as 6mm or 8mm) bends straight lines near the edges of the frame. Selecting the matching correction undoes that barrel distortion, so the captured image is geometrically accurate and straight edges look straight. With a longer lens (12mm or more) the bowing is minimal and you can often leave it on No Correction.

3. Focus

Drag the Focus slider until edges look crisp. Turn on the Focus View checkbox to overlay a live sharpness score in the top-right of the preview, then nudge the slider to push that number as high as it goes.

Use Focus View for a live sharpness score

With Focus View on, a sharpness score appears in the top-right of the live preview. Adjust the focus slider to maximize that number. The higher it is, the sharper the image.

4. Image Settings

The software brightness and color controls live here: exposure, gain, gamma, and white balance.

Exposure (ms)

Sets how long the sensor collects light. Higher is brighter, but it adds motion blur on moving parts.

Gain

Digital amplification, like ISO on a camera, on a scale of 1 to 24. It brightens the image without lengthening exposure, but it also amplifies sensor noise. Fix brightness with lighting and exposure first, and reach for gain only as a last resort.

Gamma

Adjusts mid-tone contrast on a scale of 1 to 100. Most scenes sit in the 50 to 70 range.

White balance

Keeps colors neutral. Click Readjust white balance to pulse auto white balance for five seconds and lock in Red, Green, and Blue values, or turn on Continuous auto white balance to keep it adjusting. The captured R, G, and B values appear below and can be edited directly for fine tuning.

5. Lighting

Controls the built-in LED ring.

Strobe Mode

Flashes the LEDs only during capture, which runs cooler and uses less power. Leave it off to keep them lit continuously.

LED Light Pattern

Chooses which LEDs fire. Side patterns rake light across a surface to kill glare on shiny parts.

Pattern	What it lights
All On	Every LED, for even illumination
All Off	No LEDs (switch to external lighting)
Left & Right	The two side banks
Top & Bottom	The top and bottom banks
Left / Top / Right / Bottom Only	One bank, to rake light from a single direction

LED Light Intensity

Runs from 0 to 100%. The integrated LEDs work best at full intensity. If you need a dimmer scene, switch to external lighting and turn the integrated LEDs off.

6. Photometric Control

Captures several frames with the LEDs firing from different angles and combines them. Turn it on to reveal subtle surface defects on reflective parts.

Quick reference

Setting	What it does	When to adjust
White Balance	Adjusts color temperature	Auto for variable lighting, manual for consistent setups
Gamma	Adjusts mid-tone brightness	When image is too dark in shadows but highlights are fine
Image Rotation	Rotates the image 0 or 180 degrees	When the camera is mounted upside down
Photometric Control	Multiple captures with different LED angles, combined	For detecting subtle surface defects on reflective parts

Changing image settings later means rework

If you change image settings after capturing a template, you must recapture the template and redo alignment. Your regions of interest (ROIs) and trained model may also need updating. Get image settings right before you continue.

Verify before moving on

Imaging Setup saves as you go, so there is no separate save button. Before you click Set up Alignment, capture a few test images and confirm every one is:

• Sharp, with no blur
• Well-lit, with no dark areas or hot spots
• Consistent from one capture to the next
• Filled mostly by the part

If you can't see it, the AI can't either

If you cannot clearly see the defect or feature in the camera image, the AI will not be able to learn it. Zoom in on the areas you plan to inspect and confirm the detail is visible before moving on.

Struggling to collect defect samples?

If defects are rare and slowing down your data collection, use the Defect Creator Studio to generate photorealistic synthetic defect images from a single good part image. Getting image settings right first ensures the synthetic images match your real production conditions.

Image settings checklist

Before moving on, confirm:

• Focus is sharp: edges look crisp in the live preview
• Exposure is set: image is properly lit without motion blur
• Gain is minimal: brightness comes from lighting, not digital boost
• Lens distortion correction matches your lens (if using a wide lens)
• Lighting configured: no glare or hot spots
• Captured images look consistent shot to shot

Then click Set up Alignment to continue.

Image looks good? Move to Step 2: Alignment.