Blurring images
We take a simple image to see how it is affected by the application of microscopes Point Spread Functions (PSF). We blur them following the procedure explained in Imaging Simulation. The original image is treated as a XZ (vertical) slice of a 3D Image.Original image
Using the Confocal Microscope PSF the image is blurred, but you can still recognize it:
Confocal blur
Using the Wide Field Microscope PSF you can no longer identify the original object:
Widefield blur
Restoring the images
To obtain a better representation of the original object, we need to do Image Restoration. We apply Huygens Deconvolution in the above blurry images to obtain what follows:Confocal restored
Widefield restored
Both images are very much improved, but due to the missing cone of frequencies in the widefield case (see Cookie Cutter) horizontal structures (in 3D, horizontal planes, like flat membranes) can not be fully recovered.