Plotting an image (.tif) and a contour in one axes on GUI matlab

Question

I'm working on a GUI able to display images and data associated with the latter images.

I have an x,y image, and a function f(x,y) (wich is a contour) and I'd like to show both the image and the contour in one single plot using an axes object.

This is how I get the image showed in the axes :

function aff_toto_OpeningFcn(hObject, eventdata, handles, varargin)
% This function has no output args, see OutputFcn.
% hObject    handle to figure
% eventdata  reserved - to be defined in a future version of MATLAB
% handles    structure with handles and user data (see GUIDATA)
% varargin

imshow(handles.im_ref,'parent',handles.axes1);

Now I get a contour matrix :

[handles.c,handles.h] = contour(handles.coor_y,handles.coor_x,handles.fun,handles.vec_iso);

I'd like to plot these contour lines on the image itself, in handles.axes1. Does anyone have a clue ?

Thank you all for reading this.

EDIT : For now I'm just tying to plot some random sine over my picture. I tried

imagesc(handles.im_ref,'parent',handles.axes1);

hold(handles.axes1,'on');
plot(handles.axes1,handles.coor_x,sin(handles.coor_x));
hold off;

which shows the picture but the plot remains invisible.

Yes it is an example of what I'm trying to do, thank you it's very relevant. But I'm also working with a GUI, then I don't know how to use this example (for instance I don't understand the way hold works in a GUI). I'll get back on my issue and come back here if I can't solve it with what you gave me. — ChocoPouce
to check if you plot a white background over your image, you can try: set(handles.axes1,'color','none') after the sin plot. That should give you a transparent background — Schorsch
@Schorsch Using set(handles.axes1,'color','none') and the example you gave me I manage to do it. Thank you a lot. — ChocoPouce
You can answer your own question. That way you help others in your situation who visit this site later on. Explain what you did and provide your final code. You can accept your own answer, too. — Schorsch

ChocoPouce ChocoPouce · Accepted Answer · 2013-06-11T09:22:59

I eventually found out where my problem was. using gui objects the hold function has to be used in a different way. As shown below you can specify on whether object hold is working. It is the same for the contour function. It is possible to declare the Parent property (which can be an axes).

function aff_toto_OpeningFcn(hObject, eventdata, handles, varargin)
% This function has no output args, see OutputFcn.
% hObject    handle to figure
% eventdata  reserved - to be defined in a future version of MATLAB
% handles    structure with handles and user data (see GUIDATA)
% varargin

imagesc(handles.im_ref,'parent',handles.axes1);

hold(handles.axes1,'on');
set(handles.axes1,'color','none');

[handles.c,handles.h] = contour(handles.coor_y,handles.coor_x,handles.ch_tr,handles.vec_iso,'Parent',handles.axes1);
hold(handles.axes1,'off');

Using this code, I was able to solve my problem. See also this page in order to find further information about the issue of plotting a random curve on a random picture (image flip issues are discussed there for instance).

Plotting an image (.tif) and a contour in one axes on GUI matlab

1 Answers