Automated cytology/histology viewers and related methods

A method of obtaining and/or processing digital pathology and cytology images for viewing, comprising:

• electronically automatically identifying a location on or in a grossing specimen where at least one color is applied during a grossing procedure;
• electronically automatically generating virtual color location marks on a digital macroscopic image or model of the grossing specimen with a correct spatial position on the image or model of the grossing specimen relative to the grossing specimen based on the electronic identification;
• concurrently displaying (i) a macroscopic image or model of the grossing specimen with at least one of the electronically generated virtual color location marks with (ii) at least one digital microscopic whole-slide image (WSI) of tissue from the grossing specimen, wherein a virtual color location mark associated with the at least one digital WSI is visually connected to a virtual color location mark associated with where a defined color associated with a tissue section from the WSI was applied on the grossing specimen;
• electronically automatically obtaining a plurality of macroscopic images of the specimen during the grossing procedure of the specimen, including at least one base macroscopic image obtained prior to any physical cutting to obtain tissue samples, and placing the virtual color location marks on one or more of the obtained macroscopic images of the specimen for a viewer macroscopic image;
• and
• electronically adjusting for movement of the grossing specimen that can occur during the grossing procedure using the base image and one or more of the subsequent plurality of images to register respective virtual color locations to the viewer macroscopic image.

A method of processing digital pathology and cytology images for viewing comprising:

• concurrently displaying (i) a macroscopic image or model of a grossing specimen with at least one electronically generated virtual color location marks with (ii) at least one digital microscopic whole-slide image (WSI) of tissue from the grossing specimen, wherein the at least one WSI can have different colors associated with different color location marks;
• electronically identifying a side color of a respective WSI, the side color being a color associated with color applied to an external surface area of the grossing specimen or an external surface area of a dissected tissue sample thereof;
• and
• rotating a view of the at least one WSI to automatically display the WSI in an orientation based on the side color in the WSI irrespective of whether the side color is along a long or short side of the WSI before the rotation.