How to export the whole figure data into MATLAB workspace

Hi, I have an invisible figure in which I have 2 color images (displayed by imshow) and some red points (displayed by plot) on the image. I want to save the image with those points to a new variable in MATLAB in workspace. Up to now, I have been succeeded to export the whole figure data to a jpg file with print command. But since I am then forced to read that JPG file, it makes the process slow. Also, I tried getframe(figure_handle), but when it runs, the figure is displayed and so it is not suitable. I am looking for something similar to im = getframe(figure_handle) but in a way that figure is not displayed. I would really appreciate any help of yours to solve this problem.

[sayedm]

figure1_handle = figure('Visible','off');

subplot(1,2,1);

imshow(I);

x = 1:1:10;

y = x;

plot(x,y,'kx','MarkerSize',10,'LineWidth',2);

subplot(1,2,2);

imshow(I);

x = 10:1:20;

y = x;

plot(x,y,'kx','MarkerSize',10,'LineWidth',2);

Ichanged = getframe(figure1_handle); % this line makes the figure visible which is not wanted here, any solution to keep this figure invisible while exporting data into workspace?

figure;imshow(Ichanged); % testing if the figure 2 is similar to that of figure 1

Answer 1

[Jan]

You can call the undocumented function hardcopy. But there are some pitfalls, e.g. the EraseMode of all objects must be 'normal', otherwise hardcopy crashs.

% Simulate PRINT command (save time for writing and reading image file):
% Set units of axes and text from PIXELS to POINTS to keep their sizes
% independent from from the output resolution:
% See: graphics/private/preparehg.m
root_SHH     = get(0, 'ShowHiddenHandles');
set(0, 'ShowHiddenHandles', 'on');
text_axes_H  = [findobj(FigH, 'Type', 'axes'); ...
       findobj(FigH, 'Type', 'text')];
pixelObj     = findobj(text_axes_H, 'Units',     'pixels');
fontPixelObj = findobj(text_axes_H, 'FontUnits', 'pixels');
set(pixelObj,     'Units',     'points');
set(fontPixelObj, 'FontUnits', 'points');

% Set image driver:
if strcmpi(fig_Renderer, 'painters')
   imageDriver = '-dzbuffer';
else
   imageDriver = ['-d', fig_Renderer];
end
fig_ResizeFcn = get(FigH, 'ResizeFcn');
set(FigH, 'ResizeFcn', '');

% "Normal" is the only erasemode, which can be rendered!
% See: NOANIMATE.
EraseModeH = [ ...
    findobj(FigH, 'EraseMode', 'xor'); ...
    findobj(FigH, 'EraseMode', 'none'); ...
    findobj(FigH, 'EraseMode', 'background')];

EraseMode = get(EraseModeH, {'EraseMode'});
set(EraseModeH, 'EraseMode', 'normal');

% Get image as RGB array:
high = hardcopy(FigH, imageDriver, '-r300');

% Restore units of axes and text objects, and EraseMode:
set(pixelObj,     'Units',     'pixels');
set(fontPixelObj, 'FontUnits', 'pixels');
set(EraseModeH, {'EraseMode'}, EraseMode);
set(0, 'ShowHiddenHandles', root_SHH);
set(FigH, 'ResizeFcn', fig_ResizeFcn);

[sayedm]

Thanks Jan,

It perfectly worked. However, there is only one point about fig_renderer which is not clear to me. There is no function with such name in MATLAB R2011b as I see. I set the imageDriver to -dzbuffer and I reached what I wanted however.

Thanks again