Analyze Gel Electrophoresis Images

A free browser-based gel electrophoresis analyzer for DNA, RNA and protein gels. Load a gel photo from your phone, camera or gel-doc system, auto-detect lanes and bands, calibrate molecular weights with 20+ built-in ladders, and export an annotated image, CSV table or full report.

How to analyze a gel image

1
Upload the gel photo

Drag and drop a JPG, PNG, TIFF or BMP photo of your gel. Adjust brightness and contrast if needed.

2
Run auto-detect

Click Auto Detect to find lanes and bands. Add missing bands with the band tool, remove extras with the eraser.

3
Pick the ladder

Click the ladder lane, then choose a ladder from the dropdown. Molecular weights appear next to every band.

4
Export results

Download an annotated PNG, a CSV results table, or a full PNG report with calibration curve.

Quantify lanes and compute molecular weights from any gel photo

Drop your gel image here
or browse files to start
JPG, PNG, TIFF, BMP, WebP — up to 50 MB
1Upload imageDrop a gel photo from your camera, gel doc, or UV transilluminator.
2Auto detectClick Auto Detect to find lanes and bands, then fine-tune by hand.
3Calibrate & exportPick a ladder to get molecular weights, then export PNG, CSV or report.
🧬
Gel Type
🧪
Lanes
0 ▾
No lanes detected. Use Auto Detect or add lanes manually.
📐
Calibration
▾
Ladder
Select a ladder lane to enable molecular weight calibration.
📋
Results
0 bands ▾
Lane Band Rf MW Intensity Relative %
🔍
Gel Quality
▾
✓Good quality

Features

Auto lane & band detection with manual touch-up 20+ DNA & protein ladders — one click Densitometry with background subtraction Calibration with R² quality score Quality checks built Export, and report

FAQ

What gel types are supported?

DNA agarose gels, SDS-PAGE protein gels, RNA gels and Western blots. The tool accepts photos from UV transilluminators, gel-doc systems, DSLRs and smartphones — anything saved as JPG, PNG, TIFF, BMP or WebP.

How accurate is the molecular weight estimation?

Accuracy is typically within 5–10%, comparable to manual log-linear regression. The calibration R² is shown live so you can judge the fit. For best results, make sure ladder bands are evenly spaced and the lane is straight.

Can I use my own custom ladder?

Yes. Select "Custom..." from the ladder dropdown and enter fragment or protein sizes separated by commas, largest first. Calibration will use your values.

How does densitometry work?

The tool averages pixel intensity across each lane to build a profile, subtracts background using rolling-ball or valley-to-valley, and integrates the area under each peak. Relative % is normalised per-lane.

Can I edit bands after auto-detect?

Yes. Use the Band tool to add a missing band where you click, the Eraser to remove a false positive, and the Pointer to re-select a lane. Every edit updates Rf and MW instantly.

💡 Want us to improve this tool just for you?

We can — and it's free! Just send us a quick message with your idea. If you'd like to discuss it in detail, leave your email and we'll get back to you. You can stay anonymous.

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Who is this tool for?
🏥 Healthcare Professionals
Published Updated