FlowCam systems characterize microparticles in the wide range of 2-2000um. The system uses optical magnification and a high-resolution camera to image particles as they stream through the flow cell. As the particle flow, each particle is imaged separately enabling the acquisition of hundreds to thousands of particles per second. Each particle image is then automatically analyzed to 50 different shape/color/fluorescence parameters that are used to classify and quantify the particle populations.