Automated image analysis systems that provide detailed morphological information are rapidly replacing manual microscopy as the most effective method of characterizing both particle shape and size. These sophisticated new instruments use the latest technology to provide useful and actionable insight. Until recently, these instruments had been regarded as rather niche, due to their previously limited functionality. However, significant advances in terms of both their capabilities and performance, along with the new insights into particle morphology that these instruments provide, have opened up exciting new avenues for research and development and helped optimize manufacturing and production techniques to make them a much more generally attractive proposition.