1. An automated method for simultaneously identifying a plurality of pixels in a digital image of a biological tissue stained with a chemical compound, comprising: considering a first color plane of a plurality of pixels in a foreground of the digital image for simultaneous identification of cell cytoplasm and cell membrane pixels, wherein the digital image has been processed to remove background portions of the digital image and to remove counterstained components of the digital image; determining a threshold level between cell cytoplasm and cell membrane pixels in the foreground of the digital image; and determining simultaneously with a selected pixel and its eight neighbors from the foreground if the selected pixel is cell cytoplasm pixel, a cell membrane pixel or a transitional pixel in the digital image using the determined threshold level.