A fluorescent microscope makes use of a special set of filters that essentially allow a certain wavelength of light to pass in one direction and a second wavelength of light to pass in the other direction. These filter sets are tuned to matched the absorption and emission spectra of the fluorescent proteins with which the specimen is treated.
Deconvolution is accomplished on a microscope by means of a metered sequential vertical "stack" of images acquired through a certain depth of focus which are then processed with a deconvolution algorithm according to the system's point spread function.
Phase contrast converts variations in the refractive indices of a specimen into variations in intensity which are visible to the eye.