Relevance of accounting for observational effects in the identification and characterization of morphological features in the remnants that result from N-body simulations. Top panels: simulated R-band images of the final stellar remnant of model gSdgSdo9, for face-on and edge-on views. The simulations assume D = 30 Mpc, μ_R,lim = 27.5 mag arcsec^-2, and a FWHM = 0.7′′. The segment represents a length of 10 kpc. Bottom panels: maps of projected locations of the stellar particles in the same remnant, for the same views. The colour code of the particles is the same as in Fig. 1. The field of view in all panels is 100 kpc × 100 kpc. (Color version online.)