MakingProfessionalQualityScientificFigures:Part1– TheEssentials

RESOURCES:http://www.people.fas.harvard.edu/~draft/thesisworkshop/• PDFofthispresentation• PDFofinstructionsforimagemanipulation• Sampleimagesusedinthedemos

Rasterobjects:scans,microscopepictures,photos,screen-captures• Pixelbased(setnumberofpixels)

• Zoominandseepixels• EditinPhotoshop orGIMP• Filetypes:TIFF,PNG,JPG,BMP

Figuresareamixofrasterobjects andvectorobjects

Figuresareamixofrasterobjects andvectorobjectsRasterobjects:scans,microscopepictures,photos

• Pixelbased(setnumberofpixels)• Zoominandseepixels

• EditinPhotoshop orGIMP• Filetypes:TIFF,PNG,JPG

Vectorobjects:shapes,text,excel/matlab graphs• Notpixelbased(mathematicalexpressions)• Zoominwithoutblurring• CreateandeditinPowerpoint (orIllustrator)• PPT,PDFcanhandlevectorandrasterobjects

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UsingPowerPointtoBuildYourFigures

Thatwillgiveyoua1inchborderinfinaldocument

Use9inches

Use6.5inches

FigureLegend

WordDoc:8.5x11‘File’>‘PageSetup’>6.5x9(Portrait)

• Setthepagesizesoyourfigurescanbeeasilyintegratedintoyourworddocument.• UseArialfontforthefigurelegend.Thatiswhatmostprofessionaljournalsnowrequest.

InsertingRasterImages:Resolution

• Normalprinter:220ppi/dpi(pixels/dotsperinch)• Slideshows(projects/monitors)72dpi

Whichimageis72ppi andwhichis220ppi?- Screensonlyshow72ppi.- Canonlytellwhenprintedoutorzoomedin.

Howdoweknowifwehavesufficientresolutionforclearprintedimages?

• ‘Insert’>‘Pictures’(ordragthemin)– Don’tcopy/paste– badthingscanhappen

• Resizetomakeitsmallerifyouwant– Avoid resizingtomakeitbigger!Powerpoint willaddpixels(interpolate)

• Eitherretakethepictureorkeepitsmall• Note:ifyouareinapinch,andneedtoresizeanimagetomakeitbiggerquickly,justresizeitin

Powerpoint.Theimagewon’tbeperfect,butitisstillacceptableforthethesis.

• Checkqualitybyzoomingupto300%(3x72ppi =~220ppi)

HowtoInsertImagesintoPowerpoint

1. SelectPicture>‘PictureFormat’>‘Crop’2. SelectPicture>‘PictureFormat’>‘Corrections’

HowtoAdjustImagesinPowerpoint

HandlingVectorObjectsCommonvectorobjects

• Shapes,schematics,flow-charts1. CanbemadeinPowerpoint

• Insertshape,thenRight-click>EditPointstocustomize

HandlingVectorObjectsCommonvectorobjects

• Shapes,schematics,flow-charts• Graphs:Options:

1. CancopyandpastexcelgraphsinPowerpoint2. SavegraphasPDForSVGandthen‘insert’objectinPowerpoint3. Ifthesefail,savethegraphasarasterobject,by:

A. SaveasTIForPNGfromyouroriginalgraphingprogram- Theresolutionwillbedeterminedbytheoriginalprogram.

B. SaveasaPDFthenopeninPhotoshop/Gimp(rasterizeit)- Thisallowsyoutosettheresolution(220ppi)ataspecifiedsize

C. Screenshotaslargeaspossibleinyouroriginalgraphingprogram,theninsertasarasterobjectinpowerpoint.- Zoomupandmakeitasbigasyourdisplaybeforethescreenshottogetasa

largesizeaspossible.

• Zoomup (300%orgreater)beforescreencapture/copy

‘AdaptingFigures’Successfully

Screenshotat100%• PixelatedL

Screenshotat300%• NopixelationJ

AWordonFileSizeYourfinal.pptx shouldn’tmore>~20MB- If>20MB,yourimagesprobablyhaveexcesspixels- ‘File’>’CompressPictures’>220willreduceallyourimages

- Note:thiswilldeleteallextrapixelsinyourimages.Sobesurethepicturesarethesizeyouwantthem.Otherwise,youwillhavetore-inserttheoriginalstorestorethequality

Incorporatingfiguresintoyourthesis

• Summary- InsertordragpicturesintoPowerpoint (DONOTCOPYANDPASTE!)- Moveyourimagearound.Ifyouscale(onlyscaledown/smaller,notbigger),then

compressto220ppi toreducefilesize.- Usevectorobjectswhenpossible(arrows,asterisks,text,legend,shapes,graphs,etc)- Saveas.PPTXuntilyourfigureisfinalized- SaveasPDFandinsertintoyourthesisdocument(.doc).

• Whenyou’refinished:• ‘File’>‘SaveAs’aPDF(preservevectorandrasterobjects)

- InsertPDFintoyourfinalthesisdocument(WorddocorPDFfile)

DONE