creating figures Research Imaging Solutions

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1 Research Imaging Solutions it.med.harvard.edu creating figures a basic recipe for building scientific figures using Photoshop and PowerPoint grants journals posters presentations

2 Research Imaging Solutions it.med.harvard.edu/ris Beth Beighlie Digital Imaging Coordinator Research Imaging Solutions Information Technology Department Harvard Medical School 220 Longwood Avenue Boston, MA (617) Written by Beth Beighlie Copyright 2015 by Research Imaging Solutions Version 2, September 7, 2011 Version 2.1, April 6, 2012 Version 3, February 20, 2015

3 Photoshop vs. PowerPoint: Which one should I use?... 1 Workflow Overview... 3 Step-by-Step guide to creating figures for journals... 4 Identify output file requirements... 4 Create a story board... 4 Add Text and Vectors... 6 How to Paste Special vectors on a Mac:... 9 How to Copy & Paste vectors on a Mac:... 9 How to Paste Special vectors on a PC:... 9 How to Copy & Paste vectors on a PC: Editing Vector Objects Within PowerPoint Inserting Rasters How to determine correct dimensions for Rasters Edit raster images with Photoshop or something like that Inserting edited raster images Finishing Touches: Arrange, Align and Group Determining the correct file format for submission Outputting vector-containing files on the PC Other options for making a PDF file, on a PC Make an EPS file, on a PC Outputting vector-containing files on a Mac Make a PDF file, on a Mac, with Save As Make a PDF file, on a Mac, by Printing Make an EPS file, on a Mac Reference Material Resolution Chart Color Mode Chart File Format Chart... 24

4 Creating Figures Using PowerPoint is perhaps the easiest way to make a good figure. Most users are familiar with Microsoft Office and can navigate the tools with some confidence. What follows are instructions for capitalizing on Photoshop and PowerPoint s editing and compositing capabilities. While no journal will accept PPT files, nearly all will accept PDF and EPS files, which can be easily generated by PowerPoint by Saving As to the desired file format or Printing to a PDF file. More detailed instructions are found in the Output Options guide found at it.med.harvard.edu/ris and go to Handouts & Guides You will find this process more straight forward if you are familiar with the concepts of rasters and vectors in the Imaging Essentials guide before beginning your figure: it.med.harvard.edu/ris and go to Handouts and Guides. Photoshop vs. PowerPoint: Which one should I use? Photoshop and PowerPoint are both very flexible applications- each is capable of performing raster image manipulation as well as text and vector editing with varying degrees of success, reliability and ease. While Photoshop is the choice for making adjustments to your raster image s file format, resolution, size, contrast, color balance, alignment and to crop or merge images together (image editing), PowerPoint is preferred for creating figures and doing image compositing and annotation. PowerPoint s real benefit is realized when seeing how the text and vector based elements remain sharp. If vector objects (annotation, anything with text, or containing illustrations, charts, tables or graphs) are opened within Photoshop, the quality diminishes because the process rasterizes the vectors, leaving them a blurry mess (for a complete explanation of vectors and rasters, see Imaging Essentials guide before beginning making your figure: it.med.harvard.edu/ris and go to Handouts and Guides). vector figure 1 Don t open vector objects with Photoshop unless you prefer blurry images. Instead edit your vectors within PowerPoint or within the application that created it 1

5 A good rule to follow is use each tool for what it does best: Use Photoshop for image adjustment, layer-merging, cropping, rotating and editing. Use PowerPoint or Adobe Illustrator for annotating with text and lines, editing text and line elements, incorporating tables, graphs, charts and other vectors and creating composites of multiple image elements. Use Acrobat Pro or Standard to generate acceptable file formats like EPS or PDF for submitting figures to journals Why can t I edit rasters with PowerPoint? you will need to control resolution and physical dimension for journal submission and PowerPoint is not up to the task it is unreliable it looks terrible Why can t I build my figure using Photoshop? it will rasterize any inserted vectors Photoshop is a needlessly complex tool for building figures (placement and alignment features are very unwieldy) if a figure for journal submission requires multiple resolutions, Photoshop is capable of single resolution files, only Photoshop is all about the pixels and if you have any text, annotation, illustrations, charts or drawing objects and aren t careful you are at risk of rasterizing your text and other vectors figure 2 The raster image on the left demonstrates how low resolution images make the pixels more visible. The image on the left also illustrates what can happen if improperly resizing raster images with applications like PowerPoint 2

6 Workflow Overview Determining a target resolution and physical dimension of raster images The first consideration is to determine what your needs are for output. Ideally you want to prepare an image in Photoshop that is the correct resolution, physical dimension, file format and color mode for your output needs. You want to avoid resizing or editing raster images in PowerPoint, and instead use a pixel-based application like Photoshop. For grants, abstracts, papers and journal submissions: If you are submitting a grant, a paper to a journal or preparing images for inclusion in a poster or publication, refer to their submission guidelines to determine what resolution and physical dimension is required. It is important for you to refer to the submission guidelines before starting to create a figure. Failing to do so will likely result in the need to redo the whole process. Make no assumptions: there re nearly as many variations on the submission guidelines as there are journals. You have been warned! For LCD projectors, laser and inkjet printers: Each output device has different resolution and physical dimension requirements. To determine these numbers look at the Resolution Chart at the end of this document. For all figures: If you plan to build a figure using one or more raster images and with or without vector objects, PowerPoint is a good choice for this project. To determine the resolution, refer to the Resolution Chart at the end of this document. To determine the physical dimension, create a storyboard, as outlined in the Workflow section of this document. General Overview: 1. acquire master raster images 2. determine output requirements physical dimension file size limitations color mode font style, size and placement image integrity issues* file type 3. edit copies of the master raster images with Photoshop, GIMP, Canvas or some other pixel based raster editing application: crop rotate align adjust brightness/contrast merge layers set resolution and physical dimension set color mode set file type 4. assemble figure with PowerPoint insert edited raster establish layout images include vector images add text and annotation 5. output any desired file format 3

7 Image integrity is very important to understand. Each journal has it s own policy on image editing and manipulation. Be sure you understand what level of editing is permitted, and what documentation is required for the image edits you make. It is important that raster images won t require any adjustments (beyond location and annotation) once inserted into the secondary application. Resizing, adjusting contrast, cropping and other attempts at raster image editing in anything other than Photoshop GIMP or Canvas may appear OK on screen, but the results are unreliable for output. Once your output needs are determined, you will be able to choose the most appropriate file type, color mode, file size, physical dimension and resolution. For a better understanding of how to make this determination, refer to the Resolution Chart, Color Mode Chart and File Format Chart located at the end of this document. You can find additional information on distinguishing raster objects from vector objects, determining resolution, color mode and file type in the Imaging Essentials guide, which can be downloaded from it.med.harvard.edu/ris and go to Handouts and Guides. Step-by-Step guide to creating figures for journals Identify output file requirements 1. Determine the output requirements for the figure: check submission guidelines for journal or refer to Resolution Chart contained within this document Create a story board 1. create your canvas 2. enter text 3. then insert vectors 4. use the rectangle tool to create a placeholder, it will enable you to visualize how much room is left for rasters cups of coffee What it Takes To Get Going days of the week 4 inserting a shape as a placeholder for raster images will help you determine what size the raster needs to be. double click on the shape to display the size figure 8. The chart on the left illustrates blah blah functions pictured within the woodeewah on the right blah blah exposing blah blah blah. figure 3 creating a story board makes it easy to determine the correct size for raster images, which is important so you can avoid resizing raster images within PowerPoint 4

8 Set Figure Size 2. Open PowerPoint and set the size of the figure set the Page Setup or Slide Size to the correct dimensions for your figure, as determined by the journal s submission guidelines or this document s Resolution Chart Design Tab Page Setup set Custom custom size figure 4 Office 2010 on a PC: use Page Setup to make figure the proper size Design Tab Slide Size set Custom custom size figure 5 Office 2013 on a PC: use Slide Size to make figure the proper size figure 6 Office 2011 on a Mac: use Page Setup to make figure the proper size 5

9 Home Tab Add Text and Vectors 3. Place text, format and edit text content use the Text Box tool to insert text boxes, then add text content Home Tab Shapes Button Office 2010 Office 2011 Home Tab Shapes Palette Office 2013 figure 7 Insert text with the Text Box Tool in Office 2010 (PC), Office 2011 (Mac) and Office 2013 (PC) Note: Font choice is important. If the journal does not specify a particular font, choose a versatile, cross-platform font like Arial, Times, Times New Roman, Georgia, Verdana or Trebuchet MS. edit and format text content 6

10 4. Place vectors into figure Copy & Paste or Paste Special and edit vector-based images, if needed About Copy & Paste vs. Paste Special with Excel Charts and PowerPoint There are many options for getting vectors into your figure. This chart illustrates the options worth considering. (even though this chart surveys what happens when you use Excel from Office 2013 for PC and Office 2011 for Mac, much of this information will apply to other versions of Office, as well as other applications that generate vector images) Including Vectors, an Overview Office 2013 for Windows Copy & Paste, Linked Copy & Paste, Embed Paste Special, MOGO Paste Special, Picture (Enhanced Metafile) Paste Special, Picture (Windows Metafile) Resizing Edit Text Edit Objects objects resize well; text, not so much objects resize well; text, not so much objects resize well; text, not so much text & objects both resize reliably text & objects both resize reliably mostly, but not legends mostly, but not legends mostly, but not legends yes, if you first ungroup & convert to MODO yes, if you first ungroup & convert to MODO Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Office 2011 for Mac Copy & Paste, Chart Copy & Paste, Excel Chart Copy & Paste, Picture Paste Special, MODO Paste Special, PDF objects resize well; text, not so much objects resize well; text, not so much text & objects both resize reliably objects resize well; text, not so much text & objects both resize reliably mostly, but not legends mostly, but not legends No mostly, but not legends No Yes Yes No Yes No 7

11 whether you Copy & Paste or Paste Special select the object in the source document and Copy figure 8 to include vectors in your figure, start by copying the vector from the source YES: Microsoft Office Drawing Object PDF NO: Microsoft Excel Chart Object Picture # # figure 9 Paste Special on the Mac works best with PDF and Microsoft Office Drawing Objects 8

12 Home Tab How to Paste Special vectors on a Mac: a. Go to your source document and select a pre-existing vector object (chart, table, graph or other vector object). b. Copy it c. Go to your target document and Edit > Paste Special d. In the Paste Special dialog box choose one of the following Microsoft Drawing Object PDF How to Copy & Paste vectors on a Mac: a. Go to the source vector object you would like to use and Copy it b. Go to the document that you would like to use the vector object in and Paste it as a Chart or Picture How to Paste Special vectors on a PC: a. Go to your source document and select a pre-existing vector object (chart, table, graph or other vector object). b. Copy it c. Go to your target document and Paste Special d. In the Paste Special dialog box, choose one of the following Picture (Enhanced Metafile) Picture (Windows Metafile) Paste Options on the PC, most reliable Picture (Windows Metafile) or Picture (Enhanced Metafile) when inserting vectors, many Paste Special... options work quite well, as long as you avoid any option that is raster based (jpg, gif, tif, png, etc) figure 10 Paste Special on the PC works best when avoiding the raster options 9

13 # figure 11 Copy & Paste on the PC works best when avoiding the Picture option How to Copy & Paste vectors on a PC: Go to the source vector object you would like to use and Copy it Go to the document that you would like to use the vector object in and Paste it as a Linked, Embeded or Microsoft Office Graphics Object Editing Vector Objects Within PowerPoint You may wish to edit the vector object once placed into the figure. Regardless of how the vector was placed, grabbing a selection handle will allow you to resize. After resizing vectors, it is important to proofread all the text elements carefully because different methods of including vectors will give different editing options. Text can be resized, font styles changed, objects and lines recolored and elements can be moved or deleted. Please see the Including Vectors Chart for an overview on editing features. 10

14 Inserting Rasters How to determine correct dimensions for Rasters 5. Determine raster image size requirements for editing process use the Rectangle Tool to insert placeholders where raster images will go Since it is vitally important that you not resize any raster image from within PowerPoint, this is a very important step. Be mindful of the aspect ratio of the images you intend to use (are they oriented as landscape or portrait?) You do not need to size your image to be exactly the size of the image placeholder rectangle, just use it as a guide- it is likely that you won t want either dimension of the edited picture to exceed either dimension of the image placeholder rectangle. Home Tab Shapes Palette PC Office 2013 Home Tab Shapes Button PC Office 2010 Home Tab Mac Office 2011 figure 12 since it is a bad idea to resize rasters within PowerPoint, the Rectangle Tool is useful for determining how big your rasters need to be. Figuring out the target dimension: Using the Rectangle Tool, draw boxes to represent where you ll place your images. See numerical values of target dimensions by clicking on the Format Tab or double-clicking on the image placeholder rectangle. Use these numbers as an approximate target when editing your image size. 11

15 click on the Format Tab or double-click image placeholder to determine target physical dimension double-click on the image placeholder rectangle to get the Format tools and information PC Mac figure 13 make note of the dimensions so you can use Photoshop to resize your raster files Edit raster images with Photoshop or something like that 6. Prepare raster images: edit a copy of raster image with Photoshop to meet file type, color mode, resolution, physical dimension, etc. needs. a. file type:.jpg, flattened.tif or.png files are good options b. color mode: if there s color, use RGB; if not, use gray scale (some journals may require CMYK- if this is the case, edit in RGB and as the last step, change to CMYK) c. resolution: as determined by journal submission guidelines or Resolution Chart d. raster s physical dimension: see step 5, above (the goal is to use Photoshop to prepare a raster image that is exactly the correct resolution and physical dimension you need, so that once you insert it into PowerPoint you only need to adjust placement and annotate. See the Imaging Essentials guide for definitions of rasters, vectors and ways to correctly resize images. You should not resize or otherwise make raster image edits once you have inserted the image into PowerPoint) For instructions on properly resizing and editing raster images, see the Imaging Essentials guide at it.med.harvard.edu/ris. 12

16 Home Tab Inserting edited raster images 7. Delete image placeholders 8. Insert edited raster images into PowerPoint (do NOT Copy & Paste) 9. Adjust the image placement only and annotate raster images within PowerPoint (do NOT resize with PowerPoint) 10. Align, Group, Save and proofread. Insert Tab NEVER Copy & Paste PC Mac Figure 14 don t Copy & Paste, instead, Insert Picture from File 13

17 Finishing Touches: Arrange, Align and Group Figure 15 PowerPoint has tools that will aid in controlling text boxes, pictures and drawings. The Align Tools help add balance and symmetry and the Bring to Front, etc Tools allow you to adjust what layer an object is on. 1. Align, Group, Proofread, Save and submit Aligning and Grouping objects will ensure all elements remain where you intend them to be. Failing to Group leaves you vulnerable to the possibility of inadvertently moving something. Once done annotating and arranging all objects, Select All the objects, then Group all selected objects. Using the Align or Distribute Tools, click on the To Slide option and click on the Center Align buttons (there is one for horizontal and another for vertical) Everything is now centered! PROOFREAD! 14

18 Determining the correct file format for submission Start by consulting the submission guidelines for the particular grant, journal or service bureau you ll be working with. Since there is no standard for submission guidelines, it is crucial to know the file type, physical dimension, resolution, color mode and file size BEFORE you begin to prepare a figure. It is likely you ll need to recreate a figure for submission even if you ve made one for a poster, presentation or other journal. Often the guidelines will give you a couple of options, so read on to know which options are best While this document describes how to make PDF and EPS file types in the Microsoft Office environment, the process is often very similar for most other applications. For a complete explanation on the differences between vector and raster images, see the Imaging Essentials Guide, which can be downloaded at it.med.harvard.edu/ris 15

19 avoid submitting raster file formats like JPG, TIF, PNG or GIF it is better to use vector file formats like PDF, EPS or PS figure 16 maximize appearance by submitting vector files, not raster files Vectors are better If submission guidelines request figures to be submitted as raster file format (TIF, JPG, PNG or GIF) or a vector file format (PS, EPS, or PDF) AND IF your figure has any vectors (text, arrows, shapes drawn with Drawing Tools) you should submit the figure in a vector file format for best results. Rasters are barely OK If your figure has vector objects (text, arrows, drawn objects) and PS, EPS, or PDF file types are not an option for submission, and therefore you must submit a pixel-based file format, TIF and PNG are better bitmap choices because they rasterize vectors better than JPG. If you do prepare a raster or pixel-based file (TIF, JPG, PNG, GIF) for submission, you will probably need to resize the physical dimension or change the resolution of the image. Follow the instructions at the end of this document to ensure you do this correctly. Since many figures are created using PowerPoint, the methods for making raster-based file types is described in the Microsoft Office environment. 16

20 Outputting vector-containing files on the PC Make a PDF file, on a PC, with Save As 1. Open figure that was created in PowerPoint 2. Save As... file type: PDF figure 17 An alternative to Printing to a PDF is to Save As a PDF file 17

21 Other options for making a PDF file, on a PC Microsoft Office on PC s can also Export to PDF and if the full version of Adobe Acrobat (not the free Reader) is installed, you can Print to PDF file Make an EPS file, on a PC To make EPS files, PC users will need full version Adobe Acrobat (not just the free Acrobat Reader version), 1. Follow the directions for making a PDF file, as previously outlined in this document. 2. Open PDF file with Adobe Acrobat (full version). 3. Save As. select file format type as Encapsulated PostScript figure 18 To make an EPS file, start by making a PDF file and use Adobe Acrobat to save it as an Encapsulated PostScript file DO NOT ATTEMPT TO OPEN THE RESULTING EPS FILE FOR PROOFREADING. EPS FILES ARE NOT MEANT TO BE OPENED, THEY ARE MEANT TO BE SENT DIRECTLY FOR PRINTING. 18

22 Outputting vector-containing files on a Mac Make a PDF file, on a Mac, with Save As 1. Open figure that was created in PowerPoint 2. Save As... Format: PDF figure 19 An alternative to Printing to a PDF is to Save As a PDF file 19

23 Make a PDF file, on a Mac, by Printing 1. Open figure that was created in PowerPoint 2. Print to PDF by selecting PDF button in the lower left corner of the Print dialog box 3. Choose Save as PDF figure 20 On a Mac, print to a PDF file by choosing Save as PDF in the Print dialog box 20

24 Make an EPS file, on a Mac To make EPS files, Mac users will need full version Adobe Acrobat (not just the free Acrobat Reader version), 1. Follow the directions for making a PDF file, as previously outlined in this document. 2. Open PDF file with Adobe Acrobat (full version). 3. Save As. select Encapsulated PostScript figure 21 To make an EPS on a Mac, first create a PDF file and then open it in a full version of Adobe Acrobat and Save As and Encapsulated PostScript file DO NOT ATTEMPT TO OPEN THE RESULTING EPS FILE FOR PROOFREADING. EPS FILES ARE NOT MEANT TO BE OPENED, THEY ARE MEANT TO BE SENT DIRECTLY FOR PRINTING. 21

25 Reference Material Resolution Chart The following is a guide for the output resolution requirements of different devices. It is advisable to acquire images at a higher resolution (i.e.: 400 dpi for photo, bitmap or raster images and dpi for line art, illustrations, cartoons and text) and save that as your master image and make lower resolution iterations according to how you ll be outputting it. Sorry, one size doesn t fit all- you will need different sized images for different output needs. Be careful! Don t overwrite your master images with your dumbed down versions! Output Device Art Work Type PowerPoint On-screen Presentation LCD Data Projector Computer Monitor/Display Web Site Physical Dimension of PowerPoint On-Screen Presentation: 7.5 x 10 otherwise physical dimension of projector or monitor = pixel dimension of device Laser Printer (LaserJets & LaserWriters) Printable Area varies Photo Images Bitmap Images Raster Images (with no text or vector objects within) Raster images that contain Line Art Illustrations Vector Objects Cartoons Text 100 dpi 200 dpi dpi dpi Photo- Quality Inkjet Printable Area varies Photo-Quality Printer (i.e.: Fujix, dye sublimation printers) Printable Area = 8 x 10.5 or 8 x 5 Poster Printer Printable Area =determined by service bureau 150 dpi (plain paper) 180 or 240 or 320 dpi (photo paper) dpi (usually 320 dpi) dpi start at 125dpi dpi dpi 300 dpi figure 22 If you are scanning 35mm slides or negatives, you should scan at a high enough resolution (at least 1200 dpi at 100%) to be able to resize to a larger physical dimension. Follow the instructions in this document how to properly enlarge the image. This Resolution Chart is to be used as an approximate guide only- there are more precise numbers that can be applied for specific uses. If you d like to know these specific calculations, use these numbers as starting points and experiment. The goal should be to have a relatively high-resolution master image from which you prepare a file that is the correct resolution, physical dimension and file format for a particular output device. This is especially important when prepping images for insertion into PowerPoint: DO NOT use PowerPoint to resize your images once you have inserted them. 22

26 Color Mode Chart Output Art Work Type Color photos illustrations, cartoons, anything without photos Black and white or gray scale photos, illustrations, raster and vector images Internet/ Web/ Computer Monitor/ LCD Projector Laser Printers RGB Indexed Color or RGB Gray scale Inkjet Printers Fujix Pictrograph Journals, posters Check submission guidelines (might be CMYK) Figure 23 23

27 Joint Photographic Experts Group File Format Chart Recommended for images containing pixel-based objects, photos, bitmap, raster and rasterized vectors.jpg Widely used: cross-platform and can be opened by most graphics programs Best for photos (without text or former vectors) used on web and in Lossy compression algorithm Smaller file size and lesser image quality than.tif Best choice for inserting into Word, PowerPoint and Acrobat Single page document Ping or.png.png Widely used: cross-platform and can be opened by most graphics programs Best for photos (that contain rasterized text or vectors) Lossless compression algorithm Good choice for inserting into Word, PowerPoint and Acrobat Supports transparency Single page document Tag Image File Format.TIF.TIFF Widely used: cross-platform and can be opened by most graphics programs Best for photos (with text or rasterized vectors) Lossless compression algorithm Good choice for inserting into Word, PowerPoint and Acrobat Supports layers Single page document Graphics Interchange Format.GIF Widely used bitmap format with compression Limited to 256 colors Can be animated and supports transparency Preferred for illustrations and graphics used on web Figure 24a 24

28 File Format Chart (cont d.) Recommended for images containing vector objects Portable Document Format Encapsulated PostScript & PostScript Flash File Format.PDF.EPS.PS.SWF Widely used: can be opened with free Reader download Preferred for retaining formatting of shared documents Preferred for distribution on web and in Supports bitmap and vector objects in same document Supports multiple page documents not recommended for editing Printer language Supports bitmap and vector objects in same document not recommended for editing Supports animation, audio and interactivity Supports bitmap and vector objects in same document PowerPoint.PPT Supports bitmap and vector objects in same document Supports multiple page documents Photoshop Illustrator Canvas.PSD.AI.CNV Proprietary formats Lossless bitmap format Supports layers Single page documents Editable postscript format Supports bitmap, vector, and text data Supports layers Single page documents Lossless format supports bitmap and vector data Layered or multiple pages per file Figure 24b 25