How to make a multi-panel figure
- Add the panels in reading order: drop SVG, PNG, JPEG or TIFF files, choose them, or paste an image. Reorder them with the arrows.
- Choose the arrangement: automatic, or panels per row such as “2,1” (two panels, then one across the page).
- Pick your journal to set the width, font and letter style, and read the checks under the figure.
- Remake panels at their cell width if their text shrank: the cell widths are listed under “Arrangement”.
- Export a vector PDF or SVG, or TIFF/PNG at the resolution your journal asks for. Save a project file to change the figure later.
What editors check in multi-panel figures
- Consistent text: the same font and similar sizes in every panel, never below the journal’s minimum after scaling.
- Resolution: 300 dpi for photos, 600 dpi or more for line art, at the printed size; vector graphics avoid the problem for charts.
- Letters: one letter per panel, same size and position, in the case the journal uses.
- Size: the figure fits a column width and the page height. Check the final file with the Journal Figure Checker.
Make the panels themselves with the forest plot, Kaplan–Meier,PRISMA or risk-of-bias tools, at the width of their cells.
Frequently asked questions
Which files can I use as panels?
SVG (from CleanFigure, R with svglite or ggsave, Python with matplotlib, Inkscape, Illustrator), PNG, JPEG and TIFF, including 16-bit microscope images, LZW or Deflate compressed. SVG panels stay vector, so their text is sharp and searchable in the PDF. PDF panels cannot be placed yet: export the panel as SVG or TIFF instead. You can also paste a screenshot with Ctrl+V.
Why does the text of a panel look smaller than the rest?
A panel made 174 mm wide and placed in an 85 mm cell is scaled to half its size, and its 8 pt text becomes 4 pt. Journals ask for a minimum text size (often 5–7 pt) and for consistent sizes across panels. The tool shows each panel’s text size as placed and the width of every cell: make each panel at its cell width in the tool that drew it, and its text keeps the size you chose.
What resolution do photos and micrographs need?
Most journals ask for 300 dpi for photographs and 600–1200 dpi for line art at the size they are printed. The tool calculates each image’s resolution at its placed size and warns when it is too low. Mark photographs as “Photo or micrograph” so they are checked against 300 dpi. Scaling a low-resolution image up does not add detail; use the original file from the microscope or camera.
Upper or lower case panel letters?
Nature journals use bold lowercase letters (a, b, c) at 8 pt; Cell, Science, PLOS and most others use uppercase (A, B, C). Choose the case, style (A, (A) or A.), size and position. If a panel already has a letter inside it, the tool points it out so you do not end up with two.
Is the image data changed?
PNG and JPEG files are placed as they are. TIFF files are converted to lossless PNG at full resolution; 16-bit images are mapped to 8 bits linearly over their whole range, transparent areas are filled with white and CMYK is converted to RGB, and the tool tells you when it does any of this. These are whole-image changes, which journals allow; nothing is sharpened, cropped or retouched.
Are my images uploaded?
No. Files are read and combined in your browser, and nothing is sent to a server, which matters for unpublished data and patient images. SVG files are rebuilt before they are shown: scripts, links, external references and embedded web content are removed.