How to make high quality, 'publishable' plots

746 views (last 30 days)
A
A on 27 Feb 2016
Commented: atharva aalok on 30 Jul 2022
Hi guys,
I am doing my best to make plots that are of really pleasant quality. I want plots to look contemporary, with high resolution, anti-aliasing, and other enhancements so they look very 'pretty'. I have the following test plot. Is there a way to improve this plot and make it more 'publishable'?
x = linspace(0,100);
y = @(x) log(x);
plot(x,y(x));
title('Test Title');
xlabel('X-Axis (unit)');
ylabel('Y-Axis (unit)');
Thanks
  1 Comment
Adam Wyatt
Adam Wyatt on 4 Nov 2020
Edited: Adam Wyatt on 4 Nov 2020
  • Increase the linewidth (2 or 3 is good).
  • Add a grid
  • Add minor ticks to the axes.
  • Plot as an area with solid line and semi-transparent fill.
  • Set the axes limits appropriately.
  • Add a legend.
  • Change the font and fontsize to match the output size.
  • Set the figure aspect ratio correctly.
  • Remove excess padding.
For example all the figures in https://doi.org/10.1364/OE.19.025355 were made in MATLAB (only the text inside figure 1 was added externally).

Sign in to comment.

Answers (2)

Ron
Ron on 28 Feb 2016

atharva aalok
atharva aalok on 17 Oct 2021
Edited: atharva aalok on 17 Oct 2021
Please refer the following Plotting Template:
The above is an easy to follow Beginner Friendly template.
The idea is to create Professional Standard Plots within seconds without a steep learning curve and with consistency.
It also offers a wide range of preset Color Codes (please refer the attached image for the Color Palatte)
Sample Plot:
Color Palatte:

Categories

Find more on Line Plots in Help Center and File Exchange

Community Treasure Hunt

Find the treasures in MATLAB Central and discover how the community can help you!

Start Hunting!