Python saving multiple figures into one PDF file
Question:
In python (for one figure created in a GUI) I was able to save the figure under .jpg and also .pdf by either using:
plt.savefig(filename1 + '.pdf')
or
plt.savefig(filename1 + '.jpg')
Using one file I would like to save multiple figures in either .pdf or .jpg (just like its done in math lab). Can anybody please help with this?
Answers:
Use PdfPages to solve your problem. Pass your figure object to the savefig method.
For example, if you have a whole pile of figure objects open and you want to save them into a multi-page PDF, you might do:
import matplotlib.backends.backend_pdf
pdf = matplotlib.backends.backend_pdf.PdfPages("output.pdf")
for fig in xrange(1, figure().number): ## will open an empty extra figure :(
pdf.savefig( fig )
pdf.close()
Do you mean save multiple figures into one file, or save multiple figures using one script?
Here’s how you can save two different figures using one script.
>>> from matplotlib import pyplot as plt
>>> fig1 = plt.figure()
>>> plt.plot(range(10))
[<matplotlib.lines.Line2D object at 0x10261bd90>]
>>> fig2 = plt.figure()
>>> plt.plot(range(10,20))
[<matplotlib.lines.Line2D object at 0x10263b890>]
>>> fig1.savefig('fig1.png')
>>> fig2.savefig('fig2.png')
…which produces these two plots into their own “.png” files:
To save them to the same file, use subplots:
>>> from matplotlib import pyplot as plt
>>> fig = plt.figure()
>>> axis1 = fig.add_subplot(211)
>>> axis1.plot(range(10))
>>> axis2 = fig.add_subplot(212)
>>> axis2.plot(range(10,20))
>>> fig.savefig('multipleplots.png')
The above script produces this single “.png” file:
I struggled with the same issue. I was trying to put 2,000 scatter plots into a single .pdf. I was able to start the procedure, but it aborted after a few hundred.
Even when I created six scatter charts into one .pdf, the .pdf file was enormous (like 7mb) for just six .jpg’s that were 30kb each. When I opened the .pdf, it appeared that the .pdf was painting every point on the chart (each chart had thousands of points) instead of displaying an image. Some day, I will figure out the correct options, but here is a quick and dirty work-around. I printed the scatter plots to individual .jpg files in a local directory.
In python (for one figure created in a GUI) I was able to save the figure under .jpg and also .pdf by either using:
plt.savefig(filename1 + '.pdf')
or
plt.savefig(filename1 + '.jpg')
Using one file I would like to save multiple figures in either .pdf or .jpg (just like its done in math lab). Can anybody please help with this?
Use PdfPages to solve your problem. Pass your figure object to the savefig method.
For example, if you have a whole pile of figure objects open and you want to save them into a multi-page PDF, you might do:
import matplotlib.backends.backend_pdf
pdf = matplotlib.backends.backend_pdf.PdfPages("output.pdf")
for fig in xrange(1, figure().number): ## will open an empty extra figure :(
pdf.savefig( fig )
pdf.close()
Do you mean save multiple figures into one file, or save multiple figures using one script?
Here’s how you can save two different figures using one script.
>>> from matplotlib import pyplot as plt
>>> fig1 = plt.figure()
>>> plt.plot(range(10))
[<matplotlib.lines.Line2D object at 0x10261bd90>]
>>> fig2 = plt.figure()
>>> plt.plot(range(10,20))
[<matplotlib.lines.Line2D object at 0x10263b890>]
>>> fig1.savefig('fig1.png')
>>> fig2.savefig('fig2.png')
…which produces these two plots into their own “.png” files:
To save them to the same file, use subplots:
>>> from matplotlib import pyplot as plt
>>> fig = plt.figure()
>>> axis1 = fig.add_subplot(211)
>>> axis1.plot(range(10))
>>> axis2 = fig.add_subplot(212)
>>> axis2.plot(range(10,20))
>>> fig.savefig('multipleplots.png')
The above script produces this single “.png” file:
I struggled with the same issue. I was trying to put 2,000 scatter plots into a single .pdf. I was able to start the procedure, but it aborted after a few hundred.
Even when I created six scatter charts into one .pdf, the .pdf file was enormous (like 7mb) for just six .jpg’s that were 30kb each. When I opened the .pdf, it appeared that the .pdf was painting every point on the chart (each chart had thousands of points) instead of displaying an image. Some day, I will figure out the correct options, but here is a quick and dirty work-around. I printed the scatter plots to individual .jpg files in a local directory.