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Exporting a High Resolution Bitmap

Bitmaps are image representations that can be easily exchanged between different programs and operating systems, because they are strictly defined and uniformly interpreted. An image is accepted for publication if the resolution is high enough. Let's say, for example, that you are requested to produce a picture with a resolution of 600 dpi (dot per inch). This is a way to say: “8 times more detailed than a plain screenshot”. 300 dpi means 4 times, 1200 dpi means 16 times, etc... In the following, for generality, we'll use x instead of 4, 8 or 16.

How to Create a Bitmap with a Given Resolution:

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Verify that the option File > Free Size is checked.

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Set the size of the window the same as the size of the picture you want to create.

If absolute precision is required, you can use the console command paper.
For example, if you need a picture 500 points wide and 300 points high, the command is: paper(500,300)

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Choose iNMR > Preferences and click Output. The pair of parameters that set the resolution of the picture are at the bottom of this panel: Resolution and Line Thickness when copying and exporting. The most important one is the Resolution. If you need a resolution x times higher than that offered by the screen, set resolution = x.

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Also set the line-width to a small value. When the value is 1, the plot looks good on the screen, but may look too coarse when printed. A value of 0.25 gives a faint line, almost invisible on the screen. 0.5 is a good compromise. You are encouraged to experiment by yourself.

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Choose File > Export. iNMR opens the standard dialog to save a file. Choose a name and a destination for the picture. Also choose one of the following file formats: TIFF, Windows Bitmap, PICT, JPEG and PNG (this is our preferential order). If you are going to send the picture to a typographer, he can tell you which format is better. Don't choose PDF, because it generates a vectorial representation, not a bitmap.

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The resulting picture will actually be x times wider and higher than the window and the resolution will be 72 dpi. The line-width will also be x times thicker. It will be enough, however, to scale the picture down x times (any program is capable of doing such scaling) and it will become exactly what was needed in the beginning.

A similar, though not equivalent, approach consists in creating a picture x times larger than required and exporting it with resolution = 1. The difference is that the frequency scale and other elements (like the integrals, etc..) will be x times smaller. Intermediate solutions are also possible, of course, like doubling the size of the window and halving the resolution, etc...

You can create a picture for each open window: and choose File > Export All. On the Mac, this command appears when you hold down the alt key.

Related Topics

Exporting a Low Resolution Picture

“Export” means “Save a Copy As”

 

Web Tutorials

Create Any Picture

Mass Production