Software for drawing graphical abstract

There are numerous tools available for producing graphical abstracts, depending on your needs. Some of these applications are already known and simple to use. Others need more time and effort to learn, but they are more professional. Here are some ideas to help you choose the most suitable software.

Paint

Paint is preinstalled in Windows and is simple to use. Paint is a very limited tool compared to professional applications like Adobe Illustrator. Therefore, if you want to utilize paint to create a graphical abstract, pick a basic designand avoid utilizing too many pencil tools (of course, using a drawing tablet may help to solve this problem). Paint’s ability to save images in the formats required by journals is its most significant benefit (i.e. JPG, TIF, or PNG). If you choose the appropriate colors and have a clear layout, Paint will perform very well.

• Pros:  Simple, free (on Windows), support for graphical formats.
• Cons:  Limited design tools

PowerPoint

PowerPoint is a must for all researchers. Therefore, it is not surprising that PowerPoint is the most useful programfor making graphical abstractsof articles. PowerPoint has a comprehensive selection of prefabricated and graphic shapes (SmartArt). You may modify their color and design. PowerPoint has a substantial advantage over Paint in which the shapes are vectors rather than bitmaps; so, if the figure size is changed, their quality will not decrease. However, PowerPoint’s range of tools is limited compared to professional software;

thus, the same rule of keeping the design simple, must be adhered here as well. If you want to mix vectors with bitmaps (pictures or images), it is recommended to maintain the same color scheme, shape style, font size, and font type. You may save your graphical abstract as an image (JPG, TIF, or PNG) or PDF file using PowerPoint. Some journals, such as Elsevier, accept the same Microsoft Office documents.

• Pros: Ease of use, having a good set of prefabricated shapes, vector support
• Cons: Limited design tools

ChemDraw

It is a professional application for developing and illustrating chemical structures and reactions. Rings, links, chains, atoms, and functional groups may be shown structurally and in three dimensions with this application. This application is particularly beneficial for chemists and biologists.   Numerous researchers present the principal chemical reactions of their study as graphical abstracts using ChemDraw.

•  Pros:Professional, advanced, up to date
•  Cons:Should be bought, limited to biological or chemical structures

Gimp and Inkscape

Gimp and Inkscape are semi-professional, open-source apps for graphic design and figure editing. These applications are free and compatible with all operating systems, including Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux.      These programs are compatible with Photoshop and Illustrator for use by academics but lack the additional features required by graphic designers. According to its users, Gimp and Inkscape are more difficult to learnthan Photoshop and Illustrator, however, their instruction is available on the Internet. Therefore, Gimp and Inkscape are excellent and free software for drawing graphical abstracts.

•  Pros: Free, open-source, semi-professional
•  Cons:Requires time to learn, lack of advanced capabilities

Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator

In the graphic design major, these two software are standard design programs. Photoshop and Illustrator have the richest set of design tools, and if you want even more features, they also support a variety of plugins. The internet is full of tutorials for these software. Since these two software are professional programs, they also have a very high price. These applications are compatible with Windows and Mac, but not open-source operating systems such as Linux.

•  Pros: Professional, advanced, and up to date
•  Cons:Should be bought, requires time to learn, not working on Linux

CorelDraw and Affinity Designer

These are both professional and paidprograms. They are very similar to Adobe Illustrator in terms of complexity and capabilities. It takes a little effort to learn them, there are many online tutorials for them on the internet. The downside of these two design software is that each one run on only one operating system; CorelDraw only works on Windows and Affinity Designer only works on Mac.

•  Pros: Professional, advanced, and up to date
•   Cons:Should be bought, requires time to learn, working only on the operating system for which they are designed.

Designing a graphical abstract in engineering disciplines

The use of precise and simplified forms of the project allows a set of data to be presented to the audience at a glance. Simplification of concepts in engineering sciences is one of the common ways for the fast transfer of concepts and projects. The graphical abstract of a project can convey its general idea in a short time without consuming much energy by the audience. The use of different types of colors gives the figure a special attraction. This makes it better for understanding.

Cost of specialized graphical abstract design

Not to worry about costs! Designing a customized graphical abstract is not a simple job! It is also not the responsibility of your professors! Also it is not your expertise!  Someone who designs a graphical abstract for you must have both graphic and scientific competence as well as relevant professional experience.
It is not important to show everything in your graphical abstracts. The most important results of your study is the thing others are looking for it in your graphical abstract. The time of others should not be wasted. GAM group assists you in this way. Create the greatest graphical abstract for your work with us. Join and contact us for a consultation for free.