Use Cases
Make Publication-Ready Figures
Restyle a plot to match a journal's style, fine-tune it without code, and export it as PDF or SVG with a clear name.
To prepare a figure for a paper, poster or thesis, show Drylab an example of the style you need and give it the font, size and resolution. You get back a PDF and an SVG you can drop into your manuscript.
When to use it
- A journal asks for Arial 7 pt, a single-column width of 89 mm and 300 dpi, and your plot uses the default style.
- You want every figure in a paper to share one color palette, such as a colorblind-safe one.
- You have a figure from a paper you like and want yours to look the same.
- A reviewer asks for a small change (a title, an axis range, a color) and you don't want to rerun the analysis.
Prompt examples
Match a reference figure (web app):
Restyle @volcano.png to match @nature_style_reference.png: Arial 7 pt, 89 mm wide, colorblind-safe palette. Save it as volcano_fig2.pdf and volcano_fig2.svg at 300 dpi, and put a copy of both in Project Files.Set the journal's rules without a reference:
Make @umap_by_cluster.png publication-ready: Arial 6 pt labels, 183 mm wide (double column), no top or right axis lines, legend outside the plot on the right, white background. Export as umap_fig3.pdf and umap_fig3.svg at 300 dpi.One style for every figure:
Apply the same style to every figure in this chat: Arial 7 pt, Okabe-Ito colors, 89 mm wide, no grid. Re-export each one as PDF and SVG at 300 dpi with a "_pub" suffix, and list the files you saved.A small change for a reviewer:
In @volcano_fig2.pdf, label the 10 genes with the lowest adjusted p-value, set the x axis from -4 to 4, and export it again as volcano_fig2_v2.pdf and .svg.Steps
- Add the reference image. In the web app, click + (Upload files or mention resources) in the chatbox and choose Upload file, drag the image onto the chatbox, or paste it with Ctrl+V (Cmd+V on macOS). In the Desktop App, drag it into the chat. A cropped image of just the plot works best.
- Point at your figure. On the figure card in the chat, click Mention. The chatbox gets "edit", the figure and "to". You can also type
@and the file name. - Describe the style. Mention the reference with
@, then add the rules the journal gives you: font and size, width in mm, palette, and resolution. - Name the output. Ask for the formats you need, such as PDF and SVG at 300 dpi, with a clear name like
volcano_fig2. Send the message. - Check the result. Drylab redraws the plot from its code and lists the files it saved, with links. Click a file name to open it. If something is off, reply with the change ("make the legend smaller").
- Fine-tune by hand (optional). If the figure card has an Edit button (tooltip: "Open in the interactive figure editor"), click it to change text, colors, axes and reference lines without code, then click Save. See Edit Figures.
Drylab saves the files in this chat's folder in your project. See Save Results to the Same Workspace.
Tips
- Not every figure card has Edit. Some plots only show Mention and See code. Use Mention and describe the change instead: it works for any figure.
- Ask in words for the final export. The figure editor's download gives a PNG, and a redraw from code drops changes made in the editor. Put everything the final PDF or SVG needs in your request, and use the editor for quick touch-ups.
- Give numbers, not adjectives. "Arial 7 pt, 89 mm wide" gets you closer than "small, clean font".
- Keep the plotting data. Ask Drylab to save the table behind each figure (for example
volcano_fig2_data.csv) so you can redraw it later or share the source data.