Graphical Abstract Makers Compared: BioRender, Canva and More
The right graphical abstract maker depends on your journal's size and file rules and on whether your plan lets you publish. This comparison sets the main publishers' specs beside what BioRender, Mind the Graph, Canva and free tools can export.
You spend an afternoon on a graphical abstract, upload it, and the journal's system rejects it: wrong shape, wrong file type, or a free-plan export your licence does not let you publish. The tool was fine. It just was not chosen with the journal's rules in mind.
A graphical abstract maker should be picked the other way round: start with what your journal requires, then pick a tool that can export it with the right to publish it. Below are the main publishers' specifications and the tools checked against them, from each provider's own pages in October 2026. For tools that explain research to the public more broadly, see our guide to tools for explaining research to the public.
Start With the Journal, Not the Tool
Publishers do not agree on shape, size or format, so one file will not fit every journal. At the time of writing (October 2026):
| Publisher | Shape and size | File formats | Text rules |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elsevier | At least 1328 x 531 pixels (w x h) at 300 dpi, a wide rectangle | TIFF, EPS, PDF or MS Office files | "Any text or label must be part of the image file", and "No additional text, outline, or synopsis should be included" |
| Cell | "An exact square, 1200 x 1200 pixels" at 300 dpi | TIFF, PDF or JPG; Cell Press does not accept PowerPoint files | Cell Press advises simple labels and sparing text |
| ACS | An area no larger than 3.25 by 1.75 inches (8.25 by 4.45 cm) | TIF at 300 dpi for colour, or EPS | Text "should usually be limited to the labeling of compounds, reaction arrows, and diagrams" |
| MDPI | At least 560 x 1100 pixels (height x width) | PNG, JPEG or TIFF | No "Graphical Abstract" heading, and not a copy of a figure from the paper |
| Wiley | Set by each journal's author guidelines | Varies; one journal's guide accepts TIFF, EPS, PPT, JPG, BMP, DOC or PDF at 300 dpi or more | "Keep textual statements to a minimum" |
Two rules in that table are easy to miss. ACS says its graphic "must be entirely original, unpublished artwork created by one of the coauthors," so check how icon libraries and templates fit that before you submit. And BioRender's own graphical abstract guide suggests "around 1200 × 628 pixels", which clears MDPI's minimum but is narrower than Elsevier's minimum and is not Cell's square. Set the canvas from your journal's guide, not a tool's default.
The Tools, Checked Against Those Specs
| Tool | Exports | Publishing rights | Cost (Oct 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| BioRender | Free: PNG, JPG at 72 DPI. Premium: higher resolution, with DPI options up to 600 | Free plan: "No commercial use or publication" | Academic Individual US$35 a month paid annually, or US$39 monthly |
| Mind the Graph | PNG, TIFF and PDF; 300+ templates | Free plan keeps a watermark and must cite the platform; paid plans get "full rights" | Check current pricing before you buy |
| Canva | JPG, PNG, SVG, PDF Standard, PDF Print at 300 dpi, PPTX | Stock elements stay licensed, not owned | Check current pricing before you buy |
| Microsoft PowerPoint | PNG, TIFF, JPEG, PDF and more | Your own drawing | Included with Microsoft 365 |
| Inkscape | PNG, JPEG, WebP, TIFF, SVG, PDF, with a DPI per format; also EPS | Your own drawing | Free, open source |
| Adobe Illustrator | AI, PDF, EPS, SVG; exports PNG, JPEG, TIFF | Your own drawing | US$263.88 a year, prepaid annual plan |
BioRender: Strong Templates, Two Gates
BioRender has ready-made graphical abstract templates and a large life-science icon library, but its guide tells you to "Adjust your canvas dimensions to fit the target journal's requirements." Its export help says "There is no vector export option at this time," and no TIFF or EPS option is listed, so for an ACS graphic you will need another tool for the final file. Its publishing guide adds the second gate: "Only users on a Premium plan (except for the Undergrad Plan) can generate a publication license," the licence is "typically requested after your manuscript has been accepted," and on an Individual plan a middle author cannot publish the figure.
Canva and PowerPoint: Fine for Some Journals, Not Others
Canva has no TIFF or EPS export, and its help centre says that for stock content "you don't own the copyright in that content." PowerPoint can save a slide as TIFF, but Microsoft notes the default export resolution is 96 dpi, so raise it before exporting for a 300 dpi requirement. Elsevier accepts MS Office files; Cell Press does not accept PowerPoint files.
Free Tools for the Final Export
Inkscape is released under the GNU GPL and exports a format every publisher in the table accepts, including TIFF and EPS. Affinity, a professional design app, is now "completely free, forever" with a Canva account, on Windows and macOS. A common workflow is to draw in the tool you like and do the final export, at the journal's exact size, in a tool that writes the format your journal wants.
Free Icon Libraries and Their Credit Rules
If you draw your own graphical abstract, these libraries supply scientific icons. Each has its own credit rule:
- Servier Medical Art. All illustrations are licensed CC BY 4.0, with a suggested credit line.
- NIH BioArt Source. Content is "free for any use", with a licence on each entry, for example public domain or CC BY.
- SciDraw. Drawings are CC BY licensed with a DOI.
- Bioicons. Each icon carries its own licence (CC0, CC BY, CC BY-SA, MIT or BSD), and the project asks you to cite the individual icons.
Elsevier wants no text, outline or synopsis beyond the image itself, so put icon credits in the acknowledgments, not beside the graphic. BioRender's guidance allows its own credit line in the legend, references or acknowledgments.
When a Graphical Abstract Is the Wrong Format
A graphical abstract is an in-field format. Elsevier says it "will typically not appear in the article PDF file or print." A 2025 review in Apollo Medicine describes graphical abstracts as aimed at "Researchers and professionals in a specific field" and infographics at a "Broad audience including public and professionals". In a PLOS ONE study of 538 participants, people reported higher perceived understanding with a video or a plain language summary than with a graphical abstract, though the differences in measured comprehension were generally small.
So if the goal is readers outside your field, make the graphical abstract the journal asks for, and something else for everyone else. Our comparison of video, graphical abstract and audio summary covers which format suits which situation.
Where Amplify Fits
Amplify does not make journal graphical abstracts, and it does not claim its outputs meet a journal's specification, so check your journal's specs and AI policy before submitting anything to it. What it does is the broad-audience side. From the PDF you upload, and nothing else, it generates a one-page, print-ready infographic, a video abstract of about 3 minutes, a vertical short of 45 to 60 seconds and an audio brief in English (with 21 more languages on request).
Every piece carries the title, the authors and a link back to the paper of record. Each format arrives as three variants you can edit line by line, a person reviews every format before it is released, and nothing publishes until you approve it. The embeddable widget puts them beside the paper on your own page, for readers outside your field.
Start every graphical abstract from the journal's guide: size, format, text rules, then the tool and the plan that let you publish it. Then make the broader version for readers who will never open the journal page.
Quick answers
What size should a graphical abstract be?
It depends on the journal, so check its guide for authors. At the time of writing (October 2026), Elsevier asks for at least 1328 x 531 pixels at 300 dpi, Cell asks for exactly 1200 x 1200 pixels at 300 dpi, MDPI asks for at least 560 x 1100 pixels (height x width), and ACS asks for an area no larger than 3.25 by 1.75 inches.
Can I use BioRender's free plan to make a graphical abstract for a journal?
Not for publication. At the time of writing (October 2026), BioRender's free plan allows no commercial use or publication, and its free exports are PNG or JPG at 72 DPI. A publication licence needs a Premium plan other than the Undergrad plan, and is usually requested after the manuscript is accepted.
Which free tool can export a graphical abstract as TIFF or EPS?
Inkscape. It is free and open source under the GNU GPL, its export dialog covers PNG, JPEG, TIFF, SVG and PDF with a separate DPI setting for each, and it can also save EPS. If you already have Microsoft 365, PowerPoint can save a slide as TIFF too, though its default export resolution is only 96 dpi, so raise it first.
Is a graphical abstract or an infographic better for a general audience?
Usually an infographic. A 2025 review in Apollo Medicine describes graphical abstracts as aimed at researchers and professionals in a specific field and infographics at a broad audience including the public. Elsevier also notes that a graphical abstract will typically not appear in the article PDF or print, so it is mainly an in-field format.
