Saving to PNG, SVG, PDF in Matplotlib - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What is the basic command to save a matplotlib plot as a PNG file?

Use plt.savefig('filename.png') to save the current plot as a PNG image file.

beginner

How do you save a matplotlib figure as an SVG file?

Use plt.savefig('filename.svg') to save the figure in SVG format, which is a vector graphic.

intermediate

What is the advantage of saving plots as PDF or SVG instead of PNG?

PDF and SVG are vector formats, so they keep images sharp at any size. PNG is a raster format and can become blurry when zoomed.

intermediate

How can you control the resolution (dots per inch) when saving a PNG file in matplotlib?

Use the dpi parameter in plt.savefig(), for example: plt.savefig('plot.png', dpi=300) for higher quality.

beginner

What happens if you call plt.savefig() without specifying a file extension?

Matplotlib will raise a ValueError because a filename with an extension is required.

Which command saves a matplotlib plot as a PDF file?

A plt.savefig('plot.pdf')

B plt.save('plot.pdf')

C plt.export('plot.pdf')

D plt.plot('plot.pdf')

The correct command is plt.savefig('plot.pdf') to save the plot as a PDF.

What file format is best for sharp images that scale without losing quality?

A PNG

B SVG

C BMP

D JPEG

SVG is a vector format that keeps images sharp at any size, unlike PNG or JPEG which are raster formats.

How do you increase the resolution of a saved PNG image in matplotlib?

A Use <code>plt.save('file.png', quality=300)</code>

B Use <code>plt.export('file.png', dpi=300)</code>

C Use <code>plt.savefig('file.png', size=300)</code>

D Use <code>plt.savefig('file.png', dpi=300)</code>

The dpi parameter in plt.savefig() controls resolution.

If you save a plot with plt.savefig('myplot') (no extension), what format is used?

A SVG

B PDF

C PNG

D JPEG

Matplotlib requires a file extension to determine the format; omitting it will raise an error.

Which of these is NOT a supported file format for saving matplotlib figures?

A DOCX

B SVG

C PDF

D PNG

DOCX is a document format and not supported by matplotlib for saving figures.

Explain how to save a matplotlib plot as a high-quality PNG file.

Think about the function and how to set image quality.

Describe the difference between saving plots as PNG versus SVG or PDF.

Consider how images look when zoomed in.