Frontiers Graphical Abstract Guidelines: Size, DPI & Format

TL;DR

Frontiers requirements vary considerably by journal. There is no single size that fits every Frontiers title, but the common baseline is a square-ish figure at 300 DPI in RGB, saved as PNG or JPEG, under 20 MB. Always check your specific Frontiers journal's author guidelines — start from the Frontiers author guidelines — before you build the figure.

Frontiers graphical abstract specs at a glance

Requirement	Frontiers value
Fixed size	No — varies by journal (often square)
Resolution	300 DPI recommended
Color space	RGB
File formats	PNG or JPEG
File size	Under 20 MB
Text	Legible at final display size

Frontiers journals differ enough that the safest move is to open your target journal's author guidelines and confirm the exact requirement rather than assume a universal size.

Before you submit — check Frontiers' current AI policy yourself. Frontiers has revised its wording on AI-generated figures within the past year, so any second-hand summary (including older versions of this page) may be out of date. Read the current policies and publication ethics and author guidelines pages plus your specific journal's instructions before submitting. Note that where AI use is allowed at all, Frontiers requires it to be disclosed and requires you to verify that the figure accurately reflects your data. Treat an AI-generated figure as a planning and sizing aid: use Abfig to sketch the composition and confirm the size and 300 DPI, then make sure the figure you submit complies with whatever the current policy says.

What works across Frontiers journals

Since the spec shifts by title, build a figure that satisfies the common denominators:

• A clean, roughly square composition. Many Frontiers journals display graphical abstracts in a square-ish frame.
• One clear message. Summarize the study, not every result.
• Web-friendly format. PNG or JPEG at 300 DPI covers most Frontiers journals.
• Readable at display size. Keep labels short and legible.

How Abfig helps you plan a Frontiers figure

Whatever your journal's current AI policy turns out to be (see the note above), Abfig is useful upstream — for drafting a composition and getting the sizing right. The flow is:

1. Paste your abstract — optionally let the AI condense it into a tight visual brief — or upload a rough sketch.
2. Draft the layout. Abfig's AI produces a clean image you can use to plan the structure.
3. Confirm size and DPI. Export as PNG or TIFF at submission resolution to check the dimensions, or use the DPI checker against your journal's spec.

The journal page shows how the Frontiers graphical abstract requirements translate to an export. For the figure you actually submit, follow whatever your journal's current AI policy requires.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Assuming one size fits all. Frontiers titles vary — confirm your specific journal.
• Wrong aspect ratio. A wide banner may not fit a square display frame.
• Low resolution. Aim for 300 DPI so the figure stays crisp.
• Oversized files. Stay under the 20 MB limit.

Conclusion

For Frontiers, there's no universal graphical abstract size — target a clean, square-ish figure at 300 DPI in RGB as PNG or JPEG, under 20 MB, and confirm your specific journal's rules in the Frontiers author guidelines, including its policy against AI-generated figures. Abfig is a fast way to draft a composition and confirm the sizing; build the submitted figure in a Frontiers-permitted tool.

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Related guides

• How to make a graphical abstract
• Graphical abstract size & DPI requirements