Nature Graphical Abstract: Requirements, Size & AI Policy

Does Nature require a graphical abstract?

Start here, because it saves most people a lot of work: most Nature Portfolio journals do not require or accept a graphical abstract. The flagship Nature, Nature Communications, and Nature Methods do not use them. A handful of Nature Portfolio titles — chiefly chemistry journals such as Nature Chemical Biology, Nature Chemistry, Nature Catalysis, and Nature Synthesis — do. Before you spend any time on a figure, confirm whether your specific target journal asks for one in its author guidelines.

If your target journal does use graphical abstracts, the rest of this guide covers the specs and, just as important, Nature's policy on AI-generated images.

Nature graphical abstract specs

For the Nature Portfolio journals that accept a graphical abstract, the common reference values are:

Requirement	Value
Size	~90 × 50 mm (landscape)
Resolution	300 DPI minimum
Color	RGB
Formats	TIFF, PDF, or EPS (high-quality JPEG sometimes accepted)
Text	Minimum ~8 pt in the final figure

Requirements vary between individual titles, so treat these as a working reference and confirm against your journal's author guidelines before you build anything. Getting the dimensions wrong is an easy way to be sent back at the formatting check.

Before you submit — Nature and AI-generated figures. As of 2026-07-30, Springer Nature's editorial policy on AI states that it does not allow the inclusion of generative-AI images, and that this includes scientific diagrams and illustrations. Publisher policies change, so read the current policy page for your target journal rather than relying on this summary. The limited exceptions (licensed stock imagery, tools that generate visuals from traceable scientific data, or images that are themselves the subject of an AI paper) all require explicit disclosure. In practice, a general AI-generated graphical abstract is not something you can submit to a Nature journal. Treat any AI draft as a planning and sizing aid only.

How to prepare one

Whatever your target journal permits, the artwork you actually submit has to be produced in a way that policy accommodates — drawn in a vector tool, built from your own data, or created with a scientific-illustration tool the journal accepts. What a tool like Abfig is genuinely useful for here is the part before that:

1. Draft the composition. Paste your abstract (optionally letting the AI condense it into a visual brief) or upload a rough sketch to get a first-pass layout instead of a blank canvas.
2. Lock in the size. Pick Nature as the target so the canvas is set to ~90 × 50 mm at 300 DPI, and use the DPI checker to confirm your final artwork matches before submission.
3. Produce the final figure in a permitted way, then verify it against your journal's current guidelines and AI-disclosure rules.

Used this way — for planning and for getting the dimensions right — an AI tool removes the blank-page problem without putting a non-compliant image into your submission.

Related guides

• Nature graphical abstract specifications — exact size, DPI, and accepted formats
• How to make a graphical abstract — the complete step-by-step guide
• Graphical abstract size & DPI requirements by journal
• Can you use AI to make a graphical abstract?

Draft and size a graphical abstract in Abfig →