Figwise

Photo to Scientific Figure Converter

Upload a photo, whiteboard shot, or hand-drawn sketch and describe what it shows — get back a clean scientific figure with the same structure, ready for your paper.

Drop a photo or sketch, or click to browse

01EXAMPLES

Photo to scientific figure, before and after

Four references redrawn with the same prompt template used on this page — a notebook sketch, a whiteboard photo, a lab bench shot, and a scanned old figure.

Notebook sketch → signaling pathway

A pencil-and-pen sketch of a three-step pathway redrawn with consistent arrows, shapes and labels.

Whiteboard photo → control loop diagram

A marker diagram photographed off a whiteboard becomes a labeled controller-plant-feedback loop.

Lab bench photo → microfluidic schematic

A cluttered bench shot of a chip and pumps becomes a clean schematic with the same layout.

Old scan → geological cross-section

A skewed, low-resolution scan of a decades-old figure becomes a sharp, relabeled cross-section.

02WHAT IS IT

What is a photo to scientific figure converter?

A photo to scientific figure converter takes a picture of something you've already sketched, whiteboarded, or set up on a bench, and redraws it as a flat, publication-style diagram — same layout, same connections, cleaner rendering.

It's not a photo filter and it doesn't invent content: the reference image sets the structure, and your description tells the model what each part means so it can label things correctly.

Use it to turn a rough draft into something you can drop straight into a manuscript, poster, or slide deck, without redrawing every box and arrow in a vector tool.

Hand annotating a sketch next to a phone showing the same diagram redrawn as a clean vector figure
03FEATURES

From rough photo to publication-ready figure

Torn notebook page with a rough hand-drawn diagram on a drafting table
1–4 IMAGES

Works from your own sketch or photo, not a blank canvas

Upload 1 to 4 reference images — a notebook sketch, a whiteboard photo, a snapshot of your setup — and the model treats them as the structural blueprint instead of starting from nothing.

Whiteboard flowchart with numbered nodes, a hand pointing at one junction
TOPOLOGY PRESERVED

Keeps the layout you actually drew

Every box, arrow and connection stays where you put it. The model isn't asked to reinterpret your structure — only to redraw it cleanly and preserve the topology exactly.

Faded old lab photograph next to a tablet showing the same setup redrawn with clean labels
NOISE REMOVED

Cleans up noise and adds short labels

Shadows, paper texture, marker glare and handwriting give way to flat vector shapes and concise 1-3 word labels, so the result reads like a figure and not a photo of one.

04HOW IT WORKS

How to convert a photo to a scientific figure

Four steps from reference image to a figure you can drop into your manuscript.

  1. 01

    Upload your reference

    Add 1 to 4 photos or sketches — a notebook page, a whiteboard shot, a picture of your apparatus.

  2. 02

    Describe what it shows

    A short description tells the model what each shape and label means, so it renders the right terms.

  3. 03

    Pick a layout and resolution

    Choose an aspect ratio that matches where the figure is going, then generate.

  4. 04

    Download and drop it in

    Export the PNG and place it directly in your manuscript, poster or slide deck.

* Exports high-resolution PNG.

05COMPARE

Which photos convert well to a scientific figure

This tool redraws structure — it doesn't analyze data or generate new evidence. Feed it a diagram of a process or setup and it works well; feed it raw data imagery and the redraw can misrepresent your results and break journal image-integrity rules.

Good references

Anything where the value is the structure, not the pixels

  • Hand-drawn sketches of pathways, workflows or apparatus
  • Whiteboard photos of diagrams drawn during a meeting
  • Photos of a physical setup, rig or lab bench arrangement
  • Old, low-resolution or damaged figures from a previous publication
  • Printed diagrams you want redrawn in a consistent house style

Not a fit here

Raw data images belong in the paper as-is, not redrawn

  • Microscopy, histology or fluorescence images
  • Medical imaging such as X-ray, MRI or CT scans
  • Gel or blot images, spectra, or raw instrument output
  • Any image that is itself the reported result, not a diagram of one
  • Figures where a journal requires the unaltered original
06FAQ

Photo to scientific figure FAQ

What people usually ask before uploading a reference photo.

* Exports high-resolution PNG.

07RELATED TOOLS

Redraw your next figure without starting from scratch

Upload a photo or sketch, describe what it shows, and get a clean scientific figure ready for your manuscript.

Convert your photo