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Plot From Image

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plot-from-image

Plot From Image is an Agent Skill for documents published in the Trae1ounG/paper-plot-skills repository on GitHub: a SKILL.md instruction file an AI agent can load to do this task.

Reproduce any academic paper figure from an uploaded image using accumulated style experience. Use when: user uploads/attaches a paper figure and asks to reproduce or recreate it; user says "复现这个图", "reproduce this plot", "match this figure", "照着这个图画"; or user provides a paper figure PNG/screenshot and wants Python matplotlib code that generates it. Includes analysis workflow for font detection, color extraction, proportion matching, and mapping to 8 pre-built styles or creating a new style from scratch.

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How to use this skill

Bring this guide into your coding agent with a prompt tailored to the tool you use.

  1. Open your project in Codex.
  2. Copy and paste the prompt below.
  3. Review files and risks before approving any action.
Prompt to paste
Inspect the Agent Skill at https://github.com/Trae1ounG/paper-plot-skills/blob/HEAD/plot-from-image/SKILL.md and all supporting files. Report provenance, permissions, scripts, dependencies, and security risks. Propose an exact installation into .agents/skills/plot-from-image, but wait for my approval before writing files or running scripts.

Copying this prompt does not install or run the skill. Review third-party files before use.

Plot From Image

Reproduce a paper figure by analyzing the image and leveraging accumulated style knowledge.

Workflow

1. Measure Proportions

python3 -c "from PIL import Image; img=Image.open('fig.png'); print(img.size, f'AR={img.size[0]/img.size[1]:.2f}')"

Set figsize=(FW, FH) so FW/FH matches the original AR exactly.

2. Match to Existing Style

Check if the figure matches a pre-built style (fastest path):

Figure typeCheck for
Grouped/paired barbar_paired_delta or bar_grouped_hatch
Line with shaded bandsline_confidence_band
Line with cut lines or referenceline_training_curve
Loss curve + zoom panelline_loss_with_inset
Scattered clustersscatter_tsne_cluster
Broken x-axisscatter_broken_axis
Polygon web chartradar_dual_series

If matched → read ../plot-from-data/references/<name>.md for exact parameters → adapt ../plot-from-data/scripts/<script>.py.

3. If No Match → Analyze From Scratch

Read references/reproduction_guide.md for the full analysis checklist covering:

  • Font family detection (serif vs sans-serif, LaTeX vs not)
  • Spine & tick style (L-shape, 4-sided, arrows, in/out direction)
  • Color identification (tab10 vs custom)
  • Grid style (dashed, dotted, none)
  • Special elements (insets, broken axes, radar grids, annotation boxes)

4. Build & Iterate

Write script → python3 <script>.py → visually compare → fix proportions/colors → re-run

Key iteration checklist:

  • AR matches original (measure with PIL)
  • Font family correct (serif for LaTeX papers, sans-serif for system fonts)
  • Colors within ±10 RGB of original
  • Spine style matches (L vs 4-sided)
  • Tick direction matches (in vs out)
  • Grid style matches
  • Legend placement matches
  • Annotations/labels position matches

Accumulated Experience

From 9 reproduced figures across 7 papers, key lessons:

  • Smooth training curves: use EMA with alpha=0.95-0.97 before plotting, not raw noisy data
  • Radar labels: label_r = 1.10-1.15 (NOT 1.2+, which creates excess whitespace)
  • Inset figures: measure left/right panel pixel ratio from original → set add_axes widths accordingly
  • Broken axis: use two subplots with wspace=0.05, break symbol only at bottom spine
  • t-SNE annotation boxes: unified dark edge color #2C3E50, cluster-color facecolor with alpha=0.28
  • Confidence bands: fill_between with alpha=0.18-0.22, same color as line

Resources

  • Analysis guide: references/reproduction_guide.md — step-by-step checklist for new images
  • Style library: ../plot-from-data/references/ — 8 pre-built style parameter files
  • Script templates: ../plot-from-data/scripts/ — 8 working reproduction scripts
  • Originals: ../originals/ — paper figures used in development