Prior to constructing your multi panel figure it is a good idea to first install an image processing program. I chose to install Inkscape. Installation is pretty straight forward. You may need to go to your security settings and allow the software to be installed. Additionally, you will need to install Xquartz the operating system that runs Inkscape.
For my images I chose a garden nasturtium plant that I found at the northern edge of the permaculture garden on UMass campus. I took to images one showing the entire plant and one showing the leafminer activity. I used a one-dollar bill t placed directly behind the leaf for a scale reference. After the pictures were taken, I emailed the pictures to myself so that I would be able to access them from any computer that has access to the internet.
On the computer I created a folder to put the components of this figure into. I then retrieved the images from my email and downloaded them into my newly created folder. Next, I opened Inkscape and imported the images. Once the images were uploaded onto Inkscape I created a map of the area that I found the plant in. It is important that you use a map that you have the rights to when creating your multi panel figure. For this project I used open street map.
Once all the images are on your sheet it would be a good idea to save this to your folder. Next you will need to place the images together in a logical manner. If the images are not the same size, you need to resize them. In order to not stretch or distort the image make sure that you lock the image by selecting the lock it the middle of the Inscape task bar. Next using the measuring tool fit your images together. Once you have completed this you can now add panel identifiers. First create a text box and put your first panel ID in it. I set the font to Ariel and used a 40 for size this fit well. Now once you make your first one selects it and then duplicate it two more times. Once you have finished that change them to the next sequential digits. The final step is to set the background to white by making everything 255.
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