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Images & Figures

Add images, figures, and diagrams to your Opus documents.

Inserting Images

Drag and Drop

The easiest way: drag an image file directly into the editor. Opus uploads it and inserts the Markdown automatically.

Slash Command

Type /image to open the image picker:

  • Upload a new image
  • Select from previously uploaded images
  • Paste an image URL

Markdown Syntax

![Alt text](image.png)
![Alt text](image.png "Optional title")

Figure Captions

For proper academic figures with captions, use this syntax:

![This is the figure caption.](results.png)

The alt text becomes the caption. For multi-line captions:

![This is a longer caption that describes the figure
in more detail, including methodology notes.](figure.png)

Figure References

Add a label to reference figures in your text:

![Results of the experiment.](results.png){#fig:results}

As shown in @fig:results, the treatment group showed improvement.

Opus automatically numbers figures and updates cross-references.

Image Sizing

Width

![Caption](image.png){width=50%}
![Caption](image.png){width=300px}

Height

![Caption](image.png){height=200px}

Both

![Caption](image.png){width=300px height=200px}

Image Alignment

![Left-aligned](image.png){.left}
![Centered](image.png){.center}
![Right-aligned](image.png){.right}

Multiple Images

Side by Side

Use a figure div:

::: {.figure}
![Figure A](fig-a.png){width=45%}
![Figure B](fig-b.png){width=45%}

Caption for both figures.
:::

Grid Layout

::: {.figure-grid}
![](img1.png)
![](img2.png)
![](img3.png)
![](img4.png)

Four-panel figure showing different conditions.
:::

Subfigures

For figures with labeled parts (a, b, c...):

::: {#fig:panels}
![Control group](control.png){#fig:panel-a}

![Treatment group](treatment.png){#fig:panel-b}

Comparison of control and treatment groups.
:::

As shown in @fig:panel-a, the control group...

Image Formats

Opus supports:

  • PNG - Best for screenshots, diagrams
  • JPEG - Best for photographs
  • SVG - Best for vector graphics, scales perfectly
  • GIF - Supported but not recommended for academic work
  • WebP - Modern format, good compression

Use SVG for Diagrams

SVG images scale perfectly at any size and look crisp in both PDF and web exports.

Image Storage

Images are stored with your document. When you upload an image:

  1. It's uploaded to your Opus storage
  2. A unique filename is generated
  3. The image travels with your document

Storage Limits

  • Personal plan: 5 GB total
  • Pro plan: 25 GB total
  • Team plan: 100 GB shared

Managing Images

View all images in a document:

  1. Open the document
  2. Click Attachments in the sidebar
  3. See all images with sizes
  4. Delete unused images

Best Practices

Image Quality

  • Print/PDF: Use at least 300 DPI
  • Web only: 72-150 DPI is sufficient
  • File size: Compress images to reduce document size

Alt Text

Always provide meaningful alt text:

<!-- Good -->
![Bar chart showing temperature increase from 1900-2020](chart.png)

<!-- Bad -->
![Chart](chart.png)

Consistent Sizing

Use consistent widths throughout your document:

![Figure 1](fig1.png){width=80%}
![Figure 2](fig2.png){width=80%}
![Figure 3](fig3.png){width=80%}

Figure Placement

In academic documents, figures typically appear:

  • Near their first reference
  • At the top or bottom of pages
  • Never splitting paragraphs

Opus handles placement automatically during export.

Diagrams with Mermaid

Opus supports Mermaid diagrams:

```mermaid
graph LR
    A[Data Collection] --> B[Analysis]
    B --> C[Results]
    C --> D[Publication]
```

See Mermaid documentation for syntax.

Next Steps