Unlock the Power of R Plots: Saving and Customizing Your Visualizations
When working with R programming, creating plots is just the beginning. To take your data visualization to the next level, you need to know how to save and customize your plots. By default, R displays plots on the screen, but with the right techniques, you can save them as files on your disk.
The Importance of File Format
Before we dive into saving plots, it’s essential to understand the difference between bitmap and vector images. Bitmap images, such as JPEG and PNG, have a fixed resolution and can become pixelated when zoomed in. On the other hand, vector images, like PDF and PostScript, are easily resizable and maintain their quality even when enlarged.
Saving Plots as Bitmap Images
To save plots as bitmap images, R provides two built-in functions: jpeg() and png(). These functions work similarly, with the only difference being the file type they produce.
JPEG Images
To save a plot as a JPEG image, use the jpeg() function. For example:
R
jpeg("histogram1.jpeg")
hist(airquality$Temp)
dev.off()
This code saves a histogram as a JPEG image in your current directory. You can also specify the full path of the file if needed.
PNG Images
To save a plot as a PNG image, use the png() function. For example:
R
png(file="C:/Programiz/R-tutorial/histogram1.png", width=600, height=350)
hist(airquality$Temp)
dev.off()
This code saves a histogram as a PNG image with a specified width and height.
Saving Plots as Vector Images
Vector images offer a unique advantage – they can be resized without compromising quality. R provides two functions to save plots as vector images: pdf() and postscript().
PDF Images
To save a plot as a PDF image, use the pdf() function. For example:
R
pdf("histogram1.pdf")
hist(airquality$Temp)
dev.off()
This code saves a histogram as a high-quality PDF image in your current directory.
By mastering these techniques, you’ll be able to save and customize your R plots with ease, taking your data visualization skills to new heights.