How to Insert Images in LaTeX with \includegraphics

Learn how to insert images in LaTeX with \includegraphics and graphicx. Covers image formats, sizing, captions, figure environments, and common fixes.

To insert an image in LaTeX, load the graphicx package and use \includegraphics{...}. From there, you can control width, height, scaling, captions, labels, and placement with the figure environment.

Quick answer: add \usepackage{graphicx} to the preamble, then use \includegraphics[width=0.8\textwidth]{image-file} where you want the image to appear.

Related topics: Figure positioning | Tabular environment | Package management

Quick Start

quick-image.tex

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{graphicx}

\begin{document}

\begin{figure}[htbp]
  \centering
  \includegraphics[width=0.7\textwidth]{example-image}
  \caption{Example image}
  \label{fig:example}
\end{figure}

\end{document}

Basic Image Insertion

Simple Image Include

basic-image.tex

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{graphicx}
\begin{document}

% Basic image insertion
\includegraphics{example-image}

% With file extension
\includegraphics{photo.jpg}

% From subfolder
\includegraphics{images/diagram.png}

% With full path (use forward slashes)
\includegraphics{/Users/name/pictures/graph.pdf}

\end{document}

Supported Image Formats

Compiler	Formats Supported
pdfLaTeX	PDF, PNG, JPG/JPEG
XeLaTeX	PDF, PNG, JPG/JPEG, EPS*
LuaLaTeX	PDF, PNG, JPG/JPEG, EPS*
LaTeX (DVI)	EPS, PS

*EPS requires additional configuration

Best practices for formats:

• PDF: Vector graphics, diagrams, plots
• PNG: Screenshots, images with transparency
• JPG: Photographs, images without transparency

Scaling Images

Width and Height Control

scaling-images.tex

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{graphicx}
\begin{document}

% Scale by width
\includegraphics[width=5cm]{image}
\includegraphics[width=0.8\textwidth]{image}
\includegraphics[width=\columnwidth]{image}

% Scale by height
\includegraphics[height=3cm]{image}
\includegraphics[height=0.25\textheight]{image}

% Scale by both (may distort)
\includegraphics[width=5cm,height=3cm]{image}

% Keep aspect ratio with one dimension
\includegraphics[width=5cm,keepaspectratio]{image}

% Scale factor
\includegraphics[scale=0.5]{image}  % 50% of original
\includegraphics[scale=1.2]{image}  % 120% of original

\end{document}

Common Width References

width-references.tex

% Page dimensions
\includegraphics[width=\textwidth]{image}      % Full text width
\includegraphics[width=\columnwidth]{image}    % Column width
\includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{image}      % Current line width
\includegraphics[width=\paperwidth]{image}     % Full paper width

% Relative sizes
\includegraphics[width=0.5\textwidth]{image}   % Half text width
\includegraphics[width=0.33\columnwidth]{image} % Third of column

% Using calc package
\usepackage{calc}
\includegraphics[width=\textwidth-2cm]{image}  % Text width minus 2cm

Figure Environment

Basic Figure

figure-environment.tex

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{graphicx}
\begin{document}

\begin{figure}[h]
  \centering
  \includegraphics[width=0.6\textwidth]{example-image}
  \caption{A sample figure with caption}
  \label{fig:sample}
\end{figure}

As shown in Figure \ref{fig:sample}, the image demonstrates...

% Alternative with short caption for list of figures
\begin{figure}[h]
  \centering
  \includegraphics[width=0.5\textwidth]{graph}
  \caption[Short caption]{Long descriptive caption that appears below the figure}
  \label{fig:graph}
\end{figure}

\end{document}

Figure Placement Options

Option	Meaning	Priority
h	Here (approximately)	Low
t	Top of page	Medium
b	Bottom of page	Medium
p	Page of floats	Low
H	HERE (exactly)*	Forced
!	Override LaTeX’s rules	Modifier

*Requires \usepackage{float}

figure-placement.tex

% Preferred placement order
\begin{figure}[htbp]  % Try here, then top, bottom, finally float page

% Force placement
\usepackage{float}
\begin{figure}[H]  % Place exactly here

% Override LaTeX's aesthetic rules
\begin{figure}[!h]  % Try harder to place here

Multiple Images

Side by Side Images

side-by-side.tex

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{graphicx}
\begin{document}

% Method 1: Simple side by side
\begin{figure}[h]
  \centering
  \includegraphics[width=0.45\textwidth]{image1}
  \hfill
  \includegraphics[width=0.45\textwidth]{image2}
  \caption{Two images side by side}
\end{figure}

% Method 2: With individual captions (subcaption package)
\usepackage{subcaption}
\begin{figure}[h]
  \centering
  \begin{subfigure}[b]{0.45\textwidth}
    \centering
    \includegraphics[width=\textwidth]{image1}
    \caption{First subcaption}
    \label{fig:sub1}
  \end{subfigure}
  \hfill
  \begin{subfigure}[b]{0.45\textwidth}
    \centering
    \includegraphics[width=\textwidth]{image2}
    \caption{Second subcaption}
    \label{fig:sub2}
  \end{subfigure}
  \caption{Main figure caption}
  \label{fig:main}
\end{figure}

\end{document}

Grid of Images

image-grid.tex

\usepackage{subcaption}

\begin{figure}[h]
  \centering
  % First row
  \begin{subfigure}[b]{0.3\textwidth}
    \centering
    \includegraphics[width=\textwidth]{img1}
    \caption{Image 1}
  \end{subfigure}
  \hfill
  \begin{subfigure}[b]{0.3\textwidth}
    \centering
    \includegraphics[width=\textwidth]{img2}
    \caption{Image 2}
  \end{subfigure}
  \hfill
  \begin{subfigure}[b]{0.3\textwidth}
    \centering
    \includegraphics[width=\textwidth]{img3}
    \caption{Image 3}
  \end{subfigure}
  
  % Second row
  \begin{subfigure}[b]{0.3\textwidth}
    \centering
    \includegraphics[width=\textwidth]{img4}
    \caption{Image 4}
  \end{subfigure}
  \hfill
  \begin{subfigure}[b]{0.3\textwidth}
    \centering
    \includegraphics[width=\textwidth]{img5}
    \caption{Image 5}
  \end{subfigure}
  \hfill
  \begin{subfigure}[b]{0.3\textwidth}
    \centering
    \includegraphics[width=\textwidth]{img6}
    \caption{Image 6}
  \end{subfigure}
  
  \caption{Grid of six images}
\end{figure}

Image Transformations

Rotation and Flipping

transformations.tex

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{graphicx}
\begin{document}

% Rotate image
\includegraphics[angle=90]{image}              % 90 degrees
\includegraphics[angle=-45]{image}             % -45 degrees
\includegraphics[angle=180]{image}             % Upside down

% Rotate and scale
\includegraphics[angle=45,width=5cm]{image}

% Origin of rotation
\includegraphics[angle=90,origin=c]{image}     % Center (default)
\includegraphics[angle=90,origin=tl]{image}    % Top left
\includegraphics[angle=90,origin=br]{image}    % Bottom right

% Reflection (negative scaling)
\includegraphics[width=5cm]{image}             % Normal
\includegraphics[width=-5cm]{image}            % Horizontal flip
\includegraphics[width=5cm,height=-3cm]{image} % Vertical flip

\end{document}

Clipping and Trimming

clipping.tex

% Trim: left bottom right top
\includegraphics[trim=1cm 2cm 1cm 2cm,clip]{image}

% Trim and scale
\includegraphics[trim=1cm 1cm 1cm 1cm,clip,width=5cm]{image}

% Viewport (absolute coordinates)
\includegraphics[viewport=20 20 200 200,clip]{image}

% Show only part of image
\includegraphics[trim=0 0 0 50mm,clip,width=\textwidth]{panorama}

Advanced Techniques

Wrapping Text Around Images

wrap-text.tex

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{graphicx}
\usepackage{wrapfig}
\begin{document}

\begin{wrapfigure}{r}{0.4\textwidth}
  \centering
  \includegraphics[width=0.38\textwidth]{image}
  \caption{A wrapped figure}
\end{wrapfigure}

This text wraps around the figure. The figure is positioned on the 
right side of the page, and the text flows around it naturally. 
This is useful for smaller images that don't need the full width 
of the page. Continue with more text to see the wrapping effect...

% Options: r (right), l (left), i (inner), o (outer)
\begin{wrapfigure}{l}{0.3\textwidth}
  \vspace{-20pt}  % Adjust vertical position
  \centering
  \includegraphics[width=0.28\textwidth]{small-image}
  \vspace{-20pt}
  \caption{Left aligned}
  \vspace{-10pt}
\end{wrapfigure}

\end{document}

Image Paths

image-paths.tex

% Set graphics path
\graphicspath{{images/}{figures/}{../pics/}}

% Now you can use just the filename
\includegraphics{photo}  % Searches in all specified paths

% Multiple paths with subdirectories
\graphicspath{
  {./images/}
  {./figures/photos/}
  {./figures/diagrams/}
  {../common/images/}
}

Draft Mode

draft-mode.tex

% Show boxes instead of images (faster compilation)
\usepackage[draft]{graphicx}

% Or document-wide
\documentclass[draft]{article}

% Override draft mode for specific image
\includegraphics[draft=false,width=5cm]{important-image}

Image Formats and Conversion

Working with Different Formats

format-handling.tex

% Let LaTeX determine format
\DeclareGraphicsExtensions{.pdf,.png,.jpg,.jpeg}
\includegraphics{image}  % Finds image.pdf, image.png, etc.

% Force specific format
\includegraphics[ext=.png]{image}

% EPS to PDF conversion (pdfLaTeX)
\usepackage{epstopdf}
\includegraphics{diagram.eps}  % Automatically converted

Best Practices

Image guidelines:

1. Resolution: Use 300 DPI for print, 96-150 DPI for screen
2. File size: Optimize images before including them
3. Formats: Use vector (PDF) for diagrams, raster (PNG/JPG) for photos
4. Naming: Avoid spaces and special characters in filenames
5. Organization: Keep images in a dedicated folder
6. Captions: Always include descriptive captions
7. References: Label all figures for cross-referencing

Troubleshooting

Common image problems:

1. Image not found: Check path and filename (case-sensitive)
2. Wrong format: Ensure format is supported by your compiler
3. Distorted image: Use only width OR height, not both
4. Image too large: Scale relative to \textwidth
5. Bad placement: Use [htbp] for flexible positioning
6. Missing package: Add \usepackage{graphicx}

Quick Reference

Essential Commands

Command	Purpose	Example
\includegraphics{}	Insert image	\includegraphics{pic}
width=	Set width	width=5cm
height=	Set height	height=3cm
scale=	Scale factor	scale=0.5
angle=	Rotate	angle=90
\caption{}	Add caption	\caption{Description}
\label{}	Add reference	\label{fig:name}

Figure Template

\begin{figure}[htbp]
  \centering
  \includegraphics[width=0.8\textwidth]{filename}
  \caption{Descriptive caption}
  \label{fig:reference-name}
\end{figure}

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Next: Master Figure positioning to control exactly where your images appear, or learn about Creating tables for structured data presentation.