Photoshop for Biologists

July 25, 2011 1:57 PM

Photoshopfilter: I am making a figure for publication in a science journal. Is there a software or cellular components package that I could use to build diagrams of cells with mitochondria, organelles, receptors and signaling pathways? I am looking to make a schematic that look similar to this (click figures/tables to see it) that I can alter. Is there a components package I could use to build these without making it all from scratch?

A similar questions was addressed previously, but that was six years ago.

posted by princelyfox to computers & internet (4 answers total)

I would wager that that particular diagram was probably created in something like Visio, which comes with pre-made pieces.

Here's a short Wiki list of software that can be used for diagram creation. Personally, I would use Adobe Illustrator, but the learning curve is probably steeper than you want to get into, especially since you're asking for pre-built components.
posted by Thorzdad at 2:08 PM on July 25, 2011

If you know how to use a vector-friendly program, I would trawl iStock for component parts. There will be slim pickings but I'd rather build off this than draw it from scratch.
posted by DarlingBri at 2:25 PM on July 25, 2011

Adobe Illustrator, Deneba Canvas, OmniGraffle and Inkscape are all good illustration tools. OmniGraffle, in particular, supports stencils that extend the illustration palette. One such stencil is molecular-biology-themed.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 2:26 PM on July 25, 2011 [2 favorites]

chembiodraw works fairly well, but it is really pricey unless your institute has a site license.

There is a 2 week free trial so if you export everything to png's which it supports it should work.

Download Here
posted by koolkat at 1:36 AM on July 26, 2011