How to Choose the Right MountainsMap SPM Plan for You

Quick Start: Creating Publication-Quality Images with MountainsMap SPM

1. Open and prepare your data

• Load file: File → Open, then select your AFM/STM image (supported formats: .spm, .gwyddion, .txt, common microscope formats).
• Crop: Use the Crop tool to remove damaged edges or scan artifacts.
• Plane/line correction: Apply Plane correction (Polynomial order 1) and Line correction if stripe artifacts remain.

2. Correct artifacts and filter

• Tilt and levelling: Use Leveling → Flatten or Polynomial Fit to remove sample tilt.
• Despeckle/Median filter: Apply a small-radius median filter (1–3 px) to remove isolated spikes without blurring features.
• Low-pass filter: For noise reduction, use a gentle Gaussian low-pass (sigma 0.5–1 px). Avoid over-smoothing.

3. Choose color map and contrast

• Colormap: Select a perceptually uniform colormap (e.g., Viridis, Cividis) to preserve detail and avoid misleading contrasts.
• Scale: Set scale to linear unless your data needs log scaling. Use the histogram or Auto Contrast to set min/max, then fine-tune.
• Clipping: Avoid hard clipping of extrema; instead, use percentile-based limits (e.g., 1–99%) to retain detail.

4. Add annotations and scale

• Scale bar: Insert a scale bar sized to the image (use the known scan size). Place in a corner with contrasting color and thin border.
• Color scale/legend: Add a vertical color scale indicating units (nm, µm).
• Text labels: Use concise labels for channels, magnification, and imaging mode. Choose legible font and size for print.

5. 3D rendering and lighting

• 2D vs 3D: Use 3D hillshade or relief rendering for better topography visualization—keep both 2D and 3D versions for publication.
• Lighting: Set a single light source; adjust azimuth and elevation to emphasize features without creating artificial shadows.
• Vertical exaggeration: Apply modest vertical exaggeration (1–3×). Note exaggeration value in the figure caption.

6. Measurements and scale calibration

• Calibrate: Verify scan size and Z calibration against known standards.
• Add measurement overlays: Draw line profiles, roughness (Ra, RMS) boxes, or particle size annotations and export numeric values for methods.

7. Export settings for publication

• Resolution: Export at 300–600 DPI for raster images; for vector overlays export to SVG or EPS if supported.
• Format: Use TIFF for high-quality raster (16-bit if available). Use PNG for web, JPEG only if file size is necessary.
• Color space: Export in RGB; convert to CMYK later only if required by the journal during layout.

8. Figure assembly tips

• Consistency: Use consistent colormaps, scale bars, and font across all figures.
• Panels: Arrange multi-panel figures with aligned scales and shared colorbars when comparing data.
• Captions: Report processing steps, filters, scale, vertical exaggeration, and measurement methods in the caption.

9. Quick checklist before submission

• Data loaded and cropped
• Leveling and artifact correction applied
• Appropriate filtering (minimal)
• Perceptual colormap and scaled contrast
• Scale bar and color legend present
• Measurements calibrated and reported
• Export at journal-specified resolution/format

If you want, I can generate a short, publication-ready caption template and an export preset list tailored to a specific journal—tell me the journal or required DPI.