Can Writer combine images and insert a caption for them?

yellowpanda · August 22, 2024, 8:09am

Hello, I am writing my master thesis in Writer. I’m coming from word and want to see if this program can replace it. I’m now in the process of making a simple scientific figure with 2 images. In word, you can easily put 2 images side by side, type A in front of one and B in front of the other, and insert a caption spanning the whole page width.
Is it possible to do this in Writer? I noticed that inserting a caption puts it in the frame of the image, where it will only fill the width of the frame. I know I can first make the full combined image in another program like gimp and then paste that into writer and add the caption, but I would like to know if it’s doable in writer since it would reduce the effort.
Thanks.

ajlittoz · August 22, 2024, 9:02am

First pittrap to avoid: don’t save as .doc(x). Doing so causes repetitive conversions when loading and saving the document. These conversion approximations progressively damage the document structure and you end up with an unmanageable mess.

If you’re required to deliver your document as .doc(x), do it only once when your thesis is finished, polished and ready for distribution. But be aware that there are differences between the ODF and DOCX formats which could change the look of the document.

Word is not as advanced as Writer when it comes to formatting structuring and automation. Word only knows of paragraph styles. Writer offers you in addition character, page, frame and list styles.

Short answer: yes.

Long answer: if you’re in a hurry, do it “quick’n’dirty” (I’m afraid this is the only method you can implement if you’re discovering LO possibilities).

I assume you insert your images with Insert>Image. Suggested procedure:

Start with the caption
You probably don’t know yet how to create an automatically numbered caption. Then Insert>Frame>Frame (it does not matter how this frame looks and is positioned, we’ll discard it) and Insert>Caption.
Select the caption and Edit>Cut or Ctrl+X.
Delete the frame.
Paste Ctrl+V the caption into an empty paragraph.
Put the cursor into the caption and Insert>Image
1. right-click on image and Properties
2. in Position & Size, adjust width with Keep ratio checked
3. in Wrap, select Wrap Off, add some Spacing around the image and very important make sure Allow overlap is not ticked
Move the image to its desired location with the mouse
Do the same for the second image

If you want to add some reference tag, such as A, B, … or (L), (R) to the images:

select an image
right-click and Insert Caption with Category: [None]
right-click on caption frame and Properties
go to Wrap tab and make sure Allow overlap is not ticked
adjust other parameters to your liking if need.

The whole process can be automated with a judicious use of frame styles, but frames are the most difficult feature to master in Writer. As I suppose you’re an absolute beginner, I won’t elaborate on this topic.

Anyway, I highly recommend you read the Writer Guide to learn about Writer possibilities, notable styles, and think about the differences with Word. Writer is not a drop-in replacement for Word. It is a different document processor based on different principles (styles). It is much more powerful than Word (personal opinion)
but it requires a long practice to really appreciate and use the features. A key to success is to force yourself to forget what you are used to with Word and accept to relearn everything “the Writer way”.

yellowpanda · August 22, 2024, 9:35am

Thanks for your elaborate comment! I got it working sort of in the way you described. However, random jumping around, random resizes, additional frames and captions only being possible above and below (in scientific figures it’s to the left of the image), make it more effort than it’s worth on the first try. I’ll probably try to get more accustomed to it, otherwise I’ll make the combined figure in Draw and then paste it into Writer. Have a nice day!

ajlittoz · August 22, 2024, 9:50am

You can achieve mark on left or right with a change in procedure. Replace steps 2. and 3. above with:

Put the cursor into the caption and Insert>Frame>Frame
Adjust size of frame slightly to ease subsequent frames and remove border.
1. click inside frame (inside the default empty paragraph)
2. Insert>Image
3. right-click on image and Properties
4. in Position & Size:
  adjust width with Keep ratio checked
  change Anchor to As character
  set Position Vertical to Center to Character
5. in Wrap, add some Spacing around the image (left and/or right only)

You can know click inside the frame and move the cursor with the arrow keys either to the left or right of the image. Type whatever reference mark you need.