How to retrieve the list of supported file formats for Matplotlib savefig()function?

To retrieve the list of supported file formats for Matplotlib's savefig() function, we can use the get_supported_filetypes() method. This is useful when you want to programmatically check which formats are available for saving plots.

Using get_supported_filetypes()

The get_supported_filetypes() method returns a dictionary where keys are file extensions and values are format descriptions ?

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

# Get current figure and access canvas
fig = plt.gcf()
supported_formats = fig.canvas.get_supported_filetypes()

# Display all supported formats
for extension, description in supported_formats.items():
    print(f"{extension}: {description}")

eps: Encapsulated Postscript
jpg: Joint Photographic Experts Group
jpeg: Joint Photographic Experts Group
pdf: Portable Document Format
pgf: PGF code for LaTeX
png: Portable Network Graphics
ps: Postscript
raw: Raw RGBA bitmap
rgba: Raw RGBA bitmap
svg: Scalable Vector Graphics
svgz: Scalable Vector Graphics
tif: Tagged Image File Format
tiff: Tagged Image File Format

Practical Example with Plot Saving

Here's how you can use this information to save a plot in different formats ?

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np

# Create a sample plot
x = np.linspace(0, 10, 100)
y = np.sin(x)
plt.plot(x, y, label='sin(x)')
plt.title('Sample Plot')
plt.legend()

# Get supported formats
supported_formats = plt.gcf().canvas.get_supported_filetypes()

# Show available vector formats (good for publications)
vector_formats = ['eps', 'pdf', 'svg', 'ps']
print("Vector formats available:")
for fmt in vector_formats:
    if fmt in supported_formats:
        print(f"  {fmt}: {supported_formats[fmt]}")

plt.show()

Vector formats available:
  eps: Encapsulated Postscript
  pdf: Portable Document Format
  svg: Scalable Vector Graphics
  ps: Postscript

Common File Formats

Conclusion

Use get_supported_filetypes() to check available formats before saving plots. Vector formats like PDF and SVG are ideal for publications, while PNG is perfect for web display.