Drawing pictures using LaTeX's picture environment is very time
consuming. For graphics with any significant complexity it is
probably best to import them using the graphicx package
and the \includegraphics command. Example code that does
this is as follows:
\documentclass{whatever}
\usepackage{graphicx}
\begin{document}
...
\begin{figure}[h]
\begin{center}
\includegraphics[width=10cm]{graphic.eps}
\caption{This caption is self-referential \label{some_label}}
\end{center}
\end{figure}
...
\end{document}
This then requires that the graphic file is in .eps format
(encapsulated postscript). Adobe Illustrator is a good program to use
to produce .eps graphics. It is installed on the computers in the
Odegaard computer lab. You might also want to try Xfig. It is
installed on Hilbert and is another drawing program that can output
eps graphics. To use Xfig, just type xfig at the prompt
with X-Windows running in the background.
It's also possible to convert other formats to .eps
(although probably not very efficiently) with image conversion
software such as Imagemagick. For example, to
do this in UNIX you might type, convert mypic.jpg mypic.eps.
Most mathematical software can also produce some eps graphics. For
example, plots in MATLAB can be saved as .eps files and
therefore be easily included in a LaTeX document.
MATLAB also has a latex command that gives the LaTeX
representation of a symbolic expression, which could then be pasted
directly into a LaTeX document. This could potentially be a
time-saver for some.
Do not use bitmaps unless you know what you are doing. The reason for this is that LaTeX documents which use bitmaps are notoriously difficult to compile under unix. Confer 2002 for several examples of this failure.