Extend a figure 100% horizontally with a fixed height in LaTeX?

Question

How can I insert a figure (i.e. graphic) that extends 100% of the viewport but with a given height?

Answer 1

You can use:

\includegraphics[width=\textwidth,height=5in]{imagefile}

but construction

\begin{minipage}{8cm} \includegraphics[width=\textwidth]{imagefile} \end{minipage}

will produce image with width of 8cm.

Answer 2

You can use the usual [width=X,height=Y] parameters, but instead of giving a literal X use \columnwidth...

If you want the figure to span multiple columns, use \begin{figure*} instead of \begin{Figure}