From 7dab28b1b19c63f568955d06f60f484fc1bffa66 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Tim Hoffmann <2836374+timhoffm@users.noreply.github.com>
Date: Tue, 29 Apr 2025 16:40:06 +0200
Subject: [PATCH] Backport PR #29370: DOC: Improve NonUniformImage docs

---
 .../images_contours_and_fields/image_nonuniform.py     |  9 ++++++---
 lib/matplotlib/image.py                                | 10 +++++++++-
 2 files changed, 15 insertions(+), 4 deletions(-)

diff --git a/galleries/examples/images_contours_and_fields/image_nonuniform.py b/galleries/examples/images_contours_and_fields/image_nonuniform.py
index 629f37bf61d5..991e7bade521 100644
--- a/galleries/examples/images_contours_and_fields/image_nonuniform.py
+++ b/galleries/examples/images_contours_and_fields/image_nonuniform.py
@@ -3,9 +3,12 @@
 Image nonuniform
 ================
 
-This illustrates the NonUniformImage class.  It is not
-available via an Axes method, but it is easily added to an
-Axes instance as shown here.
+`.NonUniformImage` is a generalized image with pixels on a rectilinear grid,
+i.e. it allows rows and columns with individual heights / widths.
+
+There is no high-level plotting method on `~.axes.Axes` or `.pyplot` to
+create a NonUniformImage. Instead, you have to instantiate the image
+explicitly add it to the Axes using `.Axes.add_image`.
 """
 
 import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
diff --git a/lib/matplotlib/image.py b/lib/matplotlib/image.py
index 8191c5db0b2e..bf92ec985ae2 100644
--- a/lib/matplotlib/image.py
+++ b/lib/matplotlib/image.py
@@ -818,7 +818,7 @@ def get_filterrad(self):
 
 class AxesImage(_ImageBase):
     """
-    An image attached to an Axes.
+    An image with pixels on a regular grid, attached to an Axes.
 
     Parameters
     ----------
@@ -1005,6 +1005,14 @@ def get_cursor_data(self, event):
 
 
 class NonUniformImage(AxesImage):
+    """
+    An image with pixels on a rectilinear grid.
+
+    In contrast to `.AxesImage`, where pixels are on a regular grid,
+    NonUniformImage allows rows and columns with individual heights / widths.
+
+    See also :doc:`/gallery/images_contours_and_fields/image_nonuniform`.
+    """
 
     def __init__(self, ax, *, interpolation='nearest', **kwargs):
         """