[Tex/LaTex] two column, landscape page

Question

I'm writing an article, with 2 columns. Because my picture is too large I want to put it on a new landscape page. So I used the following code:

\newgeometry{left=3.0cm,bottom=30mm,top=20mm}

\afterpage{%
    \clearpage% Flush earlier floats (otherwise order might not be correct)
    \thispagestyle{empty}% empty page style (?)
    \begin{landscape}% Landscape page

\begin{figure} [H]
    \centering
    \includegraphics[scale=1]{./figures/Figure2.png}
    \caption{Xx}
    \label{fig:historicaldata}
\end{figure}

   \end{landscape}
    \clearpage% Flush page
}

\restoregeometry

But then first a white page appears in between and after that the two column layout is gone :(. Does anyone know how to fix this?

Answer 1

I would use the rotating package's sidewaysfigure* environment. For example:

\documentclass[twocolumn]{article}
\usepackage{geometry,graphicx,kantlipsum,rotating}
\begin{document}
\kant[1-4]
\begin{sidewaysfigure*}
  \centering
  \includegraphics[scale=.7]{example-image-letter-landscape}
  \caption{A rotated figure}
\end{sidewaysfigure*}
\kant[5-10]
\end{document}