Introduction

By the end of this lesson, you should be able to:

• Insert pictures
• Edit pictures

Inserting clip art

Word comes bundled with hundreds of cip art images that are copyright free and available for your personal use. The clip art images that are available through Word cover many different categories and can help enhance your pages. If you've never inserted clip art, Word will ask if you would like to catalog all of the available resources (clip art, as well as sound and video files) on your computer. It is a good idea to catalog all of these free resources.

To insert clip art:

• Place the insertion point where you want to insert the clip.
• Click Insert on the menu bar.
• Select Picture and then Clip Art from the cascading menu. The Insert Clip Art menu opens on the task pane.
• Type a keyword in the Search Text: field.
• Click Search.

AND

• Specify your search by using the Other Search Options.
  • Search in: This specifies where Word will search for clip art. As long as the check box for Everywhere is checked, Word will search all collections.
  • Results should be: This specifies what type of file Word will search for (video, audio, photographs, or clip art). As long as the check box for All Media Types is checked, Word will search all media files.
• Double-click the clip art or picture to add it to the document.

To change your Search For text: click the Modify button below the clip art results .

To preview video and sound clips, click the appropriate tab and click the Play button to preview the file.

To delete a picture:

• Select the image.
• Press the Delete key on your keyboard.

Inserting pictures from your computer

A picture doesn't have to be in the clip gallery in order for you to insert it into your document. The clip gallery is just an easy place to store clips you want to use again and again.

To insert a picture that is not in the clip gallery:

• Click Insert from the menu bar.
• Select Picture and From File from the cascading menu. The Insert Picture dialog box opens.
• Locate and select the file to insert the selected picture into your document.

Moving clips

Once you have inserted a graphic into your document, you can reposition it until it's in the appropriate location.

By default, when a picture is imported into Word, it is aligned to the left margin. However, just as you would text, you can change the alignment so the graphic is right-aligned or centered. You can also drag the image anywhere on the page.

To move a clip:

• Select the clip.
• Use your mouse to drag a selected clip to any position on the page.
• The I-beam turns into a white pointer with a little box under it as you move the picture.

OR

• Use the Alignment buttons on the Formatting toolbar.

Sizing handles

You have two options when sizing your graphics. If it is important to maintain proportions, which will prevent the image from looking skewed, then use the corner handles to resize the image. If you do not need to maintain the graphic's proportions, you can use the top, bottom, or side handles.

To change size while maintaining proportions:

• Click the image you want to resize.
• Place the cursor over one of the corner handles. The cursor will change into a double-headed arrow.
• Drag the handles until the image is the size you need.

To keep the center of an object in the same place, hold down the CTRL key while dragging the mouse.

To change size while not maintaining proportions:

If any of the middle handles are dragged (top, bottom, right, or left), only the height and width changes, thus changing the proportion—or scale—of the picture.

Be careful; using only the sizing handle can make your pictures blurry and distorted.

Changing the appearance of your pictures

Sometimes you may need to not only adjust the sizing of your pictures, but you may notice that the picture is too dark or too bright for your liking. You can adjust your picture using the Picture toolbar.

To use the Picture toolbar:

• Right-click the picture.
• Choose Show Picture Toolbar from the shortcut menu.

Crop, Recolor Object, and Set Transparent Color buttons are used with areas of the picture. All other buttons affect the entire picture.

Name of button:	Use it to:
Insert Picture from File	Insert another picture
Color	Automatic, grayscale, black and white, or watermark
More Contrast	Increase color intensity
Less Contrast	Decrease color intensity
More Brightness	Add white to lighten all colors
Less Brightness	Add black to darken the color
Crop	Cut the sides of an image
Rotate Left	Turns the image by 90 degrees to the left with each click
Line Style	Customize the border of an image
Compress Pictures	Change the resolution of your image
Text Wrap	Set how text wraps around the image
Format Picture	Display the Format Picture dialog box
Set Transparant Color	Use eyedropper to make areas of the picture transparent (mainly for web graphics)
Reset Picture	Return picture to its original format

Challenge!

• Open a new document in Word.
• Open the Insert menu, select Picture, and select clip art.
• Type different keywords into the Search: Field.
• Explore the various categories.
• When you find an image you want to insert into your document, select it by clicking it once.
• Word will place the image in your document where you placed your insertion point.
• To reposition the image, practice clicking and dragging, centering, and right-alignment.
• Close Word.