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Microsoft PowerPoint XP

Working with Images

Adding visual components to your slide(s) can enhance or underscore your message. Images from clip art collections, the Internet, or scanned images can be added to your PowerPoint slides. You can also add visual components by using PowerPoint's drawing tools (see Drawing in Office XP). For more information on creating images for your PowerPoint presentation, see Creating WordArt.

This document tells you how to add and manage images in your slides:

Return to topAdding Images

Adding Images: Clip Art

PowerPoint is equipped with a Microsoft Clip Organizer that has numerous images in several different categories. It is easy to enhance your slides with appropriate clip art from the organizer. For information on adding images, see Inserting Clip Art. 

HINT: To adjust the location and size of your image, see Managing Images: Positioning or Managing Images: Resizing.

Adding Images: Other Electronic Images

You can also add electronic images from other sources (e.g., scanned images or images saved from the Internet). For information on adding images from outside sources, see Adding to the Microsoft Clip Organizer. To learn how to find and to save images from the Internet, see Capturing Images, Sounds, and Movies and Importing Clip Art from the Web.

  1. Move to the appropriate slide

  2. From the Insert menu, select Picture » From File…
    The Insert Picture dialog box appears.

  3. Using the Look in pull-down list, navigate to and select the image you want to add

  4. Click INSERT

  5. If necessary, drag the picture into position and resize it

Return to topManaging Images

Once you have inserted an image into your slide, you can easily position, resize, rotate or add a border to it as needed.

Managing Images: Positioning 

  1. Click and hold in the middle of the image
    Your pointer changes to a four-headed arrow.

  2. Drag the image to the desired location

  3. Release the mouse button

Managing Images: Resizing 

  1. Select the image by clicking it once
    Circles called sizing handles appear around the selected image.

  2. Click and hold one of the sizing handles
    HINTS:  
    To keep the image in the same proportions, use one of the corner handles. 
    To distort the image, use one of the side handles.

  3. To resize the image, drag the handle until the image is the desired size
    NOTE: You will see an outline of a box indicating the new size of the image. It resizes when you release the mouse button.

  4. Release the mouse button

Managing Images: Adding a Border

  1. Select the image by clicking it once
    The Picture toolbar appears.

  2. From the Picture toolbar, click LINE STYLE Line Style Button
    OR
    At the bottom of the screen, on the Drawing toolbar, click LINE STYLE Line Style Button
    The Line Style pull-down list appears.

  3. Select the appropriate line style and weight
    The selected border appears around the image.

  4. At the bottom of the screen, on the Drawing toolbar, click the Down arrow next to LINE COLOR line color button

  5. Select the color for your border

  6. At the bottom of the screen, on the Drawing toolbar, click DASH STYLE Dash Style Button
    The Dash Style pull-down list appears.

  7. Select a dash style for your border
    NOTE: To add effects such as shadows to your image, see Adding 3-D or Shadows.

Return to topPicture Options

Once you have inserted a picture into your PowerPoint slide, there are options that can enhance the look of your image. The Picture toolbar lets you change the look of your image by giving options such as line style, transparency, contrast, changing color, and cropping. Once you insert an image, the Picture toolbar should automatically appear. If the Picture toolbar does not appear, see Picture Options: Viewing the Toolbar. For more information on picture options, see Modifying Clip Art within Using Clip Art. 

Picture Options: Viewing the Toolbar

  1.  From the View menu, select Toolbars » Picture
    The Picture toolbar opens.
    NOTE: The Picture toolbar is open when the menu option is checked.

Picture Options: Toolbar Options

On the Picture toolbar, a list of buttons gives you many different options for formatting your images.

Button Name

Button

Action
Insert Picture

Insert Picture button

 Opens the Insert Picture dialog box where you can select a saved image to insert into your PowerPoint document.
Color Color button From the submenu, this allows you to select Image Control options: Automatic, Grayscale, Black & White, and Washout.
More Contrast More Contrast button Makes the images colors have more contrast.
Less Contrast Less Contrast Button Makes the images colors have less contrast.
More Brightness More Brightness button Brightens the colors in the image.
Less Brightness Less Brightness Button Dims the colors in the image.
Crop Crop button Recaptures the image allowing you to cut or crop unnecessary elements in the image.
Rotate Left rotate left button Rotates the image to the left.
Line Style Line Style Button Creates a border for your image.
Compress Pictures compress picture button Allows you to compress your pictures to reduce file size. Image quality may be diminished if pictures are compressed.
Recolor Picture Recolor Picture button Opens the Recolor Picture dialog box where you can change any color in your image. 
Format Picture/AutoShape Format Picture/AutoShape button Opens the Format Picture or Format AutoShape dialog box where you can edit and format your image.
Set Transparent Color Set Transparent Color button Changes the image background color to that of the background color of the document. 
Reset Picture Reset Picture Button Resets the picture back to its original size. 
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