Adding Pictures and Shapes To A Worksheet: Lesson Skill Matrix
Adding Pictures and Shapes To A Worksheet: Lesson Skill Matrix
to a Worksheet 13
LESSON SKILL MATRIX
Skills Exam Objective Objective Number
Inserting Pictures Insert images. 5.3.2
Adding Shapes, Lines, Text Boxes, and WordArt Insert text boxes and shapes. 5.3.1
Formatting Graphics Modify object properties. 5.3.3
Adding Graphic Enhancements Using Picture Tools Modify object properties. 5.3.3
Adding Alternative Text to Pictures Add alternative text to objects for accessibility. 5.3.4
Inspect a workbook for accessibility issues. 1.5.7
SOFTWARE ORIENTATION
The Insert Tab’s Illustration and Text Tools
Excel isn’t just or crunching numbers or storing rows and rows o records. It contains a robust
set o tools or turning data into charts; concepts and processes into diagrams; and adding pho-
tos, shapes, and other drawn content to make worksheets more interesting and more quickly
understood. In this lesson, you ocus on diagrams, images, shapes, and text-based graphics such
as WordArt and text boxes, which are used to enhance a worksheet and help those viewing it to
understand its content.
Most o the graphical elements you can add to an Excel worksheet are generated rom the Insert
tab, shown in Figure 13-1, in the Illustrations and ext groups. Everything rom pictures, Smar-
tArt, shapes, text boxes, and WordArt are ound in these two clusters o buttons. Once you’ve
inserted the graphical element you need, tools are presented to allow you to ormat, size, and
position them to meet your needs.
Figure 13-1
The Insert tab’s Illustrations
and Text groups
247
248 Lesson 13
INSERTING PICTURES
As the saying goes, “A picture is worth a thousand words,” and in the case o Excel, pictures can
be worth a thousand cells lled with text and numbers. Adding photos is easy in Excel, helping
you take a mind-numbing worksheet packed with numbers and text and turn it into something
interesting to look at, compelling to read, and easy to navigate.
GET READY. LAUNCH Excel and OPEN a new, blank workbook. Download the image les or
this lesson and SAVE them in the Pictures older. Alternatively, you can create a sub older in
your student data older named Lesson 13 Images and then SAVE the images in that sub older.
1. Click the Insert tab, and then in the Illustrations group, click the Pictures button. The
Insert Picture dialog box opens.
2. Navigate to the older that holds the image les or this lesson. Double-click the
13 Happy Kids image, or click it once and then click the Insert button. The picture is
inserted into your worksheet.
Troubleshooting I you don’t see your picture fle listed in the Insert Picture dialog box a ter navigating to the
older where the picture is stored, click the All Pictures drop-down list to the right o the File
Name box. Excel displays all picture fle ormats that it supports, such as BMP, JPG, PNG, TIFF,
and more.
3. SAVE the workbook in the Excel Lesson 13 older as 13 Insert Pictures Solution.
When you insert a graphic into Excel, the upper-le t corner o the graphic aligns with the active
cell. However, the graphic appears on top o the worksheet grid. Although the graphic might cover
up content in the grid, it doesn’t afect that content and is not actually inserted into any cell in
the worksheet. You can move the graphic in the worksheet without afecting any existing data or
other inserted graphics.
I you decide you want to use a diferent photo, select the current picture and on the Format tab,
in the Adjust group, click the Change Picture button. In the Insert Pictures dialog box, locate and
select an alternate image to replace the selected picture on your worksheet.
Figure 13-2
The Insert Pictures dialog box
Metadata is in ormation stored about images—keywords that describe the content o the im-
age, the name o the photographer, the type o image, the date the image was taken or last edited,
and so on. Any image search, through Bing Image Search or a web browser’s image search eature,
relies on the metadata stored about each image to return results when a user searches or an image.
GET READY. USE the workbook rom the previous exercise. You must have a OneDrive
account to complete this exercise. Accounts are ree to set up and use at onedrive.com.
OneDrive is Microso t’s cloud solution or sharing and collaboration. I you installed O ce
2016 on your own computer, you most likely became an O ce 365 subscriber, which gave
you space within the OneDrive cloud. You can use this space to store les o all kinds,
including pictures.
1. Connect to your OneDrive account, navigate to the Pictures older, and then upload the
Excel Lesson 13 images. I a Pictures older doesn’t exist, create it and then upload the
images.
2. Click in cell J1.
3. Click the Insert tab, and then in the Illustrations group, click the Online Pictures button.
The Insert Pictures dialog box appears.
250 Lesson 13
4. Click the Browse link to the right o the OneDrive option. Your OneDrive olders appear.
5. Double-click the Pictures older or whichever older contains the picture you want to
insert. The older opens, displaying the images it contains.
6. Scroll through the images, select the 13 Canned Veggies image, and then click the
Insert button. You can also double-click the desired image.
7. Once an image is inserted, the dialog box closes automatically.
8. SAVE the workbook and then CLOSE the le.
Adding Shapes
Te Shapes eature ofers eight diferent categories o shapes, along with a group entitled Recently
Used Shapes so you can quickly redraw the same shapes. Te categories—Lines, Rectangles, Basic
Shapes, Block Arrows, Equation Shapes, Flowchart, Stars and Banners, and Callouts—provide
the capability to draw nearly any shape.
Figure 13-3
The Shapes gallery
Shapes button
Up Arrow shape
Adding Pictures and Shapes to a Worksheet 251
Figure 13-4
A block arrow drawn in
a worksheet
7. SAVE the workbook in the Excel Lesson 13 older as 13 Add Shapes Solution.
When inserting a shape, the direction you drag rom the starting point controls the size o the
shape and its proportions. I you want to create a per ect square or a circle, hold down the Shi t
key as you drag, and you draw a shape that’s equal in width and height. Tis applies to any shape,
but is essential or squares and circles. Te trick to success ul use o this technique is to release the
mouse button and then the Shi t key.
When a shape is drawn, it has white handles on its perimeter. For graphics, a handle is a white
circle on the side and/or corner o the graphic that you click and drag to increase or decrease the
size o the graphic. You can also click inside a graphic and drag to move it, and change the color
o its ll and/or outline. You’ll learn the speci cs o these ormatting changes later in this lesson.
Drawing Lines
Lines can be used to point to something or to create a visual connection between two shapes or
two areas o the worksheet. You can draw them at any angle, at any length, and once drawn, or-
mat their appearance.
Figure 13-5
Drawing the Explosion 1 shape
4. With the shape still selected, type Goal Exceeded!. The text begins in the upper le t o
the shape and wraps within the shape i the width is too small to display all text on one
line. Don’t press Enter unless you want to orce the text onto a new line to create a new
paragraph or to place words or phrases on separate lines.
5. To ormat the text in the shape, select the text by clicking just to the le t o the “G”
in Goal and dragging through all text. Note that when you’re within the shape that
contains text, the mouse pointer turns to an I-beam cursor.
6. With the text selected, use the ormatting tools on the Mini Toolbar or on the Home
tab to bold and center the text, and change the ont size to 14. Grab a sizing handle on
either side o the shape and pull to the le t, right, or down until all text appears.
7. SAVE the workbook.
You can apply special efects to a shape by right-clicking the shape and choosing Format Shape
rom the shortcut menu. Use the options on the Format Shape pane to apply various special efects.
Adding Pictures and Shapes to a Worksheet 253
Figure 13-6
Entering text into a text box
5. Click in cell A1 to make the text box non-active and to prepare or the next exercise.
6. SAVE the workbook.
You can use the ormatting tools on the Home tab or on the Mini oolbar to ormat text in a text
box.
Using WordArt
Looking or a way to add text to your worksheet and catch everyone’s eye? WordArt, a Microso t
O ce eature that combines words and artistic efects, may be just what you need. Utilizing an
extensive series o preset colored lls, drop shadows, outlines, and 3D looks, WordArt makes it
easy to create a specialized text object quickly. You can use them to add phrases like “Great job!”
next to high sales numbers or to include staf or product names and short titles on your worksheet.
254 Lesson 13
Figure 13-7
The WordArt Styles gallery
WordArt gallery
WordArt
Figure 13-8
WordArt in a worksheet
You can change your WordArt style, simply by selecting the WordArt object on your worksheet
and then choosing another style in the WordArt Styles gallery on the Format tab. I you want to
get rid o the style entirely and just use plain text, choose Clear WordArt rom the bottom o the
WordArt Styles gallery on the Format tab.
FORMATTING GRAPHICS
In addition to moving or copying graphics, you will most likely need to change their appearance
at some point. From styles to the use o the mouse and keyboard to change the appearance, place-
ment, and stacking order o overlapping graphics, Excel ofers great tools to make your graphics
look exactly as you’d imagined them.
Adding Pictures and Shapes to a Worksheet 255
Figure 13-9
The Shape Styles gallery
5. From the gallery, select Light 1 Outline, Colored Fill - Red, Accent 2. Use the
ScreenTips to locate this style.
6. To change the shape’s ll color, in the Shape Styles group, click the Shape Fill button.
The color palette appears.
7. From the palette under Theme Colors, select Dark Blue, Text 2 in the top row. The
object’s background color changes to dark blue.
8. To change the shape’s outline (border) color, in the Shape Styles group, click the Shape
Outline button. The color palette appears.
9. From the palette under Theme Colors, select Red, Accent 2 in the top row. The color o
the object’s border changes.
10. SAVE the workbook in the Excel Lesson 13 older as 13 Format Graphics Solution.
In addition to a shape’s ll color and outline, you can also change a shape’s efects. o apply a
shape efect, in the Shape Styles group, click the Shape Efects button and select an efect rom the
gallery that appears. Examples o efects are Shadow, Re ection, and Glow.
256 Lesson 13
Resizing a Graphic
You can control the size o graphics when you initially draw them, such as the width and height
o polygons, the length o lines, and the size o text boxes and WordArt objects. It’s easy to resize
existing graphics as needed. Te same techniques work to resize pictures, too.
Figure 13-10
The starburst shape after
resizing it
o change the length o a line you’ve drawn, select the line and then point to either o its two
handles. When the mouse pointer turns to a two-headed arrow, drag outward to lengthen the line,
or drag toward the center o the line to shorten it. o keep the line at a 45° or 90° angle, hold the
Shi t key as you drag, and release the mouse button be ore releasing the Shi t key.
Certain polygons, such as stars, block arrows, and triangles have more than just the standard white
handles on their corners and sides when selected. Tese shapes also have control handles, which
are yellow circles used to change the depth o sides. Use these yellow handles to make your block
arrow pointier or to deepen the sides o your stars, dragging inward to make the angles more acute,
or outward to make the angles more obtuse or shallow.
Adding Pictures and Shapes to a Worksheet 257
Rotating a Graphic
You can change the rotation o any shape with the mouse using the rotation handle that appears
just outside the shape, above the top side handle.
Figure 13-11
The starburst shape after
being rotated
Figure 13-12
A stack of overlapping objects
© toddtaulman/iStockPhoto
3. On the Drawing Tools Format tab, in the Arrange group, click the Bring Forward button.
The WordArt graphic moves up one level in the stack.
4. Click the Bring Forward arrow button and select Bring to Front. The WordArt graphic
appears at the top o the stack (see Figure 13-13).
Figure 13-13
The WordArt graphic is now
on the top of the stack.
© toddtaulman/iStockPhoto
5. With the WordArt graphic still selected, click the Send Backward button to move it back
one level. The Food Drive shape is now on top.
6. SAVE the workbook and then CLOSE the le.
What i you can’t see the shape that’s beneath another graphic on the worksheet? Use the Selection
pane. o display it, select any graphic, and on the Format tab, in the Arrange group, click the
Selection Pane button. Te pane contains a list o the graphics on the active worksheet. o restack
the shapes using this pane, drag them, by name up or down in the list.
I you want to align objects, use the Align button in the Arrange group a ter having selected all o
the graphics you want to align. Select them rst (Shi t + Click on the graphics you want to include
in the alignment) and then click the Align button to choose rom aligning them by their sides,
tops, bottoms, or centers. Te Distribute options are ound in the Align drop-down menu, too. I
you want to keep objects together when copying or moving them, select Group rom the Arrange
tools right below the Align button.
Adding Pictures and Shapes to a Worksheet 259
Corrections button
Figure 13-14
The Corrections menu provides
commands for making quick
changes to improve your
photo.
© Zurijeta/iStockPhoto
4. Using the thumbnails o your selected photo rom the Sharpen/So ten corrections
section, make a choice that represents the adjustment you’re looking or—more
sharpness or a blurry picture or perhaps so tening or an image that’s too sharp or
where the exposure was too harsh. At the ar right end o the Sharpen/So ten section,
select Sharpen: 50%.
Take Note Point to the thumbnails that represent various corrections to preview the efect in your selected
photo. I you like the efect, click the thumbnail. I not, move on and preview another.
5. To adjust a photo that’s too dark or too light, use the Brightness/Contrast settings,
also represented by thumbnails showing your selected photo in varying stages o
correction. Hold your mouse over each o the settings to see their e ect on your photo,
but don’t select any o the settings.
260 Lesson 13
Te Format Picture pane lets you make more ne-tuned adjustments to an image. o access the
Format Picture pane, at the bottom o the Corrections menu, click the Picture Corrections Op-
tions command.
Te Format Picture pane also includes a Crop setting. Click this option and enter values or de-
sired width and height and the ofset (amount and location o cropping), or use the Crop tool,
ound in the Size group on the Format tab. With the Crop tool, you use crop handles, shown in
Figure 13-15, to crop away unwanted portions o the photo. Drag a crop handle inward and click
the Crop button again (or press Esc) to remove portions o a photo.
Figure 13-15
Use cropping handles
to remove portions of a
photo.
© Zurijeta/iStockPhoto
Color button
Figure 13-16
The Color menu offers
a series of color adjust-
ments.
© zest_marina / iStockPhoto; © mangostock/iStockPhoto
3. Hold your mouse over each thumbnail o your photo to see its e ect.
4. In the Recolor section o the Color menu, on the rst line o the gallery, select Sepia.
The image takes on brown tones.
5. On the Picture Tools Format tab, in the Adjust group, click the Color button and then
select Picture Color Options at the bottom o the menu.
6. In the Format Picture pane on the right, move the Sharpness slider to the right until you
reach the 33% value. Use the spin arrows to ne-tune your selection, i necessary.
7. CLOSE the Format Picture pane.
8. SAVE the workbook.
Figure 13-17
Choose from over 20 dif-
ferent artistic effects.
© mangostock/iStockPhoto
3. Hold your mouse pointer over each e ect to see its preview on the photo. Select the
Line Drawing e ect.
4. You can customize the applied e ect using the Format Picture pane. To display the
pane, OPEN the Artistic Effects menu and select Artistic Effects Options. In the Format
Picture pane that appears on the right, in the Artistic E ects section, move the Pencil
Size slider to the right to observe its e ect on the photo, stopping at the value 28. Then
move the Transparency slider to the right, stopping at the value 51%.
5. CLOSE the Format Picture pane.
6. SAVE the workbook.
Figure 13-18
The Picture Styles gallery
© mangostock/iStockPhoto
4. Select Drop Shadow Rectangle, which is probably located on the rst row, ourth rom
the le t. The style is applied to your picture.
5. To change the picture border, click the Picture Border button, point to Weight, and
select 3 pt.
6. SAVE the workbook.
o change a picture’s efects, click the Picture Efects button arrow and choose an efect rom any
o the available palettes that appear. o apply a picture layout, click the Picture Layout button and
make a selection rom the palette o 30 layouts o pictures, captions, connectors, and so on.
GET READY. USE the workbook you modi ed in the previous exercise.
1. In the Color worksheet, right-click the baby feeding photo and select Size and
Properties rom the shortcut menu. The Format Picture pane appears on the right side
o the workspace.
2. Scroll down i necessary and click the Properties category.
3. Select the Move and size with cells option. This option associates the object with the
cells it overlays.
4. CLOSE the Format Picture pane.
5. Grab the column border between column headings J and K and then drag to the right
to widen column J. Notice that the picture becomes wider as well.
6. On the Quick Access Toolbar, click the Undo icon to undo the column width setting.
7. SAVE the workbook and CLOSE the le.
• Move and size with cells: Tis option is of by de ault, but i selected (by clicking the option
button), i you change the width o columns or the height o rows, the adjacent graphic changes
as well. Moving cells rom one section o the worksheet to another or to another worksheet or
workbook takes the graphic along or the ride.
• Move but don’t size with cells: Tis option, which is on by de ault, only connects the graphic
with adjacent data. Changes to cell sizes won’t impact the size o the graphic.
• Don’t move or size with cells: Tis option, also of by de ault, makes the graphics entirely
independent o the worksheet content and leaves them behind i content is moved, and doesn’t
cause any automatic resizing in response to the resizing o worksheet cells.
• Print object: Tis checkbox is selected by de ault, and simply means that i you choose to print
the worksheet or set a print area that contains the graphic, the graphic is printed.
• Locked: Selected by de ault, this option pins the graphic to its current location until and un-
less the Locked option is unchecked. Note, however, that this option doesn’t take efect unless
you also have the worksheet protected. o protect the worksheet, go to the Home tab and use
the Format button menu and choose Protect Sheet. Te resulting dialog box gives you your
protection options.
• Lock text: Tis option pertains only to shapes that contain text or to ext Box objects and it
prevents changes to the text.
Alternating Flow
Figure 13-19
Select a SmartArt diagram to
see a preview and description
of the graphic.
6. Notice that each diagram displays a preview and description to help you make a choice.
Click OK to begin building the fowchart.
7. On the le t edge o the SmartArt graphic, click the arrow control to open the Text
pane i it isn’t already displayed. In the Text pane, enter the names o each step in the
process (the top-most bullet) and the tasks related to each one (the sub-bullets under
each main bullet). Enter the text shown in Figure 13-20. Excel builds the fowchart as
you type text.
Figure 13-20
The Alternating Flow chart
with text added
PAUSE. CLOSE the workbook and LEAVE Excel open to use in the next exercise.
266 Lesson 13
Each SmartArt diagram starts with a de ault number o objects. You can add more objects quickly
by clicking the Add Shape button in the Create Graphic group on the Design tab (under SmartArt
ools). I your diagram also requires text beyond the label that will appear in the shape you’re
adding, an Add Bullet button is available as well.
Alt Text added to arrow shape Alt Text section of Format Shape pane
Figure 13-21
Adding Alt Text (alternative
text) to objects for accessibility
Adding Pictures and Shapes to a Worksheet 267
Figure 13-22
Checking for possible
accessibility issues in a
worksheet
4. Press Delete to delete the small arrow—it is not needed in the worksheet. The related
entry disappears rom the Accessibility Checker pane.
5. In the Inspection Results box, under Merged Cells, click B9:H9 (Fundraising Events) and
read the additional in ormation at the bottom o the pane.
6. With the merged cell B9 selected in the worksheet, on the Home tab, click the Merge
& Center button to unmerge the text. The entry disappears rom the Accessibility
Checker pane, and Excel states that no additional accessibility issues were ound.
7. SAVE the workbook.
Knowledge Assessment
Multiple Choice
Select the best response for the following statements.
1. The Shape Styles group is ound on which o the ollowing tabs?
a. Insert
b. Drawing Tools Format
c. Home
d. Styles
2. Which o the ollowing object resizing handles is used to resize a shape or picture
proportionally?
a. Top center
b. Le t or right side
c. Corner
d. Rotate
3. Which o the ollowing buttons is clicked to apply a shadow to a shape or line?
a. Shape E ects
b. Picture E ects
c. Artistic E ects
d. 3D E ects
4. When you type text into a shape, which o the ollowing paragraph alignments is
applied by de ault?
a. Center
b. Full Justi y
c. Right
d. Le t
5. Which o the ollowing buttons gives you access to Bing Image Search?
a. Online Pictures
b. Pictures
c. Shapes
d. SmartArt
6. I you want to move a shape up one level within a stack o overlapping graphics, which
o the ollowing buttons should be clicked?
a. Restack
b. Bring to Front
c. Rearrange
d. Bring Forward
7. Which o the ollowing is not ound in the Illustrations group on the Insert tab?
a. WordArt
b. Shapes
c. Online Pictures
d. SmartArt
8. In which o the ollowing locations does the Format Picture pane appear by de ault?
a. As a ree-foating pane
b. On the right side o the workspace
c. On the le t side o the workspace
d. Centered across the bottom o the workspace
9. The Crop tool is ound on which o the ollowing ribbon tabs?
a. Drawing Tools Format
b. Insert
c. Picture Tools Format
d. Home
Adding Pictures and Shapes to a Worksheet 269
10. When drawing lines, which o the ollowing statements accurately describes how to
change line thickness?
a. Right-click the line and choose Thickness.
b. In the Shape Outline menu, select Weight.
c. You must set the thickness be ore drawing the line.
d. In the Shapes menu, select the Thicker Line option.
Projects
CLOSE Excel.