Pictures and Charts

Pictures and charts are a great way to not only add zing, zip, and zap to your document, graphic images will also help you produce a document that conveys your thoughts accurately and leaves a lasting visual impression on the reader or audience. We know that visual learners account for 80% of the population, so it only makes sense that when you present information you do so with the visual learner in mind.

Adding pictures to your Word document is a snap because Word comes loaded with literally thousands of live action pictures and cartoon images. To add a picture to your Word or Publisher document select Insert from the toolbar. Then choose Picture and then Clip Art. On the Clip Art menu page you will have to indicate what you are searching for. The difficulty with finding the right picture comes down to how you describe what it is you are seeking. For example if you are searching for pictures to illustrate teamwork, it might seem obvious that you should type in Teamwork. But you should also try variations on the spelling of the word, synonyms and words with a similar connotation. This will help you locate exactly what you need. It does take time to run more than one search but it is worth it.

A special tip for anyone who finds searching for the right picture too time consuming to be worth it: Keep track of great images you might find in your searches and then save and catalogue them in a manner that will allow you to retrieve the pictures at a later date when you need them.

Some websites like PoweredTemplates also have large clipart data base that makes finding the right picture fast and easy. Use your web browser to search for Free Clip Art and you may be amazed at what you find.

When you insert a picture into your Word document, the only thing you can do is shrink or enlarge it. However, by right clicking on the picture and selecting Format Picture you will be able to accomplish a number of interesting modifications. From the Format menu you will be able to change the layout and modify background colours and lines. By right clicking on the picture and selecting Order you will be able to push the image behind another image. This can be helpful if you would like text to appear on top of a picture.With the cartoon images you can also modify line colours and fills by selecting Colours and Lines from the menu option.

If you prefer to insert you own pictures, you can do that as well. Just remember to select Picture From File not Clip Art. Once you locate the file that holds the image you can insert it into the document easily. Right clicking on this picture will give you similar options to those described for Clip Art images.

Inserting charts and diagrams works along the same principle lines as pictures. Under the Insert menu is the option for Diagram. Selecting this will provide you with six choices for diagrams and charts. Once you have made your selection you can modify these charts by right clicking on the chart to add colour selections, text or more stems for flow charts.

Diagrams offer a fantastic alternative to the monotony of text. Keep that in mind the next time the document you are creating puts you to sleep.