Pictures say more than words. But working with graphics in MS Word is anything but easy. With our tips, your documents will still be beautiful.
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Insert or link: Both have advantages and disadvantages
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Inserting pictures nicely into a Microsoft Word document is not as trivial as it sounds. Should you just link the graphics or embed them in the document? How are images cropped or text wrapped around in Word? We’ll tell you everything you need to know about images in Word. The tips apply to all newer Word versions from 2016, but also work similarly in older Word versions.
insert Picture
Open the menu in Word
Insert
and there under the section “Illustrations” the option
Pictures.
The choices are:
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This device:
Here you can select your own pictures from your hard drive.
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Archive images:
Opens an archive library with images on various topics.
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Online pictures:
Provides image search via Bing.
If you insert your own pictures from your PC, the question arises whether you want to insert the graphics entirely or just link them. Select the desired option in the “Insert” window in the drop-down menu at the bottom right (see picture). Variant 1 inflates the file size, but the images are included in the document. This is a great benefit if you are giving the file away. Links, on the other hand, ensure a sleek Word document. However, the images will no longer be displayed if you change their location or if you send the document.
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In the drop-down menu you can decide whether you want to insert the picture or link it to the file.
Adjust picture
After inserting images, you can crop them if necessary or embed them in the text flow using various options. We will show you the most important functions using an example.
Change image size:
If you click on an image, marker points appear at its edges and corners. Use the edge points to compress or distort the image. If you want Word to keep the aspect ratio, drag only the corner points.
If you need certain proportions, right-click on the image and open “Size and Position” in the context menu. In the following window you can specify absolute or relative sizes, make scaling or rotate the image by any angle.
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Configure the size, the rotation angle or the scaling of your image.
Crop image:
When you crop, you remove unimportant areas or give the image a specific shape. You can find the cropping tool either by right-clicking on the image (at the bottom) or in the menu ribbon on the right-hand side. The choices are:
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Cropping:
The most common tool for removing unwanted areas in an image. Using the black markers, drag the image as you want it to look at the end.
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Cut to shape:
With this option you can crop the picture to a certain shape (e.g. circle, square).
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Aspect ratio:
In addition to the 1: 1 square, you will find various aspect ratios for portrait and landscape formats here.
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To complete:
The image is resized so that it fills the entire image area without changing the original aspect ratio.
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Fit:
The image is modified so that it is fully displayed in the image area without changing the original aspect ratio.
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Cut away unwanted parts of an image or adjust the aspect ratio.
Include image in text flow:
Word offers you a wide range of options for perfectly positioning an image and embedding it in the text. You get the corresponding functions if you click on the picture and go to Position or Text Wrap in the menu ribbon under the area “Arrange”:
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Position:
Choose where to place the picture on the Word page.
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Text wrapping:
Choose how you want the text to flow around the image.
If you click on “More layout options”, you will come to the window in which you can also adjust the image size. Here the text flow and the positioning of the image can be specified even more precisely. This can be a little challenging at first, but once you are familiar with the options, it will be quicker to customize.
