8.1 The Insert Tab — Illustrations Group

All visual elements (except background images) are inserted from the Insert tab → Illustrations group:

WordArt is found under Insert → Text group → WordArt. Background images are under Page Layout → Page Setup → Background.

8.2 Inserting Pictures

Method 1 — From Your Computer (This Device)

1. Click the cell near where you want the image to appear
2. Insert → Illustrations → Pictures → This Device…
3. Navigate to the image file in the Insert Picture dialog
4. Click Insert — the image is embedded in the workbook file (the .xlsx file contains the image data; the original file is not linked)
5. — or — click the dropdown ▼ on Insert → Link to File — the workbook stores a path to the original file instead of embedding it (keeps the file size smaller; the image must remain accessible at the same path)

Method 2 — Stock Images (Microsoft 365)

1. Insert → Pictures → Stock Images…
2. A panel opens with categories: Images, Icons, Cutout People, Stickers, Illustrations, Cartoon People
3. Search or browse → select one or more images → click Insert
4. All Stock Images are royalty-free and licensed for use in Microsoft 365 documents

Method 3 — Online Pictures

1. Insert → Pictures → Online Pictures…
2. The Bing Image Search dialog opens → type a search term → press Enter
3. Results are filtered for Creative Commons licensed images — images legally usable in documents
4. Select an image → click Insert
5. Always verify the licence of any online image before using it in commercial documents

Method 4 — Copy and Paste

• Copy an image from any application (web browser, Word, Paint, File Explorer) → Ctrl+C → click in Excel → Ctrl+V
• Pasted images are embedded in the workbook

Supported Image Formats

8.3 Selecting, Moving & Resizing Images

Selecting an Image

• Click anywhere on the image — selection handles (small circles and squares) appear around the edges and corners
• A Picture Format contextual tab appears in the Ribbon
• To select multiple images: click the first → hold Ctrl → click each additional image
• To select all objects on a sheet: Home → Editing → Find & Select → Select Objects → press Ctrl+A

Moving an Image

• Drag: click and hold the image → drag to the new position → release
• Arrow keys: select the image → use arrow keys to nudge one pixel at a time
• Hold Alt while dragging: the image snaps to cell gridlines — useful for aligning images precisely with cell boundaries
• Precise position: Picture Format → Size group → dialog launcher ↗ → Properties tab → set exact horizontal and vertical position from the top-left corner of the sheet

Resizing an Image

• Drag corner handles: hover over a corner handle until the cursor becomes a diagonal double arrow → drag to resize. Corner handles maintain the aspect ratio (proportional resize).
• Drag side handles: stretches or squeezes the image in one direction only — usually distorts the image. Avoid unless intentional.
• Hold Shift while dragging a corner: forces proportional resize (locked aspect ratio)
• Precise size: Picture Format tab → Size group → type exact values in the Height and Width fields. Click the lock icon (🔒) between them to maintain aspect ratio.
• Reset to original size: Picture Format → Adjust group → Reset Picture dropdown → Reset Picture & Size

Keeping an Image in Place When Rows/Columns Change

By default, images move and resize when rows or columns beneath them are inserted, deleted, or resized. Control this behaviour:

1. Right-click the image → Format Picture… → Properties tab (the square icon in the Format Picture pane)
2. Three options:
   • Move and size with cells — the image moves and resizes whenever the underlying rows/columns change. Best for images locked to a specific area of the data.
   • Move but don't size with cells — the image moves when rows/columns shift but does not resize. Default for most images.
   • Don't move or size with cells — the image stays at a fixed position on the screen regardless of any row/column changes. Best for logos and watermarks in report headers.

8.4 The Picture Format Tab — Image Adjustments & Effects

When a picture is selected, the Picture Format contextual tab appears with tools to adjust, crop, and style the image.

Adjust Group

Picture Styles Group

• Picture Styles gallery: a set of pre-built visual frame/effect combinations (drop shadow, rounded corners, bevelled frame, reflection, rotated, etc.) — hover to preview → click to apply
• Picture Border: adds a coloured border around the image — choose colour, weight (thickness), and dash style
• Picture Effects: apply individual effects:
  • Shadow — inner or outer drop shadow
  • Reflection — a reflection beneath the image
  • Glow — a soft coloured halo around the edges
  • Soft Edges — fades the edges of the image into the background
  • Bevel — a 3D-raised edge effect
  • 3-D Rotation — rotates the image in 3D perspective
• Picture Layout: converts the selected picture into a SmartArt diagram with the picture embedded in a SmartArt shape

Cropping an Image

1. Select the image → Picture Format → Size group → Crop button (or click the dropdown ▼)
2. Black crop handles appear at the corners and edges
3. Drag the black crop handles inward to define which part of the image to keep — the greyed-out area will be hidden
4. Click outside the image or press Esc to apply the crop
5. Note: cropping only hides the image area — the original full image is still stored in the file until you compress and delete cropped areas

Arrange Group — Position and Layering

8.5 Shapes

Shapes are drawing objects — rectangles, circles, lines, arrows, callouts, flowchart symbols, and more — that you draw directly on the spreadsheet. They are useful for annotating data, creating simple diagrams, highlighting areas, and building custom infographics.

Inserting a Shape

1. Insert → Illustrations → Shapes
2. A gallery opens grouped into categories: Recently Used, Lines, Rectangles, Basic Shapes, Block Arrows, Equation Shapes, Flowchart, Stars and Banners, Callouts
3. Click a shape → the cursor becomes a crosshair (+)
4. Click and drag on the sheet to draw the shape at the desired size
5. Hold Shift while drawing to create a perfect circle (from Oval) or perfect square (from Rectangle)
6. Hold Alt while drawing to snap the shape to the cell grid

Formatting Shapes (Shape Format Tab)

When a shape is selected, the Shape Format contextual tab appears:

Adding Text to a Shape

1. Double-click any shape → a cursor appears inside it
2. Type the text — the shape acts as a text box
3. Format the text using the Home tab (font, size, bold, colour, alignment)
4. Click outside the shape to exit text editing mode

Connectors for Diagrams

• Connectors (under Shapes → Lines section) are lines that stay attached to shapes even when you move them
• When you hover over a shape with a connector tool selected, small connection points (blue circles) appear — click one to start the connector, drag to another shape's connection point to finish
• Use elbow connectors (right-angle lines) for flowchart diagrams; curved connectors for org charts

8.6 SmartArt — Professional Diagrams

SmartArt creates professional-looking diagrams automatically from a list of text. It arranges shapes, colours, and layouts into polished graphics without you needing to draw anything manually. SmartArt is ideal for org charts, process flows, cycle diagrams, hierarchies, and relationship graphics.

Inserting a SmartArt Diagram

1. Insert → Illustrations → SmartArt
2. The Choose a SmartArt Graphic dialog opens with 7 categories on the left

3. Click a layout in the centre panel → the right panel shows a description → click OK
4. The SmartArt graphic appears on the sheet with placeholder text

Entering Text in SmartArt

• Text Pane (recommended): click the small arrow ◀ on the left edge of the SmartArt → the Text Pane opens. Type your items as a bulleted list — each bullet becomes one shape in the diagram. Press Enter for a sibling item; press Tab to create a sub-item; Shift+Tab to promote.
• Directly in the shape: click any shape in the diagram → click again to enter edit mode → type your text

SmartArt Design Tab

When SmartArt is selected, the SmartArt Design contextual tab appears:

Creating an Org Chart

1. Insert → SmartArt → Hierarchy → Organization Chart → OK
2. Click each shape and type the person's name and role
3. To add a subordinate: click the manager's shape → SmartArt Design → Add Shape → Add Shape Below
4. To add an assistant (connected with an elbow line): Add Shape → Add Assistant
5. To delete a shape: click it → press Delete
6. Resize the entire SmartArt by dragging its outer border handles; resize individual shapes by clicking inside the SmartArt → clicking a shape → dragging its handles

8.7 WordArt — Decorative Text

WordArt creates stylised, decorative text as a graphic object. Unlike regular cell text, WordArt can have gradient fills, shadows, glows, 3D effects, curved shapes, and other visual treatments. It is used for report titles, cover page headings, certificates, and branding elements.

Inserting WordArt

1. Insert → Text group → WordArt
2. A gallery of pre-styled WordArt options appears (various combinations of fill, outline, and shadow)
3. Click a style → a text box appears with placeholder text "Your text here"
4. Type your text to replace the placeholder
5. The WordArt object can be moved, resized, and formatted like any other shape

Formatting WordArt (Shape Format Tab)

Select the WordArt object → Shape Format tab appears:

Transform — Curved and Shaped Text

The Transform effect under Text Effects is particularly powerful for titles and branding:

1. Select the WordArt → Shape Format → Text Effects → Transform
2. Choose from Follow Path (arch up, arch down, circle, button) or Warp (inflate, deflate, wave, slant, fade, etc.)
3. After applying, a pink diamond handle (◆) appears on the object — drag it to adjust the curve intensity

8.8 The Screenshot Tool

The Screenshot tool captures an image of another open window or a specific area of your screen and inserts it directly into the spreadsheet — without needing to print screen, paste into Paint, save, and then insert.

Inserting a Window Screenshot

1. Open the application or window you want to capture
2. Switch back to Excel → Insert → Illustrations → Screenshot
3. A thumbnail gallery shows all open windows that are not minimised
4. Click any thumbnail to insert a full screenshot of that window

Screen Clipping (Partial Screenshot)

1. Insert → Screenshot → Screen Clipping
2. Excel minimises and the screen dims → the cursor becomes a crosshair
3. Click and drag to select the specific area of the screen to capture
4. Release → the clipped area is inserted into Excel as an image

8.9 Sheet Background Images

A sheet background is an image that tiles across the entire sheet area behind the cell grid — visible on screen but not printed. It is commonly used to add subtle branding to a spreadsheet that will be shared on screen (not printed).

Adding a Background Image

1. Page Layout tab → Page Setup group → Background
2. The Insert Picture dialog opens — choose from This Device, Bing Search, or OneDrive
3. Select an image → click Insert
4. The image tiles across the entire sheet. There is no option to tile once, position it, or scale it — it always tiles.

Removing the Background

• Page Layout → Page Setup → Delete Background (the Background button changes its name to Delete Background when a background is active)

Important Limitations

Using a Watermark Effect

To achieve a watermark-like effect that does print:

1. Insert an image directly on the worksheet (not as a background)
2. Picture Format → Color → Recolor → choose Washout (this makes the image very faint)
3. Picture Format → Arrange → Send to Back → Send to Back (places the image behind cell content)
4. Right-click → Format Picture → Properties → Don't move or size with cells
5. This image will print as a faint watermark behind the cell data

8.10 Icons (Scalable Vector Icons)

Excel includes a library of scalable vector icons — crisp, clean symbolic images that scale to any size without becoming pixelated. They are ideal for dashboards, KPI cards, navigation buttons, and illustrating categories.

Inserting Icons

1. Insert → Illustrations → Icons
2. A searchable gallery opens with hundreds of icons organised by category: People, Technology, Business, Arrows, Communication, Analytics, Environment, Travel, and more
3. Use the search box to find specific icons — search "chart", "money", "person", "arrow"
4. Select one or more icons (click to tick each) → click Insert

Formatting Icons

• Select the icon → Graphics Format contextual tab appears
• Graphics Fill: change the icon colour — any solid colour, gradient, or even a picture fill
• Graphics Outline: add a coloured outline to the icon
• Graphics Effects: shadow, glow, reflection
• Convert to Shape: converts the SVG icon into editable shapes, allowing individual parts to be modified, recoloured separately, or deleted

8.11 Quick Self-Check

Q1: You insert your company logo (a PNG file) into the spreadsheet and it has a white rectangle around it even though the rest of the spreadsheet has a coloured background. What is the likely cause and how do you fix it?

✓ The PNG file may not have a transparent background — it has a white fill. A PNG can have either a transparent background or a solid background depending on how it was created. Fix option 1: ask your design team or marketing department for the logo file as a PNG with transparent background. Fix option 2: use the Remove Background tool — select the image → Picture Format → Adjust → Remove Background. Excel highlights the detected background in purple — click "Mark Areas to Remove" to fine-tune, then "Keep Changes". Fix option 3: obtain the logo as an SVG file, which supports transparency natively and also scales without quality loss.

Q2: Your report workbook contains 15 high-resolution photographs embedded in it and the file size is 45MB — too large to email. What can you do to reduce the file size without removing the images?

✓ Use Compress Pictures. Select any image → Picture Format → Adjust → Compress Pictures → in the dialog: choose "All pictures in this document" (not just the selected one), select the target resolution (Email/Web = 96 ppi or 150 ppi for screen), and tick "Delete cropped areas of pictures" to remove any hidden cropped portions. Click OK. This can reduce file size from 45MB to under 5MB. Note that compression is permanent — once compressed, the images cannot be restored to their original resolution within this file. Always keep a backup of the original file before compressing.

Q3: You need to create an organisational chart showing the CEO at the top, three Directors reporting to the CEO, and an Executive Assistant reporting to the CEO with a different style connection. What is the most efficient way to create this in Excel?

✓ Use SmartArt: Insert → SmartArt → Hierarchy → Organization Chart → OK. Click each shape and type the names. To add the three Directors: click the CEO shape → SmartArt Design → Add Shape → Add Shape Below (repeat 3 times). To add the Executive Assistant with the distinctive elbow connector: click the CEO shape → Add Shape → Add Assistant. The assistant shape appears connected with a right-angle "assistant" line, visually distinct from the direct subordinates. Use Change Colors and SmartArt Styles to match your corporate brand.

Q4: You have set a sheet background image of your company watermark. When you print the spreadsheet, the watermark does not appear. How do you fix this so the watermark appears on the printed page?

✓ Sheet backgrounds never print — this is a permanent limitation of Excel. To create a printable watermark: delete the background (Page Layout → Delete Background). Instead, insert the image directly on the worksheet: Insert → Pictures → This Device → select the logo/watermark image. Apply Washout colour effect (Picture Format → Color → Washout) to make it faint. Then send it to the back (Picture Format → Arrange → Send to Back → Send to Back) so cell data appears on top of it. Set it to not move or resize (right-click → Format Picture → Properties → Don't move or size with cells). This image will now print as a visible watermark on all printed pages.

Q5: You want to add a decorative "ANNUAL REPORT 2025" title to the top of a spreadsheet using WordArt, with the text curved in an upward arch. What steps do you follow?

✓ Insert → Text → WordArt → choose a style from the gallery (click any style). Type "ANNUAL REPORT 2025" to replace the placeholder. Select the WordArt object → Shape Format → Text Effects → Transform → under "Follow Path" section, choose "Arch Up". The text curves into an upward arch shape. Drag the pink diamond handle (◆) that appears on the object to adjust the degree of curvature. Move and resize the WordArt to position it above the report data. Apply additional Text Effects (Shadow, Glow) and change the Text Fill colour to match your corporate colours.

Q6: What is the difference between inserting a picture using "This Device" with the Insert button versus the "Link to File" option, and when would you use each?

✓ Insert (embed): the image data is copied into the workbook file itself. The workbook is self-contained — the image displays correctly on any computer regardless of whether the original file is accessible. The trade-off is larger file size. Use this for logos, icons, and images that are finalised and will not change. Link to File: the workbook stores only the file path to the original image. If the original file changes, the image in Excel updates automatically. The file size is smaller. The risk: if the image file is moved, renamed, or deleted, or if the workbook is opened on a different computer that cannot access the original file path (different network, missing drive), the image shows as a red X broken link. Use Link to File only when both the workbook and the image file will always remain accessible from the same location, and when you need images to update automatically.

✓ Module 8 Complete — You Have Learned:

• Insert tab Illustrations group — all 6 object types (Pictures, Shapes, Icons, 3D Models, SmartArt, Screenshot)
• Inserting pictures — 4 methods (This Device, Stock Images, Online Pictures, Copy & Paste); supported image formats table (PNG ★ for logos, JPEG for photos, SVG for scalable vectors, GIF, BMP, TIFF, WEBP); Embed vs Link to File
• Selecting, moving, resizing images — selection handles, multi-select (Ctrl+click), drag to move, Alt+drag to snap to grid, corner handles for proportional resize, precise size via Picture Format → Size, Reset Picture & Size
• Move and size with cells / Move but don't size / Don't move or size — three positioning behaviours via Format Picture → Properties
• Picture Format tab — all 7 Adjust tools (Remove Background, Corrections, Color/Saturation/Tone/Recolor, Artistic Effects, Compress Pictures, Change Picture, Reset Picture); Picture Styles gallery; Picture Border; Picture Effects (6 effect types); Crop (freeform, Crop to Shape, Crop to Aspect Ratio); Arrange group (Bring to Front/Send to Back, Selection Pane, Align, Group, Rotate)
• Shapes — inserting from gallery (Shift for perfect circle/square, Alt to snap to grid); Shape Format tab (Fill, Outline, Effects, Styles gallery, Edit Shape → Edit Points); adding text to shapes; connectors that stay attached
• SmartArt — all 7 categories (List, Process, Cycle, Hierarchy, Relationship, Matrix, Pyramid); Text Pane entry (Enter for siblings, Tab for sub-items); SmartArt Design tab (Add Shape, Text Pane, Promote/Demote, Move Up/Down, Right to Left, Layouts, Change Colors, Styles, Convert to Shapes); org chart creation with Add Shape Below and Add Assistant
• WordArt — inserting from gallery; Shape Format tab for WordArt (Text Fill, Text Outline, Text Effects including Shadow/Reflection/Glow/Bevel/3-D Rotation/Transform); Transform curved and shaped text (Arch Up, Wave, Circle, Slant, etc.); pink diamond handle for curvature adjustment
• Screenshot tool — window screenshots from thumbnail gallery; Screen Clipping for partial captures; practical SA use cases
• Sheet background images — adding via Page Layout → Background (tiles, no positioning); removing; critical limitation (does NOT print); header/footer as the correct method for printable logos; printable watermark technique using Washout + Send to Back + Don't move or size
• Icons — searchable SVG icon library; Graphics Format tab (Fill, Outline, Effects, Convert to Shape); icons vs raster images (always sharp at any size)