18.1 Inserting Images

Word can insert images from your computer, from the web, from screenshots, and from a camera — supporting PNG, JPG, GIF, BMP, SVG, TIFF, and EMF formats.

Method 1 — Insert from File (Local Image)

1. Position the cursor where the image should appear
2. Insert → Illustrations group → Pictures → This Device…
3. Navigate to the image file in the Insert Picture dialog
4. Click Insert (embeds a copy of the image in the document) — or — click the dropdown on the Insert button and choose:
   • Insert — embeds a copy (file size increases; image is self-contained)
   • Link to File — stores only a path to the external image; the file must remain at the same location for the image to display correctly
   • Insert and Link — embeds a copy and maintains a link; if the external file is updated, the embedded copy can be refreshed

Method 2 — Insert Online Pictures

1. Insert → Illustrations → Pictures → Online Pictures…
2. The Online Pictures dialog opens with a Bing Image Search — type a search term
3. Results shown are filtered for Creative Commons licensed images — images you can legally use in documents
4. Click an image → click Insert
5. Always verify the licence of any online image before use in commercial or public documents

Method 3 — Insert from Stock Images (Microsoft 365)

1. Insert → Pictures → Stock Images…
2. A curated gallery opens with high-quality images, icons, cutout people, stickers, illustrations, and cartoon people — all royalty-free and included with Microsoft 365
3. Filter by category or search by keyword
4. Select one or multiple images → click Insert

Method 4 — Screenshot

1. Insert → Illustrations → Screenshot
2. A gallery of thumbnails shows all currently open windows — click any to insert a screenshot of that window
3. Click "Screen Clipping" at the bottom of the gallery — Word minimises and you draw a selection rectangle over any part of your screen; the selected area is inserted as an image

Method 5 — Copy and Paste

• Copy an image from any application (Ctrl+C) → click in Word → paste (Ctrl+V)
• Images pasted this way are embedded in the document as PNG or BMP format
• For highest quality, paste from a vector source (SVG, EMF) which scales without loss of quality at any size

Image Format Recommendations

18.2 Text Wrapping — Controlling How Text Flows Around Images

Text wrapping determines the relationship between an image and the surrounding text — whether text flows around the image, the image sits on its own line, or the image floats freely over the text.

Setting Text Wrapping

• Click the image → Picture Format tab → Arrange group → Wrap Text dropdown
• — or — click the image → click the Layout Options icon (a small icon that appears at the top-right corner of the image) → choose from the visual layout options
• — or — right-click the image → Wrap Text

All Text Wrapping Options — Reference

Wrap Text — Advanced Settings

1. Right-click the image → Wrap Text → More Layout Options… (or Picture Format → Arrange → Position → More Layout Options)
2. The Layout dialog opens on the Text Wrapping tab:
   • Wrap text — Both sides / Left only / Right only / Largest only
   • Distance from text — set the gap (in cm) between the image and the surrounding text on each side independently: Top, Bottom, Left, Right
3. Click OK

Edit Wrap Points

1. Right-click image → Wrap Text → Edit Wrap Points
2. A red dashed border appears around the image with square control points
3. Drag the control points to manually shape where text wraps — useful for irregular images where "Tight" wrapping doesn't follow the shape correctly
4. Click outside the image to finish editing wrap points

18.3 Resizing, Cropping & Positioning Images

Resizing an Image

• Drag corner handles — always drag a corner handle (not a side handle) to maintain the aspect ratio. Dragging a side handle distorts the image. Hold Shift while dragging a corner for guaranteed proportional resize.
• Precise dimensions: Picture Format tab → Size group → set Height and Width in cm. By default, changing one dimension adjusts the other proportionally (aspect lock on).
• Lock aspect ratio: Picture Format → Size group → Dialog Launcher ↗ → Size tab → tick "Lock aspect ratio" → type the desired height or width → OK
• Reset to original size: Picture Format → Adjust group → Reset Picture dropdown → Reset Picture & Size — restores the original dimensions and removes any formatting

Cropping an Image

Cropping removes the edges of an image — the cropped portions are hidden but not deleted (they remain in the file and can be revealed by cropping again).

1. Click the image → Picture Format tab → Size group → Crop button
2. Black crop handles appear at the corners and edges of the image
3. Drag the black handles inward to hide parts of the image:
   • Drag a corner to crop two sides simultaneously
   • Drag a side handle to crop that side only
   • Hold Ctrl while dragging to crop symmetrically on opposite sides
4. The greyed-out area shows the cropped (hidden) portion; the bright area shows what will remain visible
5. You can also drag the image itself within the crop frame to reposition the visible area
6. Press Esc or click outside the image to apply the crop

Crop to Shape

1. Click the image → Picture Format → Size group → Crop dropdown ▾ → Crop to Shape
2. A gallery of shapes appears — click any shape (circle, star, speech bubble, triangle, etc.)
3. The image is cropped to the selected shape — professional for profile photos, logo cutouts, and design elements

Crop to Aspect Ratio

1. Picture Format → Crop dropdown → Aspect Ratio
2. Choose from common ratios: 1:1 (square), 4:3, 16:9 (widescreen), 2:3, 3:4
3. Word constrains the crop to the selected ratio — useful for consistent image sizing across a document

Positioning an Image Precisely

1. Picture Format → Arrange group → Position
2. A gallery of preset positions appears — nine positions: top-left / top-centre / top-right / middle-left / centre / middle-right / bottom-left / bottom-centre / bottom-right
3. Each preset positions the image relative to the page and sets text wrapping to Square automatically
4. For pixel-perfect control: Picture Format → Arrange → Position → More Layout Options… → Position tab:
   • Horizontal — set alignment or absolute position from the left edge of the page, margin, or column
   • Vertical — set alignment or absolute position from the top of the page, margin, or paragraph
   • Options — "Move object with text" (image moves with the paragraph it is anchored to) / "Lock anchor" (fixes the anchor to a specific paragraph) / "Allow overlap" (multiple images can overlap)

The Image Anchor

Every floating image (any wrapping mode except "In Line with Text") is anchored to a specific paragraph. When that paragraph moves, the image follows — or stays at its absolute position, depending on settings. The anchor symbol (⚓) appears beside the paragraph when the image is selected.

• To lock the anchor: right-click image → More Layout Options → Position tab → tick "Lock anchor". The image stays at its fixed position even if the anchored paragraph moves.
• To move an image to a different anchor: drag the ⚓ symbol to a different paragraph

18.4 Image Corrections, Colour & Artistic Effects

Word's Picture Format tab provides a range of image adjustment tools — from basic brightness and contrast corrections to artistic filters and full colour transformations. All adjustments are non-destructive — the original image file is not modified.

Picture Format Tab — Adjust Group

Format Picture Pane (Full Precision Control)

1. Right-click any image → Format Picture… — or — Picture Format → Adjust/Picture Styles → Dialog Launcher ↗
2. The Format Picture pane opens on the right — four icon tabs: Fill & Line (🖊), Effects (△), Size & Properties (▭), Picture (🖼)
3. The Picture tab (🖼) gives precise numeric control:
   • Picture Corrections — exact Brightness % and Contrast % values (not just gallery presets)
   • Picture Color — Saturation % and Color Temperature (K value — lower = cooler blue, higher = warmer orange)
   • Crop — set exact crop values for left/right/top/bottom in cm; set the image size within the crop frame

18.5 Picture Styles, Borders & Effects

Picture Styles Gallery

• Click the image → Picture Format tab → Picture Styles group
• A gallery of pre-designed style combinations appears — hover to preview each on your image
• Styles include: simple frames (flat square, rounded, bevelled), photo frames, shadow effects, perspective, rotation, reflection, and compound borders
• Click any style to apply it — all style elements (border, shadow, reflection, etc.) are applied as a set

Picture Border

• Picture Format → Picture Styles → Picture Border dropdown
• Set the border colour (theme or custom), line weight (thickness in pt), and dash style (solid, dashed, dotted)
• Select "No Outline" to remove an existing border

Picture Effects

• Picture Format → Picture Styles → Picture Effects dropdown
• Six effect categories — each with its own gallery and "Options" for precise control:
  • Shadow — Outer (drop shadow beneath), Inner (shadow inside the image edge), Perspective (angled shadow)
  • Reflection — Tight, Half, Full, Long Touch reflection below the image
  • Glow — Soft coloured halo around the image edges (4 sizes, multiple colours)
  • Soft Edges — Feathered edge that fades the image into the background (1pt to 50pt fade width)
  • Bevel — Three-dimensional raised or sunken edge effect (Angle, Art Deco, Circle, Cool Slant, etc.)
  • 3-D Rotation — Rotate the image in 3D space (isometric, parallel, perspective rotations)

Alt Text (Accessibility)

1. Right-click the image → Edit Alt Text… — or — Picture Format → Accessibility group → Alt Text
2. The Alt Text pane opens — type a description of the image (e.g., "Bar chart showing monthly revenue for 2024, with peak in July")
3. Alt text makes documents accessible to screen reader users and is required for WCAG-compliant documents
4. Tick "Mark as decorative" for purely decorative images that add no informational content — screen readers skip them entirely

18.6 Shapes & Drawing Tools

Word includes a complete set of drawing shapes — lines, arrows, basic shapes, flowchart symbols, callout bubbles, stars, banners, and more — that can be combined and customised to create diagrams, process flows, and decorative elements directly in the document.

Inserting a Shape

1. Insert → Illustrations group → Shapes
2. A gallery of shape categories appears — click a shape to select it
3. Click and drag in the document to draw the shape at the desired size
4. Hold Shift while dragging to constrain to a perfect circle or square
5. Hold Alt while dragging to snap to grid points for precise placement

Shape Formatting (Shape Format Contextual Tab)

When a shape is selected, the Shape Format tab appears with full formatting controls:

Lines and Connectors

• Insert → Shapes → Lines section: straight line, elbow connector, curved connector, freeform, scribble
• Connectors (elbow and curved lines) attach to the connection points (blue dots) on shapes — when shapes are moved, connected lines automatically reroute to stay attached
• Arrow style: Shape Format → Shape Outline → Arrows → choose from start/end arrow type and size

Adding Text to a Shape

1. Double-click any shape to enter text mode
2. Type your text — it appears inside the shape
3. Format the text using the Home tab as normal (font, size, colour, alignment)
4. Click outside the shape to deselect

18.7 SmartArt — Professional Process Diagrams

SmartArt creates professionally formatted diagrams from a simple list of text — automatically arranging shapes, colours, and layouts into polished graphics. It is the fastest way to produce org charts, process flows, cycle diagrams, and relationship graphics.

Inserting a SmartArt Graphic

1. Insert → Illustrations group → SmartArt
2. The Choose a SmartArt Graphic dialog opens with seven categories:

3. Select a category → click a design to see a description and preview on the right → click OK

Adding Text to SmartArt

SmartArt offers two ways to enter text:

• Text Pane (recommended): Click the arrow ◄ on the left edge of the SmartArt graphic — or — SmartArt Design → Create Graphic → Text Pane. Type your items as a bulleted list in the pane — each bullet becomes one shape in the diagram. Sub-bullets (Tab to indent) become sub-shapes.
• Click directly in a shape: Click any shape in the diagram and type directly

Adding and Removing Shapes

• Add a shape: Click an existing shape → SmartArt Design → Create Graphic → Add Shape dropdown → Add Shape After / Before / Above / Below / Add Assistant (for org charts)
• Delete a shape: Click the shape → press Delete. The remaining shapes automatically rebalance.
• In the Text Pane: press Enter to add a sibling bullet / press Tab to demote to a sub-item / press Shift+Tab to promote

SmartArt Design Tab

Creating an Org Chart

1. Insert → SmartArt → Hierarchy → Organization Chart → OK
2. A sample org chart appears with a top-level box and several subordinate boxes
3. Click each box and type the person's name and title
4. To add a subordinate: click the box above → SmartArt Design → Add Shape → Add Shape Below
5. To add an assistant: click the box above → Add Shape → Add Assistant — a box connected by an elbow connector (the standard for EA/PA roles)
6. To add a peer/colleague at the same level: Add Shape → Add Shape After
7. To remove a box: click the box → Delete — subordinates below it are removed or reattached depending on the layout

18.8 Watermarks

A watermark is a semi-transparent text or image that appears behind the main document content on every page — communicating the document's status, classification, or branding without obstructing the readable content.

Inserting a Built-In Text Watermark

1. Design tab → Page Background group → Watermark
2. A gallery of pre-built text watermarks appears — click any to apply it instantly across all pages:
   • CONFIDENTIAL — diagonal, grey, faded
   • DO NOT COPY
   • DRAFT
   • SAMPLE
   • URGENT
   • Horizontal variants of each (straight across instead of diagonal)

Custom Watermark

1. Design → Watermark → Custom Watermark…
2. The Printed Watermark dialog opens:

3. Click Apply to preview → click OK to close

Removing a Watermark

• Design → Watermark → Remove Watermark at the bottom of the gallery dropdown
• If the watermark was manually placed in the header (see below), you need to open the header and delete the watermark text box directly

How Watermarks Work Technically

Word inserts watermarks into the header layer of the document — they are stored as a text box or image inside the header, using "Behind Text" wrapping, which makes them appear on every page without being part of the main body text. To edit a watermark directly:

1. Double-click the header area → the header opens for editing
2. Click on the watermark text or image to select it
3. Edit the text, change the font/colour/size, or reposition it
4. Close the header (Esc)

18.9 Page Colour & Page Borders

Page Colour

Page Colour changes the background colour of the entire page — for on-screen display and printing.

1. Design tab → Page Background group → Page Color
2. Choose from the theme colour palette, standard colours, or click More Colors… for custom hex input
3. Choose Fill Effects… for a gradient, texture, pattern, or picture page background
4. Choose No Color to return to the standard white page

Page Borders

Page borders place a visible border around the entire page — available in every document section independently.

1. Design tab → Page Background group → Page Borders
2. The Borders and Shading dialog opens on the Page Border tab:

3. Click OK

18.10 Grouping, Arranging & Aligning Objects

When working with multiple images, shapes, or SmartArt objects, these tools help you manage their relative positions, stacking order, and alignment — the difference between a professional-looking diagram and a chaotic arrangement.

Selecting Multiple Objects

• Hold Ctrl and click each object to add it to the selection
• — or — hold Shift and click
• — or — Home → Editing → Select → Select Objects — draws a lasso rectangle to select all objects within it

Grouping Objects

Grouping combines multiple objects into a single unit that can be moved, resized, and formatted together. Individual objects within the group remain editable by clicking inside the group.

1. Select all objects to group (Ctrl+click each)
2. Picture Format / Shape Format → Arrange group → Group → Group
3. — or — right-click any selected object → Group → Group
4. The objects become one grouped object — a single set of selection handles appears around the entire group

• Ungroup: Right-click the group → Group → Ungroup — restores individual objects. For SmartArt converted to shapes, ungroup twice to reach individual shape components.
• Regroup: After editing individual components, right-click → Group → Regroup — recreates the last grouping configuration

Stacking Order (Bring Forward / Send Backward)

When objects overlap, they stack in layers. Control which object appears on top:

Access via: Picture/Shape Format → Arrange group → Bring Forward / Send Backward dropdowns — or — right-click the object → Bring to Front / Send to Back

Aligning Objects

1. Select all objects to align (Ctrl+click)
2. Picture/Shape Format → Arrange group → Align dropdown
3. Choose alignment:
   • Align Left / Centre / Right — aligns left edges / centres / right edges of all objects
   • Align Top / Middle / Bottom — aligns top edges / midpoints / bottom edges
   • Distribute Horizontally — spaces objects evenly across the horizontal space
   • Distribute Vertically — spaces objects evenly in the vertical space
4. Important: set "Align Selected Objects" (align objects relative to each other) vs "Align to Page" or "Align to Margin" (align relative to the page/margins) — this choice is at the bottom of the Align dropdown

The Selection Pane

The Selection Pane lists all objects on the page — enabling you to select, hide, reorder, and rename them without needing to click in the document:

1. Picture/Shape Format → Arrange → Selection Pane — or — Home → Editing → Select → Selection Pane
2. Every object appears in a named list (e.g., "Picture 1", "TextBox 2", "SmartArt 3")
3. Click any name to select that object in the document
4. Click the eye icon (👁) beside any object to hide it from view and printing (useful for building complex layouts or temporarily removing elements for screenshots)
5. Drag objects in the list to change their stacking order
6. Double-click a name to rename the object (helpful when many objects are present)

Rotating Objects

• Free rotation: Click the object → drag the circular rotate handle (the round arrow above the object) in any direction
• Constrain to 15° increments: Hold Shift while dragging the rotate handle
• Precise rotation: Picture/Shape Format → Arrange → Rotate dropdown → Rotate Right 90° / Rotate Left 90° / Flip Vertical / Flip Horizontal / More Rotation Options (enter exact degrees)

18.11 Quick Self-Check

Q1: You insert your company logo (a PNG with a transparent background) into the document header. It looks correct, but when you apply a dark navy shading to the header background, a white rectangle appears around the logo. What caused this and how do you fix it?

✓ The logo file is a JPG (which has no transparency — it has a white background), not a PNG with true transparency. Fix: obtain the logo in PNG format with a transparent background from your design team or brand assets folder. Delete the JPG logo from the header, insert the PNG version. The logo's transparent background will show the navy header shading through it, producing a clean result. If you cannot get a transparent PNG, use Remove Background (Picture Format → Adjust → Remove Background) on the logo to strip the white background in Word.

Q2: You have a report with five photographs. You need to send it by email but the file is 28 MB — too large to send. The images do not need print quality since the report will be read on screen. How do you reduce the file size?

✓ Click any image → Picture Format → Adjust group → Compress Pictures. In the dialog: tick "Apply to: All pictures in this document" (not just the selected one). Set Target output to "Web (150 ppi)" for screen reading or "Email (96 ppi)" for the smallest file. Tick "Delete cropped areas of pictures" to permanently discard hidden cropped portions. Click OK. Repeat this on any remaining high-res images. The file size should reduce dramatically — typically from 25+ MB to 2–5 MB.

Q3: You want to create an org chart for your HR department with the CEO at the top, three Directors below, and an Executive Assistant connected to the CEO with an elbow (assistant) connection. What is the most efficient tool and how do you add the assistant?

✓ Use SmartArt: Insert → SmartArt → Hierarchy → Organization Chart → OK. Type the CEO name in the top box. Add the three Director boxes using SmartArt Design → Add Shape → Add Shape Below for each. To add the Executive Assistant: click the CEO box → SmartArt Design → Create Graphic → Add Shape dropdown → "Add Assistant". A box connected with a right-angle elbow connector appears — this is the standard visual representation of an assistant role in org charts.

Q4: You have a diagram made of 6 shapes and 5 connector lines. Every time you try to move the diagram to a new position on the page, you accidentally move only one element and the diagram falls apart. How do you solve this?

✓ Group all elements: use Ctrl+Click to select all 6 shapes and 5 lines simultaneously (or use Home → Editing → Select → Select Objects and draw a lasso around all of them). Then right-click any selected element → Group → Group. All 11 elements become a single grouped object. You can now drag, resize, and position the entire diagram as one unit. Double-click inside the group to access and edit individual elements when needed.

Q5: You need to stamp every page of a 45-page contract with the word "DRAFT" diagonally across the page in large, semi-transparent grey text. How do you do this without placing a text box on each individual page?

✓ Design tab → Page Background group → Watermark → click "DRAFT" from the built-in gallery — or — Watermark → Custom Watermark → Text watermark → Text: DRAFT → Font: Arial → Size: Auto → Color: Grey → tick Semitransparent → Layout: Diagonal → OK. The watermark appears automatically on every page of the document (it is stored in the header layer and repeats on all pages). No manual placement on individual pages is needed.

Q6: You have placed an image with "Square" text wrapping in a report. When you add new content above the image, the image does not move down with the text — it stays at its original position on page 2 and now overlaps the content. What is causing this and how do you fix it?

✓ The image's anchor is locked to a fixed position on the page rather than moving with its anchored paragraph. When text is added above, the paragraph the image is anchored to moved to page 3, but the image stayed at its absolute Y position on page 2. Fix: right-click the image → More Layout Options → Position tab → untick "Lock anchor" → also set the vertical position to a relative measurement ("0 cm below Paragraph" rather than an absolute distance from the page top). Alternatively, change the image's wrapping to "In Line with Text" so it moves naturally with the text flow — the simplest and most stable solution for most report images.

✓ Module 18 Complete — You Have Learned:

• Five image insertion methods — from file (with Insert/Link/Insert & Link options), Online Pictures, Stock Images (Microsoft 365), Screenshot/Screen Clipping, and Copy & Paste
• Image format comparison — PNG, JPG, SVG, EMF, GIF — with best use cases and transparency note
• All seven text wrapping modes — In Line with Text, Square, Tight, Through, Top and Bottom, Behind Text, In Front of Text — with behaviour descriptions and best use cases
• Advanced wrapping — Both/Left/Right/Largest sides; distance from text settings; Edit Wrap Points
• Resizing images — corner handles (aspect ratio), precise dimensions, Lock Aspect Ratio, Reset Picture & Size
• Cropping — standard crop, Crop to Shape, Crop to Aspect Ratio; the greyed-out hidden area concept
• Positioning — preset gallery (9 positions), More Layout Options (precise horizontal/vertical), Move with text, Lock anchor
• The anchor (⚓) — what it is, moving it, locking it
• Adjust group — Remove Background (AI), Corrections (brightness/contrast/sharpness), Color (Saturation/Tone/Recolor), Artistic Effects (23 filters), Compress Pictures (Email/Web/Print ppi), Change Picture, Reset Picture
• Format Picture pane — precise numeric control for brightness, contrast, saturation, temperature, crop
• Picture Styles gallery; Picture Border (colour, weight, dash); Picture Effects (6 categories: Shadow, Reflection, Glow, Soft Edges, Bevel, 3-D Rotation)
• Alt Text for accessibility — descriptive text and "Mark as decorative" option
• Shapes — inserting, formatting (fill, outline, effects, edit shape), connectors, adding text to shapes
• SmartArt — all 7 categories with examples; Text Pane for text entry; Add Shape options; SmartArt Design tab (layouts, colours, styles, Right to Left, Convert to Shapes)
• Org charts — Organization Chart layout, Add Shape Below, Add Assistant
• Watermarks — built-in gallery (CONFIDENTIAL, DRAFT, etc.), Custom Watermark dialog (text and picture, all options), removing, editing via the header
• Page Colour — solid colour, Fill Effects (gradient/texture/pattern/picture), printing limitation and fix
• Page Borders — all settings (style, colour, width, art, apply to, options); decorative Art borders warning
• Grouping objects — Group, Ungroup, Regroup; selecting multiple objects (Ctrl+click, lasso)
• Stacking order — Bring to Front/Forward, Send to Back/Backward
• Align — all six alignment and two distribution options; Align Selected vs Align to Page
• Selection Pane — listing, selecting, hiding (👁), reordering, renaming objects
• Rotating objects — free rotation, Shift+drag for 15° increments, precise rotation and flip via the Rotate dropdown