If you have pictures in your document, you want them to look as good as possible.
Sometimes that means making a few adjustments, like changing the color, adding an effect,
or just applying a border.
To get started, select the picture you want to modify.
This will open the Format tab on the right.
Here you'll find everything you need to edit the image.
First, I'm going to show you how to crop it to a different size.
Just click the Crop command... and you'll see a series of cropping handles around the
edge of the picture.
You'll need to place your mouse right over these handles, or you might grab one of the
sizing handles by mistake.
Now click and drag the handle... and the part of the image that's going to be cropped out
will be highlighted grey.
Just keep making adjustments as needed... and then deselect the command (or just press
Enter) when you're done.
You may have noticed that there's a drop-down arrow below the Crop command.
If we mouse-over Crop to Shape, we can change the shape of the image, so it's not just a
square or a rectangle.
I'm going to choose the teardrop shape... which, as you can see, matches the rest of
the graphics in my document.
In some cases, you may want to change or correct the color of your image, or add some kind
of special effect.
You can access these options in the Adjust group.
For example, if you go to Corrections... you can soften or sharpen the image.
Just take a look at the thumbnails to see what it's going to look like.
You can also adjust the brightness and contrast.
I think this one looks good.
Let's take a look at the Color command next.
Here you can change the saturation…
As well as the color tone, which controls how warm or cool the image appears.
You can even change the color of the picture all together, using the theme colors that
are currently applied to your document.
I'm just going to change the color tone... then take a look at the last command in the
group: Artistic Effects.
Now, you probably don't want to use an artistic effect on every picture.
But in some cases, they can really help you enhance your document.
For example, I like this effect, because it makes the photo look like a painting or an
illustration—and that matches the bold look that I'm going for perfectly.
If you're looking for more ways to enhance your images, you might want to try the Picture
Styles group.
Here you can add frames, drop shadows, and other picture effects, all in a single click.
If you don't like any of the presets, you can use the commands on the right instead.
In this example, I'm going to add my own border... and then open the command again to make the
weight a little thicker.
Before you send out your document, you may want to compress any pictures that you've
added.
This will make the file size smaller, so the document will be easier to email or post on
the web.
First, make sure your image is selected, then click the Compress Pictures command.
Notice that there's an option to Delete cropped areas of pictures.
This will delete any cropped areas permanently (instead of just hiding them), so they won't
contribute to the file size.
You can also change the resolution for the image.
The Email setting offers the lowest resolution, so it will have the smallest possible file
size.
Now, the look of the picture has changed a bit.
That's because compression lowers the quality of the image.
Often, that's not what you want; for example, if you're planning to print the document,
instead of sending it online.
You'll just have to decide whether higher quality or lower file size is more important
to you, depending on the situation.
Now you know how to format pictures in Word.
Don't be afraid to experiment with the options we've talked about today.
With so many tools at your disposal, you can do all kinds of creative things with your
images.