Word gives you several different ways to add pictures to your documents. You can use your
own, or you can search for something in the online picture library, which includes stock
photos, clip art, and other graphic resources.
In this example, I want to start by adding the company logo to the top margin of the
document. The file is already saved to my computer, so inserting it should be pretty
easy.
Just go to the Insert tab... then click the Pictures command.
From here, select the image you want. (You may need to navigate to where it's saved on
your computer.) Then click the Insert button... and it will be added to your document.
Remember, I wanted the image positioned in the very top margin. But watch what happens
when I try to move it there using the drag & drop method. It doesn't work, because the
current text wrapping setting won't allow it.
Text wrapping controls the position of the image, and the way the rest of your document
wraps around it. To move the image freely, we'll need to change the text wrapping setting
to something other than the default.
First, make sure the image is selected, then look to the Format tab. From here, you can
use Position to choose one of the pre-defined layouts... or you can try the Wrap Text command
if you want a little more control. (For a convenient shortcut, you can even access some
of these options from the Layout button here.)
These four options are a good choice if the picture is in the main part of your document;
for example, next to an article. We'll take another look at them at the end of this video.
This time, I'm going to choose In Front of Text, so I can move the image wherever I want.
Just drag & drop the image wherever you want it to go. You can even use the arrow keys
on your keyboard to gently nudge it into place.
And... there! I think we've got it.
Now, if you find yourself in a situation where you'd like to add a picture, but you don't
have anything suitable of your own, that's ok. Word gives you access to thousands of
images from other sources online.
All you have to do is go to the Insert tab... and click the Online Pictures command.
From here, you can search for stock photos, clip art, and other graphics at Office.com,
or you can use Bing to search the web. You can even access pictures from your SkyDrive
account if you have any stored there.
I'm going to try a web search first. Just type your search term in the box, then press
Enter on your keyboard.
By default, Bing only shows images that are licensed under Creative Commons, which means
it's ok to use them in your own projects. Just to be safe, though, you should check
the image's website to make sure there aren't any restrictions. Just follow the link you
see here.
Let's try the same search, but this time, in the Office.com collection.
Unlike the web search option, you're free to use any of these images any way you want,
without having to check the license. They're provided by Microsoft, so you always have
access to high-quality images, no matter what kind of image you need.
This one looks good—it should be perfect for the article I'm working on. To insert
it, I'm going to click the thumbnail... then the Insert button... and it will be added
to the document.
To change the size of an image, all you have to do is click and drag the sizing handles
here. (The ones in the corners will make sure the image stays in proportion.)
Now we can adjust our text wrapping settings.
Again, make sure the image is selected, then click the Wrap Text command on the Format
tab. This time, I want something that'll place the image not behind or in front of the text,
but positioned alongside it.
As you can see from the preview, Square would be a good choice. So would the Tight option,
which causes the text to sort of "hug" the image (if the image has a transparent background).
I think I'm going to go with Tight... and then move the picture to the right side of
the article.
Whether you have your own pictures, or you've found something in the online collection,
the right imagery can really make your document pop. Now you know a few different ways to
add and position images, so you get the right combination of pictures and text.