Afterwards inserting a moving-picture show into a document, you lot can position it by dragging it. Doing and so has the potential to rearrange text, only it's not too much work with one picture. All the same, moving multiple pictures effectually individually is hard–and usually deadening.

The Part Picture Layout options are a skilful alternative to manually positioning pictures yourself. The options are like shooting fish in a barrel to utilize, and you'll finish upwardly with a stable and professional looking document.

In this article, I'll introduce you to the Role Film Layout options, but kickoff, nosotros'll look at a few handy tips for working with pictures individually.

Picture Layout options offer several SmartArt templates and styles for displaying multiple pictures. They're available in Word, PowerPoint, and fifty-fifty Excel; nosotros'll utilize a Discussion document, which y'all can download here . When working in Word, your pictures must exist on the same page. These options aren't available in the browser edition.

SEE: System update policy template download (Tech Pro Research)

Moving pictures individually

The easiest way to move a single picture is to elevate it, which is probably 2d nature to you already. There are a couple of ways to improve this procedure:

  • Hold downward the Ctrl key and printing an arrow key. Doing so volition nudge the motion picture in the appropriate direction. It's a skilful way to move a moving picture just a tiny bit.
  • To motion several pictures as one, group them. Concord down the Ctrl key and select each flick. Right-click the multiple-picture selection, choose Group from the contextual submenu and so choose Group again.

If you can't select or group multiple pictures, use the Layout Options icon (to the right of a selected movie) and choose one of the With Text Wrapping options. There'south nothing wrong with moving pictures this fashion only knowing nigh the Motion picture Layout options gives you an piece of cake manner to adjust multiple pictures.

Picture Layout options

Layout options are contextual. Y'all must select a picture to access the layout options shown in Figure A. You're basically tapping into SmartArt. After selecting a moving picture file, you might detect the icon to the right of the selected film–this icon offers helpful layout options for working with pictures, but they're not the options we're reviewing. Instead, choose Picture Layout in the Picture Styles grouping on the Contextual Format tab.

Effigy A

Motion-picture show Layout options available in Word.

Now, let'south apply an option to the 3 pictures in our example document. To do so, agree down the Ctrl key and click each picture. Remember, if you can't create a multi-movie option, cheque the text wrapping options–they should all be With Text Wrapping. With all of the pictures selected, click the contextual Format tab. Then, click Pic Layout in the Motion-picture show Styles grouping. Select Picture Strips, the fourth selection from the left on the third row.

Applying this option, as shown in Figure B pulls the pictures together every bit a SmartArt entry and provides placeholders for text. As you type in text, SmartArt automatically resizes information technology to fit the placeholder. At this point, Word displays the contextual Pattern tab; use these options to apply formatting to your custom SmartArt entry.

Figure B

Employ a layout option.

Chances are y'all'll need to try several templates before you find one that yous like. If your pictures disappear, the template doesn't support pictures, so you won't want to use that one. Merely select the SmartArt entry and choose another template. In improver, you don't accept a lot of control over distortion so brand sure to bank check the pictures closely along the way. Some will misconstrue them enough that they're non a skilful choice. Y'all can change the entry's size just doing then won't improve the motion-picture show quality. (You tin can see a fleck of distortion in Figures C and D; the wild geranium picture looks a bit stretched.)

If y'all don't find something you like, click More Layouts (at the lesser) to open full-blown SmartArt options. Click Flick in the left pane to access more than templates that support pictures. Figure C shows the Accented Picture option, with the Intense Event style applied (those are in the SmartArt Styles grouping). You can likewise modify theme colors using the Alter Colors pick in the SmartArt Styles group, merely in this case, doing so has no impact.

Figure C

Apply specific styles to brand subtle changes.

Oooops… did you notice the misspelling? Information technology'due south no trouble. Select the SmartArt chemical element and then click the text y'all want to change. Information technology couldn't be simpler. Just remember that you lot're dealing with two layers–the SmartArt entry and then the individual components, such every bit the pictures and the text.

You tin selectively apply other picture formats by clicking a single component and then clicking the contextual Moving picture Tools Format tab (non the SmartArt Format tab). Figure D shows the SmartArt chemical element after adding a black border to the larger picture and a white border to the smaller round pictures.

Figure D

Format the components individually.

There's a lot you can do; spend some fourth dimension playing around with the different options. The advantage is that you end up with a professional picture layout with very little work. You lot won't take to resize or motility anything, and you tin quickly change the template, style, or color without displacing your entire document.

Send me your question about Office

I answer readers' questions when I can, but there's no guarantee. Don't ship files unless requested; initial requests for help that arrive with attached files will be deleted unread. You tin can send screenshots of your data to aid clarify your question. When contacting me, be every bit specific as possible. For example, "Please troubleshoot my workbook and fix what's incorrect" probably won't get a response, but "Can yous tell me why this formula isn't returning the expected results?" might. Please mention the app and version that yous're using. I'm not reimbursed past TechRepublic for my time or expertise when helping readers, nor practise I ask for a fee from readers I help. You lot can contact me at susansalesharkins@gmail.com.

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