Adding Images from Graphics Files

In this day and age of digital photography, it's not all that unusual to have photographic files whose images should be made part of the worksheet. Excel makes it easy to insert photos or other types of pictures stored in graphics files on your computer.

To insert a picture into the worksheet, follow these steps:

1. Choose Insert → Picture → From File (or click the Insert Picture from File button on the Drawing toolbar, if it's open).
   The Insert Picture dialog box opens. This dialog box works just like the Open dialog box except that it's set to display only the graphics files that Excel can import and it automatically looks in the My Pictures folder on your hard disk. (You can change where Excel looks by selecting another folder in the Look In drop-down list box.)
2. Locate the graphics file with the image that you want to add to your worksheet, click its thumbnail in the Insert Picture dialog box and then click the Insert button to import the file into the current worksheet.
   Excel then displays the image from the file you selected, along with the Picture toolbar in the current worksheet.

As with the other graphic objects that you work with, Excel places sizing handles around the perimeter with a rotation handle connected to the sizing handle in the middle at the top of the image. You can then reposition, resize, or rotate the image as needed.

You can also use the tools on the Picture toolbar to edit the photo. Among other things, these tools make it possible to heighten or lessen the brightness or contrast of the image, crop out unwanted areas around the edges, and compress the image so that it doesn't bulk up the size of your workbook (as only high-resolution images can).

If you have a scanner or digital camera connected to your computer, you can use the Insert → Picture → From Scanner or Camera command to bring a scanned image or digital photo that you've taken directly into your worksheet.