Modify a Picture: MS Word

When you've inserted a picture in MS Word, the first thing you notice is where it's located and how large it is. You can modify the picture to fit your needs. Some of the ways you can change a picture include those outlined below:

• Size the picture (larger or smaller).
   
• Crop, or trim off, one or more edges.
   
• Change it to black and white or grayscale (shades of gray) instead of color.
   
• Increase or reduce contrast and brightness, just like a television screen.

The first step in modifying is to click the picture to select it. When you do this, sizing handles appear at each corner and edge of the picture, and the Picture toolbar appears, offering a number of buttons for modifying the picture.

If the Picture Toolbar doesn't appear automatically, right-click the picture and choose Show Picture Toolbar from the shortcut menu. Sizing A Picture

You can change the size of a picture by using the mouse or by accessing the Format Picture dialog box.

1. To use the mouse, click the picture to reveal the sizing handles.
    
2. Place the pointer over a corner sizing handle until it turns into a diagonal two-headed arrow. Drag in or out, and the picture will change size but stay in proportion.
    
3. Place the mouse pointer over an edge sizing handle and drag. This distorts the picture b y squashing or stretching it. If you don't like the result, click the Reset Picture button on the Picture toolbar to restore the original proportions.

The Format Picture dialog box offers other options:

1. Click the picture to select it.
    
2. Open the Format Picture dialog box by clicking the Format Picture button on the Picture toolbar, choosing Format | Picture from the shortcut menu.
    
3. Click the Size tab to see the dialog box.
    
4. Type the exact measurements for height and width, or specify a percent to increase or reduce the picture. If you made a mistake and want to return to the original picture settings, click Reset.

Changing the size of the picture alone does not affect the file size, so you won't save disk space by making a picture smaller.

Cropping a Picture

To crop a picture, you can use the mouse or the dialog box.

1. To use the mouse, click to select the picture.
    
2. Click the Crop button on the Picture toolbar, and the mouse pointer changes to indicate cropping.
    
3. Drag a corner or edge sizing handle toward the center of the picture.

The edge of the picture is trimmed, changing the overall dimensions of the picture, but the size of the image remains unchanged.

After you've cropped a picture, the edges you trimmed aren't gone. You can use the Crop tool and drag outward to restore them.

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