When a clip art image or imported picture is selected, Excel 2007 adds the Picture Tools Format tab to the Ribbon. Use the commands on the Picture Tools Format tab if you need to edit or format clip art or pictures in your worksheets.
The Picture Tools Format tab is divided into four groups: Adjust, Picture Styles, Arrange, and Size. The Adjust group contains the following command buttons:
Brightness to increase or decrease the picture’s brightness by selecting a preset positive percentage (to lighten) or negative percentage (to darken). Select Picture Corrections Options to open the Picture tab of the Format Picture dialog box, where you can adjust this setting with the Brightness slider.
Contrast to increase or decrease the picture’s contrast by selecting a preset positive percentage (to increase) or negative percentage (to decrease). Select Picture Corrections Options to open the Picture tab of the Format Picture dialog box and adjust this setting with the Contrast slider.
Recolor to open a drop-down menu where you can select a new color for the image or select a transparent color that drops out of the picture.
Compress Pictures to open the Compress Pictures dialog box to shrink the amount of memory space needed for all images in the worksheet or just the selected images. Compressing the images makes them more compact and thus makes the Excel workbook somewhat smaller when you save the images as part of its file.
Change Picture to open the Insert Picture dialog box and select an image in a new graphics file to replace the picture. When replacing the currently selected picture with the new image, Excel automatically sizes and formats the new image with the settings applied to the old.
Reset Picture button to remove all formatting changes made and return the picture to the state it was in when you originally inserted it into the worksheet.
You can also format a selected clip art image or imported picture by opening the Format Shape dialog box (Ctrl+1) and then selecting the appropriate options on its Fill, Line Color, Line Style, Shadow, 3-D Format, 3-D Rotation, Picture, and Text Box tabs.
In addition to the command buttons in the Adjust group, you can use the command buttons in the Picture Styles group to format pictures. Click a thumbnail on the Picture Styles gallery to select a new orientation and style for the selected picture. You can also modify any of the following:
Border shape on the Picture Shape button’s drop-down palette.
Border color on the Picture Border button’s drop-down color palette.
Shadow or 3-D rotation effect on the Picture Effects button’s drop-down menus.
Use Live Preview in the Picture Styles gallery to see how a style affects your picture before you apply it.
