Add a picture as a background for a chart in Excel 2007. Episode 917 shows you how.
This video is the podcast companion to the book, Learn Excel 97-2007 from MrExcel. Download a new two minute video every workday to learn one of the 377 tips from the book!
This video is the podcast companion to the book, Learn Excel 97-2007 from MrExcel. Download a new two minute video every workday to learn one of the 377 tips from the book!
Transcript of the video:
Welcome back to the MrExcel netcast, I'm Bill Jelen.
We're on the road this week, we're down in Southern Brazil.
I'm currently in a beautiful city called Kioba.
Kioba is in part of the mountains of the sea; basically, you have a great beach and then the mountains rise directly right up out of the ocean right there.
Just stunning vistas.
Want to talk about Excel 2007 today, and the charting aspects of Excel 2007.
Specifically, how to add a background to your charts.
Now, there's a couple of-- actually, three different areas where we can add a background to.
There's the plot area, and the plot area, basically, is everything between the axes; there's also the entire chart area, so if you wanted the chart area, including the title, to have a picture.
Let's just go with the plot area.
So I'm going to choose the plot area, and in Excel 2007, we have Chart, Tools, Design, Layout, and Format.
I want to come back to the Format tab, open the Shape Fill, and choose picture.
And basically, then, they're going to let you browse for a picture.
So let me find a nice beach scene here.
Here we go, click Insert, and that puts that picture as the beach.
Okay, now, obviously the color of the series is kind of, you know, blending in with a picture.
So I'm going to choose the series and, again, I'm going to go to Shape Fill and choose a picture.
And what it'll do, it'll take that picture and try and fit it as best that it can, inside of the area.
The one other place where we can add a picture-- and it makes it kind of tough because now you can't really see the individual labels-- is to choose the chart area.
And you can actually change the color or add a picture there.
So three different areas where you can add a picture to a chart.
You might want to put a company logo back there, or just something to kind of jazz up the chart a little bit-- add some visual interest, makes it look great in the powerpoint slide.
Alright, well, hey, I want to thank you for tuning in, we'll see you next time for another netcast from MrExcel.
We're on the road this week, we're down in Southern Brazil.
I'm currently in a beautiful city called Kioba.
Kioba is in part of the mountains of the sea; basically, you have a great beach and then the mountains rise directly right up out of the ocean right there.
Just stunning vistas.
Want to talk about Excel 2007 today, and the charting aspects of Excel 2007.
Specifically, how to add a background to your charts.
Now, there's a couple of-- actually, three different areas where we can add a background to.
There's the plot area, and the plot area, basically, is everything between the axes; there's also the entire chart area, so if you wanted the chart area, including the title, to have a picture.
Let's just go with the plot area.
So I'm going to choose the plot area, and in Excel 2007, we have Chart, Tools, Design, Layout, and Format.
I want to come back to the Format tab, open the Shape Fill, and choose picture.
And basically, then, they're going to let you browse for a picture.
So let me find a nice beach scene here.
Here we go, click Insert, and that puts that picture as the beach.
Okay, now, obviously the color of the series is kind of, you know, blending in with a picture.
So I'm going to choose the series and, again, I'm going to go to Shape Fill and choose a picture.
And what it'll do, it'll take that picture and try and fit it as best that it can, inside of the area.
The one other place where we can add a picture-- and it makes it kind of tough because now you can't really see the individual labels-- is to choose the chart area.
And you can actually change the color or add a picture there.
So three different areas where you can add a picture to a chart.
You might want to put a company logo back there, or just something to kind of jazz up the chart a little bit-- add some visual interest, makes it look great in the powerpoint slide.
Alright, well, hey, I want to thank you for tuning in, we'll see you next time for another netcast from MrExcel.
