Excel® 2010 Workbook for Dummies®

Chapter 16. Adding Graphics to Spreadsheets

In This Chapter

• Understanding what graphic objects are and how Excel treats them

• Adding clip art to the spreadsheet

• Importing graphics files into the spreadsheet

• Adding graphic shapes and text boxes to the spreadsheet

• Constructing WordArt, organizational charts, and other diagrams

As you discovered in Chapter 15, the embedded charts you add to a spreadsheet are actually graphic objects that you can move and resize as needed. Embedded charts are by no means the only graphic objects you can have in your worksheet. Excel also enables you to add graphic objects you create yourself as well as those you import from Clip Art and other kinds of graphics files.

In this chapter, you get a chance to practice using all these different types of graphic objects to improve the overall look of your spreadsheets and make their data and charts even more interesting and legible to the user.

Understanding Graphic Objects

The most important thing to remember about graphic objects is that they are distinct objects separate from the cells of the worksheet that float above on their own layers. Because they are distinct objects, you can select them for moving and resizing as you did your embedded chart in Exercise 15-1 in Chapter 15. Because graphic objects remain on separate layers, you can move them one on top of the other, with the object on the topmost layer obscuring parts of the objects on layers below.

To select a graphic object, you must click some part of it (which ...