With Microsoft Word you can create a range of documents, from letters, blog posts and novels to reports complete with pictures, screenshots, clip art and audio and video clips.
In fact, it is even possible to paste media found online into a Word document, not to mention take advantage of the varied media Office Online has to offer.
This tutorial looks at the ways in which a Word document can be enhanced with the addition of images, clip art and various other media, and explains the means to insert such files in Word 2010.
Picture and Screenshots
Screenshots and standard images can easily be inserted into a document using the Insert tab in Microsoft Word 2010. Begin by clicking your mouse into the space you wish to insert the image, then click on the Picture icon in the Insert tab.
You will then be able to Browse for the image you want – and the choice of image formats is extensive, from the standard JPG, PNG, BMP and GIF formats to Windows WMF and Windows Enhanced EMF, TIF and even Macintosh formats. Once an image is inserted, use the placeholder handles to resize it and the green angle position to adjust the orientation.
Meanwhile, Word has a brand new tool for inserting screenshots. Via the Insert tab you can access the Screenshot tool, which has two great functions. You can either insert a grab of any other window that you have open – which you can see under the Available Windows list by clicking the Screenshot button, or you can access the Screen Clipping tool which works in a similar way to the Windows Snipping Tool. Once selected, the image or clip will be inserted into your document for you to resize and position as your requirements dictate.
Clip Art and Office Online
Alternatively, you might prefer to investigate the rich media content provided by Microsoft as part of Office Online. This can be accessed via your browser or directly through the Clip Art tool in the Insert menu.
As before, click you mouse where you wish to insert clip art files into your Word document, then go to the Insert tab and click Clip Art. A search box will appear on the right-side of your Word document – enter a search term to find a suitable image. Click
Go to run the search; by default, All media file types will be searched, but this can be narrowed down to video, audio, photographs and illustrations depending upon your requirements. If no results are found, click the Include Office.com content check box to search online.
With the search results displayed, click to insert it automatically or hover the mouse over the clip to access the drop down menu where you can check properties and copy the clip. Any video or audio clips can be inserted into the document in the same way.
Just Copy and Paste to Insert Files into Word 2010 Documents
Finally, you might opt to simply use the copy and paste function to insert files into Word 2010 documents. This is great for inserting content you might have found online, or on your own PC, and you can insert images, video or sound clips simply by using the paste function.
Once you have inserted a video or audio clip, it can be saved as part of the document, and activated by double-clicking.
Note that larger media files will impact on the size of your Word document, however.
