Tame your computer - perfect your picture

In her regular series for Cambridge Network members - now in its 15th year - software training expert Karen Roem offers handy tips to help you 'Tame your computer'. This week she explains how to make part of a picture transparent (Microsoft Office).

roem tip time logo

This week’s tip is inspired by Tracy who asked how to make an image background transparent. Checking my archive, I noticed I'd written a tip about it back in 2008. But that described how to do it using Office 2003 and 2007 and as it is slightly different in newer versions, I felt it was time to dust it off.

Here’s how:

  1. Double-click the picture you want to modify.
  2. In the Adjust group, click on the Color button.
  3. Select Set Transparent Color from the drop-down list.
  4. In the picture, click the part you want to make transparent.

If you don't get the effect you expect, it might be because areas that seem to be the same colour (such as green leaves) will actually be made up of a range of different colours.  Setting a transparent colour works best with simple, solid-colour pictures, such as clip art.

If you change your mind you can quickly discard all of the formatting changes you made to the picture by clicking on the Reset Picture button in the Adjust group.

Thanks for the tip inspiration, Tracy. The bragging rights will last a lifetime.

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18 January 2021

Karen Roem offers software training and support through her company Roem Ltd.  Contact her by email (Karen@roem.co.uk) or visit her website at www.roem.co.uk



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