Searching the web for images
There are many image repositories out
on the web, but a quick-and-dirty way to find images is through a search
engine. Most major search engines allow image searching, but since we,
librarians, are big fans of Google
for its effectiveness and simplicity, this is what
we will use in this tutorial to demonstrate image searching. You may,
of course, use your favorite search engine -- just make sure you are searching
for images only (look for the 'Image' link on the search
engine's home page).
Go to image search. Do a keyword
or advanced search, just like you would search the web for normal
links. Examples:
cerebellar vermis
"neuromuscular junction"
Choose an image that you like from the results list. Right-click
on the image (extended click for Mac users) and select "Save
Picture As..." from the mouse menu.
Select the location that you want to save the image in and click
'Save'. Do not click 'save' before you look
at the location, because you might not be able to find the
image later.
Before closing your browser, try to open the image you just saved,
to make sure that everything went well. The last thing that you want
is to discard a search you spent time on, only to discover later that
you cannot use the image because it has not been saved properly.
Always beware for copyrighted images when you search
the Web because sometimes, a
citation is not enough. For a list of sites that allow
use of images for educational purposes, click
here.
Click on the slide that you want to insert the image to
Select Insert < Picture < From File...
On the 'Insert Picture' dialog, find and double-click on the image
that you want to insert to PowerPoint
Et Voil`! Your picture should appear on the slide.
Editing images in PowerPoint
One must keep in mind that when it comes to handling pictures, PowerPoint
is quite limited. It is possible to resize, crop and group images, but
at a very basic level. For more advanced image editing you will need to
use an image editing program such as Microsoft Photo Editor or Adobe Photoshop.
For instructions on using Photoshop to edit images for PowerPoint, check out this tutorial
Formatting images:
You can format an image by selecting it, clicking on Format <
Picture, and making your selections on the dialog that will appear. However, we recommend that you use the Picture toolbar for formatting
and the handles for resizing because in this way the changes are more
visible and therefore, easier to control.
Select View < Toolbars < Picture, or right-click
on the picture and select Show Picture Toolbar.
Use the first five icons on the Picture Toolbar to make changes in
the image's control, contrast, and brightness. more
Use the cropping icon
to get rid of part of the image while keeping the rest of the image
in its original size.
To resize an image using the "handles",
hold down the left mouse button and drag any of the corner handles
to keep the image proportional. Always remember that there are limitations
to how much you can enlarge an image without losing in quality in
PowerPoint.
To move an image, place your cursor in the center
of the image. Hold down the left mouse key until it becomes a four-headed
arrow, then drag the image to where you want it.
You can also use the Draw menu on the lower left side
(if it is not there, click View < Toolbars < Drawing)
for more formatting options:
Grouping
(1) enables you to take multiple
images merge into one image. Select the images you want to group by holding
down the Shift key and clicking once on each image. Then
click on Group. Once images are grouped they can be moved
or resized as one image. You can 'ungroup' the images at any time by selecting
them and clicking on Ungroup(2).
Order(3)
allows you to change the order of overlapping images at any time.
to get rid of part of the image while keeping the rest of the image
in its original size.
Grouping
(1) enables you to take multiple
images merge into one image. Select the images you want to group by holding
down the Shift key and clicking once on each image. Then
click on Group. Once images are grouped they can be moved
or resized as one image. You can 'ungroup' the images at any time by selecting
them and clicking on Ungroup (2).