This article shows you how to insert pictures into your Microsoft PowerPoint presentations. It also presents several ways to change a picture after it is on a slide.

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How to Insert a Picture

You can insert several graphics file formats into your PowerPoint presentations. For more information about graphics file formats that you can insert into PowerPoint presentations, click Microsoft PowerPoint Help on the Help menu, type graphics file types in the Office Assistant or the Answer Wizard, and then click Search to view the topic.

If you want to insert a picture into an existing slide, switch to Normal view. You cannot insert pictures in Slide Sorter view or during a slide show.

Insert a Picture from a File

To insert a picture from a file that is saved on your hard disk, follow these steps:

1.	Open your PowerPoint presentation.
2.	On the View menu, click Normal.
3.	Open the slide where you want to insert the picture.
4.	On the Insert menu, point to Picture, and then click From File.
5.	Locate the folder that contains the picture that you want to insert, and then click the picture file.
6.	Do one of the following: • To embed the picture, click Insert. • To link the picture to the picture file on your hard disk, click the arrow next to Insert, and then click Link to File.

Insert a Picture from a Scanner or a Digital Camera

To insert a picture directly from a scanner or a digital camera, follow these steps:

1.	If you insert a picture from a scanner, set up the picture in the scanner.
2.	On the Insert menu, point to Picture, and then click From Scanner or Camera.
3.	Under Device, click the device that you want to use.
4.	Do one of the following: • If the selected device is a scanner, click Print Quality for higher resolution, or Web Quality for lower resolution, and then click Insert to scan your picture. If the Insert button is not available, click Custom Insert. NOTE: While Print Quality offers better quality, higher resolution pictures occupy significantly more space on your hard disk than lower resolution pictures. • If the selected device is a digital camera, click Custom Insert, and then use the instructions that came with the device.

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How to Change a Picture on a Slide

After you insert a picture, you can change its properties to suit your needs. To change a picture on a slide, follow these steps:

1.	In Normal view, open the slide with a picture.
2.	Click the picture. The Picture toolbar appears. If not, point to Toolbars on the View menu, and then click Picture.
3.	Do any of the following: • To adjust the size of the picture and preserve the height-to-width ratio, drag any corner of the picture. • To position the picture on the slide, drag it to the location that you want. • If you prefer to see the picture in the background, right-click it, point to Order, and then click Send to Back. • If you want the picture to form only a faint background (watermark), use the following steps: a. Right-click the picture, click Format Picture, and then click the Picture tab. b. Under Image control, in the Color box, click Washout (PowerPoint 2002) or Watermark (PowerPoint 2000). c. Click OK to close the Format Picture dialog box. d. Right-click the picture, point to Order, and then click Send to Back.

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For more information about adding graphics to PowerPoint presentations, click Microsoft PowerPoint Help on the Help menu, type picture in the Office Assistant or the Answer Wizard, and then click Search to view the topics returned.

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