Insert an Oval picture into a Word Document?

[Patti Barden]

W97, W98SE
Can anyone tell me how to insert an oval picture into a Word document and
have the text wrap around the oval shape?

I have a portrait in the oval shape but when inserted it goes in as a square
(white around oval). I have tried putting the oval shape on a transparent
background but same thing happens.

Any help appreciated. (Am I in the right newsgroup for this question?)
Patti

 

[garfield-n-odie]

Hi Patti.

Is the picture truly oval, or did it start out as a rectangular photo that you
cropped into an oval shape? If it is the latter, then there is still a
rectangular background that you can't see, and that's why Word is wrapping text
around it as though the photo were square.

But there is a way to create a truly oval shape that Word *will* tightly wrap
text around. On the Drawing toolbar, there is an Oval autoshape tool. Use it
to draw an oval shape of your choice. Adjust the height and width of the oval
to the final size you need before continuing to the next step. Click on Format
| Autoshape | Wrapping tab | Wrapping style: Tight. Click on the Colors and
Lines tab, then on the black triangle to the right of the Fill Color box, and in
the drop-down menu click on Fill Effects. Click on the Picture tab, and then
the Select Picture button. Browse to your photo file (the original one would
probably be better, but the oval one might work). Click on OK. The oval shape
you drew is now filled with the photo you selected. At this point you can still
reposition the oval shape, but resizing the shape non-proportionally will
distort the inserted photo.

Hope this helps. garfield-n-odie

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

Just a suggestion to add to g-n-o's excellent instructions: to make sure
that your oval AutoShape is the same shape as your oval photo (since any
difference will cause distortion in the photo when you use it as fill), you
might want to insert the photo (in line with text) and use it as a guide
when drawing the AutoShape. After you get the oval tweaked to the right
shape, you can delete the photo.

This technique is such a clever one that I really kicked myself when I first
learned of it--*after* I had laboriously masked and trimmed a bunch of
scanned oval photos and been unable to apply borders to them except by
drawing AutoShapes over them!

 

[Patti Barden]

Thanks Suzanne, very, very helpful instruction.
Patti

 

[Patti Barden]

Thanks, great. I had tried fiddling with shapes but never got the right
formula. Thanks again. Patti