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Class: X, Unit-1, Session-2: Images in a Document

Introduction
We shall learn how to insert images and graphics from various sources, and also how to modify,
group, and position them.

Images : An image is a digital picture or photo used in a document.

• It can be taken from a camera, scanner, mobile, or downloaded from the internet.
• Example: a family photo, scenery picture, or scanned document.

Graphic : A graphic is any visual object like an image, drawing, shape, or symbol.
• A graphic is a visual element used in a document to make it attractive and easy to
understand.
• It can be images, shapes, charts, symbols, or drawings.
• Graphics are often used in posters, presentations, books, and documents.
There are two basic types of graphics that can be used to enhance your documents:
(i) Drawing Objects and (ii) Pictures.

(i) Drawing Objects : Drawing objects include AutoShapes, Curves, Lines and Graphic TextArt. The
Drawing toolbar is used to change and enhance these objects with colours,
patterns, borders and other effects.

(ii) Pictures : “A picture is a ready-made image, like a photo or scanned file, that can be inserted
into a document.”
• A picture is a type of image that is already created or stored in a computer.
• It can be a bitmaps, photograph, scanned image, drawing, or gallery image.
• Pictures are inserted into the document more attractive.
• You can change and enhance pictures using the Picture Toolbar.

Steps to Insert an Image in LibreOffice Writer:

Method 1: Insert from File
1. Open LibreOffice Writer.
2. Place the cursor where you want to insert the image.
3. Go to the menu bar → click Insert → choose Image → then click From File.
4. A dialog box will appear → select the image file from your computer.
5. Click Open → the image will appear in your document.
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Method 2: Copy and Paste

1. Copy an image from the internet, another file, or a folder.
2. Paste it directly into LibreOffice Writer using Ctrl + V.

AutoShapes : AutoShapes are pre-designed shapes in Writer that help us to create diagrams and
designs easily.
• AutoShapes are ready-made shapes available in LibreOffice Writer.
• They include basic shapes like rectangles, circles, arrows, stars, and flowchart symbols.
• These shapes can be resized, rotated, flipped, colored, and combined with other shapes to
make complex designs.
Inserting Autoshapes/Drawing Object/Line/Arrow/Text Box:
Go to the Standard Toolbar or Drawing Toolbar, select the desired object, and drag it onto the
page.
1. Inserting from standard toolbar by using Insert Line, Basic Shapes (rectangle, square, circle,
triangle, ellipse) or Show Draw Functions icon on Standard Toolbar.
2. View → Toolbars → Drawing.
Text Box: A text box is a rectangular box wherein you can insert text. The usage of a text box is
that it can be moved, grouped, ungrouped, rotated like other drawing objects.
Change Line Style/ Line Colour in a Drawing Object/Line/Arrow/Text Box :
Once you have inserted a drawing object in the document, you can change its line style, or line
color by following the steps given below:
1. Select the drawing object you want to change.
2. Format → Text Box and Shape → Line
Or
Right click the selected object and select Line
3. Click the desired Style or Colour.
4. You can use the given options (Line Dialog Box) to change the line style/colour of the
object.
Change Fill Style/Fill Colour in a Drawing Object/Line/Arrow/Text Box :
1. Select the drawing object you want to change.
2. Format → Text Box and Shape → Area
Or
Right click the selected object and select Area
3. Click the desired Style or Colour.
4. You can use the given options (Area dialog box) to change the fill stlye/fill colour of the
object.
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Note : For a drawing object in your document, you can view the Drawing Object Properties
toolbar using command View → Toolbars → Drawing Object Properties.
Through it, you can directly change settings for the selected drawing object.

Resizing a Drawing Object :

To resize a drawing object, select it by clicking on it. You will see rectangular handles on the corners
and edges of the drawing object, which you can drag inward or outward using these handles to
change its size.

Rotating a Drawing Object :

To rotate a drawing image, you need to first select the drawing object by clicking on it. Then right
click and select Rotate from the shortcut menu. The handles now will convert to circular handles.
Using these circular handles now, you can rotate the selected drawing object in clockwise or
counter clockwise directions.

Graphic Text Art : Graphic Text Art means stylish and decorative text created using the
Fontwork tool in LibreOffice Writer.”
• Graphic Text Art is a decorative text that you can insert in LibreOffice Writer using the
Fontwork tool.
• It allows you to create text with special effects such as shadow, outline, 3D, curved,
skewed, rotated, or stretched styles.
• Graphic Text Art is treated like a drawing object, so you can resize, move, rotate, change
colour, or apply effects just like any shape.
Steps : To insert a graphic text art.
1. On the Drawing toolbar, click Insert Fontwork Text.
2. Click the type of Text Art drawing object you want and then click OK.
3. Double-click the Text Art object to change the text.
4. You can resize the object/change its colour in the same way as you do for other objects.

To Insert a Picture through Linking :

When you insert a picture, it is normally saved inside the document (embedded). But if the picture
is very large in size or if you need to insert many pictures, then the document size will also become
very large. To avoid this, instead of embedding the picture, you should link it.
Linked pictures are not stored inside the document. They are loaded from their original location
each time you open the document. This helps to keep the document size small.
Inserting a linked picture is almost the same as inserting a normal picture, with only one extra
step:
1. Use the command Insert → Image.
2. In the Insert Image dialog, choose the picture and tick the Link check box before clicking
Open.
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Properties of Drawing Objects and Images

• When we insert an image, graphic, or drawing object in LibreOffice Writer, we can see and
change its properties.
• Properties include brightness, contrast, colour mode, watermark, transparency, width,
height, etc.
• Properties are visible in the Properties Pane (right side).
If Properties Pane is not visible:
• Click Properties icon on sidebar,
• Or go to View → Sidebar,
• Or press Ctrl + F5.
• You can also use Format → Image → Properties.
Main Properties of an Image
1. Brightness – Overall lightness or darkness of the image.
2. Contrast – Difference between brightness of objects or regions.
3. Colour Mode – How colours are displayed in the image:
• Default → No change in colours.
• Grayscale → Only grey shades.
• Black & White → Only two colours (black and white).
• Watermark → Image becomes transparent, can be used as background.
4. Transparency – Makes the image transparent (0% = not transparent, 100% = fully
transparent). A transparent image can also work like a watermark.
• JPEG / JPG → Common compressed image format.
• Full form: Joint Photographic Experts Group.
• Watermark → A transparent text, image, or logo used to protect or identify a document.

Modifying, Resizing, Cropping, Deleting Images/Drawing Objects

After inserting an image/graphic in LibreOffice Writer, we can change its look and appearance.
We can modify, resize, delete, or crop images as per requirement.
Step:
• Open Properties pane (right side).
• You can change: Brightness, Contrast, Colour mode (Colour, Grayscale, Black & White,
Watermark), Transparency, Position and Size
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Resizing an Image (Scaling)

Steps:
1. Select the image → sizing handles (green squares) appear.
2. Drag the handles to increase or decrease size.
3. Or enter exact values in Properties → Position and Size.
4. (Optional) Tick Keep Ratio to maintain proportion of width and height.
Deleting an Image
Steps:
1. Select the image (sizing handles appear).
2. Press Delete key.
Cropping an Image : Cropping means removing unwanted area from edges of an image. Only a
continuous section can be cropped (not random parts).
Steps:
• Select the image.
• Right-click → choose Crop.
• When you crop an image, crop handles appear at the corners and edges.
• Place the cursor on a crop handle → it changes to crop cursor.
• Drag inward to cut/remove unwanted area.
• Repeat for other crop handles if needed.

Grouping Drawing Objects : Grouping means combining two or more drawing objects so they
behave like one. Useful when
• You want to move multiple objects together.
• You want to resize/rotate/change transparency for all at once.
Steps to Group Objects:
1. Select multiple objects (hold SHIFT and click one by one).
2. Go to Format → Group → Group.
After grouping → All selected objects act as a single object.

Positioning the Image in the Text

When you insert an image, text can be arranged around it.
Positioning is controlled by four settings:
1. Text Wrapping
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2. Alignment
3. Anchoring
4. Arrangement
Text Wrapping : Text wrapping means placing text around the image. Wrap setting decides
how the image and text will appear together.
Steps to Apply Text Wrapping:
1. Select the image.
2. Choose the required wrapping option (e.g., wrap text around, above/below, etc.).
Types of Text Wrap Settings
1. None : Text appears only above and below the image. No text flows around the
sides of the image.
2. Before : Text flows before (left side) of the image.
3. After : Text flows after (right side) of the image.
4. Parallel : Text flows both before and after the image. Image stays between text lines.
5. Through : The image is placed above the text. To see the text below the image, you
must adjust transparency of the image.
6. Optimal (Default) : Text flows around the image (left & right). This is the default
wrapping when you insert an image. Prevents text from going too
close to the image if margin gap is less than 2 cm.
Image Filters : Image filters are tools used to modify or enhance pictures in LibreOffice Writer.
You can apply them using:
• Format → Image → Filter → <filter name>
• Or from the Filter icon on toolbar.
Common Image Filters in Writer
• Invert → Reverses colour values of the image.
• Smooth → Reduces noise, softens contrast.
• Sharpen → Increases contrast between pixels.
• Remove Noise → Removes small speckles (tiny dots).
• Solarization → Adds solarization effect.
• Ageing → Gives old photograph effect.
• Posterize → Reduces number of colours, makes image look like a painting.
• Pop Art → Changes image into pop art style.
• Charcoal Sketch → Converts image into charcoal drawing look.
• Relief → Creates shadow/3D effect using light source.
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• Mosaic → Groups pixels into one colour block.

Alignment, Anchoring and Arrangement of Images

Alignment : Alignment means placing an image vertically or horizontally in the document.
Options available: Left, Right, Centered.
Steps:
1. Select the image.
2. Use Frame Toolbar alignment buttons OR
3. Right-click → Align Objects → Left / Right / Centered.
Anchoring : Anchoring means fixing the image to a specific position (paragraph or character).

⚓
• Fixing an image to a reference point (paragraph or character).
• Icon:
• Types of Anchoring:
1. To Paragraph – Image moves with the paragraph. (Most common)
2. To Character – Image moves with the selected character.
3. As Character – Image is placed like a character in text.
• Affects line height.
• Moves with paragraph text.
• Useful for adding small inline icons.
Arrangement : Deciding the order of overlapping images (which one comes front or back).
Controlled from Frame Toolbar.
Options:
• Bring to Front – Image goes on top of all.
• Forward One – Image moves one step up.
• Back One – Image moves one step down.
• Send to Back – Image goes behind all.

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