Frames and drawings > Picture frames > Changing picture frame properties via the dialog box

To edit the properties of a picture frame via the dialog box, first select it by clicking on it. Then right-click to open the context menu and select Picture properties, whereupon a corresponding dialog box appears.

Also possible: Click on the group arrow in the bottom right corner of any command group of the ribbon tab Picture.

Tip: This dialog box can also be opened by double-clicking on the picture frame.

The following settings can be made in the dialog box:

Layout, Format, Fill tabs, etc.

These tabs are available for almost all object types. They allow you to change the following settings:

▪Layout: On this tab, you can change the position and wrap margins of the frame and specify how the body text should flow around it. For more information, see Object properties, Layout tab.

▪Format: Here, you can resize the frame and rotate it. For more information, see Object properties, Format tab.

▪Fill: This option allows you to change the fill. It is only visible for pictures with transparent areas. For more information, see Object properties, Fill tab.

▪Lines: This option allows you to apply border lines. For more information, see Object properties, Lines tab.

▪Shadow: This option allows you to apply a shadow. For more information, see Object properties, Shadow tab.

▪3D: This option allows you to apply 3D effects. For more information, see Object properties, 3D tab.

▪Effects: This option allows you to apply different effects. For more information, see Object properties, Effects tab.

▪Properties: This option allows you to change general settings. It also displays information about the picture you are using. For more information, see Object properties, Properties tab.

▪AutoShapes: Here, you can assign a different shape from AutoShapes to the picture. For more information, see Object properties, AutoShapes tab.

In the case of pictures, there is an additional tab with further options:

Picture tab

On the Picture tab, you can make settings that are specific to pictures.

Tip: Some of these options can also be found directly as commands on the contextual ribbon tab Picture | group Adjust.

▪Variants

This list offers some predefined variations of the picture – for example, different color modes (grayscale, black & white, etc.) as well as colored variants of the image.

Simply click on the desired variant. The options in the dialog box are then automatically set to the corresponding settings.

Tip: You will also find these variants via the command Recolor picture directly on the contextual ribbon tab Picture.

▪Options section

Here, you can change brightness, contrast, saturation and gamma (an alternative way to change brightness).

▪More button

This button opens a dialog box with additional settings:

If you enable the option Mix with color and select a color below it, the object will be colored accordingly.

The options in the Cropping section can be used to crop the picture. This is useful if you only need part of the picture. If, for example, the upper quarter of the picture is to be truncated, first select Use relative values and enter the number "25" (percent) for Top.

If you select Use absolute values, the entries will be truncated in absolute units of length rather than as a percentage. If you enter negative values, the areas of the picture will not be truncated, but will be extended with a frame.

Tip: You will also find a corresponding command Cropping directly on the contextual ribbon tab Picture. For more information, see the previous section Changing picture frame properties via the ribbon tab.

▪Transparency section

Here, you can make settings for the transparency of the picture:

Use picture settings: Write reads from the picture file which parts of the picture have been marked as transparent and displays the picture accordingly. Note: Only pictures in GIF or PNG format contain such transparency information.

No transparency: If this option is enabled, the picture will not be displayed transparently, even if it is a picture file with transparency information.

Color: This option lets you select the color to be displayed transparently. If, for example, you select white, all white areas of the picture will become transparent.

▪Sample

In the small toolbar below the sample, you will find the option Pick transparent color (the pipette icon). You can use it to make certain colored parts of the picture transparent, for example, to remove a distracting background from the picture. To do so, use the pipette icon to click on an area of the thumbnail that you want to make transparent.

The other toolbar buttons help you to fine-tune the picture (Zoom in, Zoom out, Pan picture), but they do not affect the appearance of the picture in the document.

Note: You must first select a tool in the toolbar by clicking on it with the mouse. You can then work on the thumbnail with the enabled tool.

▪File button

You can use this button to replace the picture with another one and the formatting will be retained.

Tip: This corresponds to the command Change source on the contextual ribbon tab Picture.

▪Export button

This option is available only for pictures that are saved in the document. You can use this button to export the picture, that is, to save a copy of it on your hard disk under any name. The dialog box "Save as" appears for this purpose.

If you enable the option Create a link to file here, Write also replaces the picture saved in the document with a reference to the destination file. Thus, the picture is no longer saved within the document.

▪ Compress picture button

This button allows you to reduce the memory size of pictures in your document.

Tip: This corresponds to the command Compress pictures on the contextual ribbon tab Picture. For more information on this command, see Compressing pictures.