Chapter 22: Enhancing Your Work with Pictures and Drawings
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Aligning and spacing objects
When you have several objects on a worksheet, you may want to align and evenly space these
objects. You can, of course, drag the objects with your mouse (which isn’t very precise). Or, you
can use the navigation arrow keys to move a selected object one pixel at a time. The fastest way to
align and space objects is to let Excel do it for you.To align multiple objects, start by selecting them (press Ctrl and click the objects). Then use the
tools in the Drawing Tools ➪ Format ➪ Arrange ➪ Align drop-down list.Note
Unfortunately, you can’t specify which object is used as the basis for the alignment. When you’re aligning
objects to the left (or right), they’re always aligned with the leftmost (or rightmost) object that’s selected.
When you’re aligning objects to the top (or bottom), they’re always aligned with the topmost (or bottommost)
object. Aligning the centers (or middles) of objects will align them along an axis halfway between the left and
right (or top and bottom) extremes of the selected shapes. n
You can instruct Excel to distribute three or more objects so that they’re equally spaced horizon-
tally or vertically. Choose Drawing Tools ➪ Format ➪ Arrange ➪ Align and then select either
Distribute Horizontally or Distribute Vertically.Reshaping Shapes
Excel has many Shapes to choose from, but sometimes the Shape you need isn’t in the gallery. In
such a case, you may be able to modify one of the existing shapes using one of these techniques:l (^) Rotate the Shape. When you select a Shape, it displays a small green dot. Click and drag
this dot to rotate the Shape.
l (^) Group multiple Shapes. You may be able to create the Shape you need by combining
two or more Shapes and then grouping them. (See “Grouping objects,” earlier in this
chapter.)
l Reconfigure the Shape. Many Shapes display one or more small yellow diamonds when
the Shape is selected. You can click and drag this diamond to change the Shape’s outline.
The exact behavior varies with the Shape, so you should experiment and see what hap-
pens. Figure 22.4 shows six variations of an up-down arrow. This particular shape, when
selected, has two yellow diamonds, which allows lots of variations.
l (^) Create a Freeform Shape. Select the Freeform Shape (in the Lines category of the Shapes
gallery) to create a custom Shape. Figure 22.5 shows a Freeform Shape, with eyes and a
mouth added. The shadow effect completes the masterpiece.
l Editing a Shape’s Points. Another way to create a unique Shape is to edit its points.
Select the Shape and choose Drawing Tools ➪ Format ➪ Insert Shapes ➪ Edit Shape ➪
Edit Points. You can then drag the points to reconfigure the Shape. Figure 22.6 shows an
example of a Shape that has been edited beyond all recognition.