Until recently, you could only edit images with programs specially designed for this, which made this task somewhat complicated if you didn't have the knowledge to use these applications. With new versions of Office you can easily remove the background of a picture in word or power point.
Although they are programs designed to create presentations and documents, they can be used in Microsoft Office online for free , thus becoming much more complete and useful tools for users.
Remove the background of a picture in Word or PowerPoint
The creation of texts and presentations has changed over time. Nowadays they are much more striking and dynamic than before. They make use of different colors and images to better contrast the information, thus allowing users to be much more creative when using them.
You no longer need to switch applications or have deep knowledge of image editing, with a basic understanding of Word or Power Point you can achieve this level of editing.
However, it is of the utmost importance to update your Microsoft Office suite to the latest version to be able to take advantage of all the other tools offered by both extensions.
Best of all, Word and Power Point aren't the only Microsoft Office programs that let you remove the background of an image. Outlook and Excel also have this feature.
Requirements to remove the background of an image in Word or Power Point
The images to be edited must be in a format compatible with Microsoft Office programs. The only ones Image formats not supported by Office programs are SVG, DRW, AI and WMF.
Taking a screenshot and pasting the image into Word is also capable of getting into the process.
Also, this feature is only available in some versions of the programs, so in Windows you can remove the background of an image in Word or PowerPoint in 2010, 2013, 2016 and 2019 versions. On the other hand, in iOS it can only be achieved in 2011 and 2016 versions of the programs.
Steps to remove a background from a picture in Word or PowerPoint
The first thing you should do is insert the image you want to edit with Word or Power Point. Once you have the image in your document, select it and open the Formats tab.
There you need to locate the section "Picture Tool" and, from the options displayed, select "Remove Image Background" , depending on which version of the program you have.
The tool will automatically select the background of the image, bordering it with a purple color, leaving the object you want to keep intact in its original color. However, there are times when it doesn't happen so perfectly, so you have to edit it by hand.
Normally the automatic mode is quite accurate, but if it fails to capture the shape of the image as you would like, the tool allows you to do it manually. For this you just need to zoom in enough to see the error in more detail.
Using options "Mark areas to keep" e "Mark areas to remove" you'll be able to further sharpen the outline of the object you want to keep. If you made a mistake, you can start over by clicking on the "Undo all changes" option.
If you were able to remove the wallpaper completely, select the button "Keep Changes" And that's it. You can now use this image in Word or Power Point without the background cluttering up your document or slide.
If you want to use the edited image in another Office program, just right click on it and select the "Save Image As" option.
Now all that remains is to integrate the image with the document or presentation you are creating. Word and Power Point offer you a number of tools in the tab "Design options" which will allow you to get the most out of the image without a background. It all depends on you and your creativity.