Updating Images in Starter Templates

Some of the starter templates contain images, often on the cover, introductory page, and/or back page of the report. Images are great for adding a hint of professionalism to your template design. In the templates that do use images, we have included a small library of stock images that we think really match the look, feel and colors of each template. But you're in charge! You don't have to use them if you have something else in mind. 

In this article, we'll cover updating the template images using the stock options we have supplied and ensuring that your own images are sized appropriately for the template.

Updating your images

The images in the starter templates are actually 'Fills' in shapes. In other words, they're a background color. This is so that the image fits within the cool and quirky shapes used in the template, rather than being in a box. It also helps with formatting your report. 

To update an image, first we recommend downloading the stock selection for your report. Unfortunately, you can't mix and match libraries without resizing the image, but we will cover how to do that later. When you're ready:

1. Select the image you would like to update
2. In the top ribbon of Word, navigate to the Shape Format tab
3. Click the arrow next to the paint bucket reading Shape Fill
4. Select Picture...
5. Add your desired picture from the options

You can also use this process to add pictures inside other shapes, but you will need to check the dimensions and play with the positioning.

Updating the cover image

If the image you want to update is on the report cover, you will need to open the page header. This keeps the image where it's meant to sit in the report.

To open the header, double-click the top section of your report. This will open the Header & Footer ribbon. The header and footer content may appear faded when closed. Please note that this will render in full color once converted to a PDF.

(Advanced) Adding your own images inside shapes

You might notice that adding an image that isn't sized for the shape will appear stretched. The best way around this is to prepare your images in advance so they're the best size for the shape they're going into. 

If you are using a shape in the starter template, you will find the dimensions of main images in the article for that template. 

If you have created your own shape for filling:

1. Select the shape
2. Note the shape dimensions by navigating to the Shape Format tab
3. Convert the cm to *100 for the pixels
4. Halve the size for an optimized image size

For example, a shape is 9.57cm x 4.23cm. Crop the image to a canvas of 957px x 423px, then reduce the image size by 50%.