How to Insert a Picture into a Shape in PowerPoint

Images are an excellent visual method of conveying information. If you’re creating a PowerPoint presentation, images allow you to show or emphasize a point you’re making without relying on text.

If you want to go further, you can insert an image into a PowerPoint shape. Adding images to shapes can help you insert images that match your design or theme, for example.

If you’re not sure how to insert a picture into a shape in PowerPoint, follow the steps below.

How to Insert a Picture into a Shape in PowerPoint

Inserting an image into a shape can be useful for creating a visual element that stands out in your presentation. It could be an arrow, a heart, or a cross, but each of these shapes offers a purpose or emotion that can help make your images strong.

If you’re not sure how to insert an image into a shape in PowerPoint, follow these steps:

1. Open your PowerPoint presentation.
2. Click on the tab Insert of the ribbon.
3. Click on Shapes.
4. Select the desired shape and draw it on the slide.
   
5. Then select the shape you have drawn and select the tab shape format of the ribbon.
6. Click on shape fill.
7. In the drop down menu shape fillselect Picture.
   
8. In the dialog insert images, select one of the options to locate and insert your image. You can choose from your PC, online images, or an image from the PowerPoint Stock Image Library.
9. Once the image is selected, click Insert.
   
10. The image will fill the shape. To adjust how this is done, click the image inside the shape and click the tab image format on the ribbon bar.
11. Click on the arrow button Cut and select Fill out (to stretch the entire image to fill the shape) or Fit (to use the existing size of the image to fill the shape).
    

How to Crop Images as Shapes in PowerPoint

You can also crop images as shapes in PowerPoint. By doing this, your image will be cropped to match the shape of the image.

To crop images shapes in PowerPoint:

1. Open your PowerPoint presentation.
2. Insert the image into your PowerPoint presentation by clicking the tab Insert and in Images.
3. select where insert image of.
   
4. Use the onscreen options to choose the location of the image, whether it’s from your PC, from online sources, or from the image library.
5. Once the image is inserted, select it and click the tab image format from the options bar (if it is not automatically selected).
6. in the tab image formatclick the button arrow Cut.
7. In the drop down menu, hover over trim shape.
8. Select one of the shapes to crop the image and make it match.
   

If the image quality is poor, you can consider using a higher resolution image. You should also consider the aspect ratio of the image to ensure that the shape and layout of the image is not adversely affected by the shape you have chosen to use.

Creating Powerful PowerPoint Presentations

Using the methods described above, you can easily insert an image into a shape in PowerPoint. However, there are other techniques you can use to enhance your PowerPoint slides.