Part B — Digital Documentation

What is a Digital Image?

A picture used in a digital document is called a digital image. It is a representation of an image using a finite set of digital values.

Pixels

These pixels are stored in different types of graphics files.

Common Image File Extensions

• GIF
• JPG
• JPEG
• PNG
• BMP

LibreOffice Writer allows images, shapes, charts and diagrams to be used in documents.

Methods of Inserting an Image

• Using Insert Image dialog box
• Using Drag and Drop
• Using Cut, Copy and Paste
• Using Linking

Method 1 — Insert Image Dialog Box

1. Open the document in LibreOffice Writer.
2. Place the cursor where the image needs to be inserted.
3. Select Insert → Image from the Menu Bar.
4. The Insert Image dialog box opens.
5. Select the required image file.
6. Click Open.

An image can also be inserted by dragging it from the required location and dropping it into the document.

Important Concept

Copy and Paste Method

An image can be copied from another document and pasted into the target document.

1. Open the source and target documents.
2. Select the image in the source document.
3. Use Ctrl + C or the Copy command.
4. Switch to the target document.
5. Place the cursor where the image is required.
6. Use Ctrl + V or Paste.

What is Linking?

If the same image needs to be inserted multiple times, it can be useful to save the link/reference of the image instead of saving the image itself inside the document.

Advantage of Linking

The actual image is stored separately, so linking can reduce the size of the document when multiple copies of the same image are required.

How to Link an Image?

1. Open the Insert Image dialog box.
2. Select the required image.
3. Enable the Link option.
4. Insert the image.

Embedding vs Linking

After inserting an image, it may need to be modified according to the requirement of the document.

Image Toolbar

The Image Toolbar automatically appears when an image is inserted or selected.

It can also be displayed through:

Important Image Toolbar Tools

Colour Tool Components

LibreOffice Writer provides 11 types of image filters.

An inserted image can be rotated using the Rotate tool.

Basic Steps

1. Insert an image.
2. Select the image.
3. Click the Rotate tool.
4. Four rotation handles appear at the corners.
5. Move the pointer to a corner until the rotate symbol appears.
6. Drag the rotate symbol in the required direction.
7. Release the mouse button after obtaining the required rotation.

What is Cropping?

Steps to Crop

1. Select the inserted image.
2. Click the Crop tool from the Image Toolbar.
3. The normal sizing handles change into special cropping handles.
4. Drag an edge towards the centre of the image.
5. The unwanted part is cropped.
6. Click elsewhere on the page or press Esc to leave the crop tool.

Meaning

Resizing is the process of reducing or enlarging the size of an image.

Steps

1. Select the image.
2. Observe the eight sizing handles.
3. Place the pointer over a sizing handle.
4. Click and drag the handle.
5. Release the mouse button after obtaining the required size.

Corner vs Edge Handles

An image can be deleted just like text.

1. Select the image.
2. Press the Delete key.

LibreOffice Writer provides Drawing Tools for creating objects such as:

• Flowcharts
• Callout boxes
• Designs
• Diagrams
• Other drawings

Displaying Drawing Toolbar

Basic Steps to Create a Drawing Object

1. Place the cursor where the drawing should be placed.
2. Select the required tool from the Drawing Toolbar.
3. Move the pointer to the desired location.
4. Click and drag to create the drawing object.
5. Release the mouse button to finish.
6. Press Esc or click the Select icon to cancel the selected drawing function.

Properties of a drawing object can be changed according to the requirement.

Examples of Properties

• Fill colour
• Line colour
• Line width
• Size
• Shape
• Position

Default Values

Changing Properties After Creation

Properties can also be changed after the object has already been created.

Steps

1. Select the object.
2. Eight handles appear around the object.
3. Click and drag one of the handles.
4. Release the mouse button at the required size.

Maintaining Original Shape

Use the corner handles to resize while maintaining the original shape.

Non-Proportional Resizing

Using edge handles can resize the object non-proportionally.

Why Group Objects?

When several shapes are placed together, they may look like one drawing but are actually separate objects.

Grouping allows them to behave as a single entity.

Advantages of Grouping

• Objects can be handled as one unit.
• Size and position can be maintained together.
• A change applied to the group can affect its members.

Steps to Group

1. Select the first object.
2. Hold the Shift key.
3. Select the other objects to be included.
4. Choose the Group option from Drawing Object Properties Toolbar.

Group Options

After creating, formatting, resizing and grouping an image or drawing object, it needs to be positioned properly in relation to text and other objects.

These settings can be accessed through:

• Format Menu
• Context Menu after right-clicking
• Drawing Object Properties Toolbar

When objects overlap, arrangement determines the position of the current object with respect to other objects or text.

What is Anchoring?

Anchoring allows an image to retain its position relative to:

• Page
• Paragraph
• Character
• Frame

When the corresponding page, paragraph, character or frame is moved/aligned, the anchored image moves along with it.

Alignment controls the vertical or horizontal placement of an image with respect to its anchor.

Meaning

Text wrapping controls the placement of an image in relation to surrounding text.

Six Text Wrapping Options