How to Remove the Background from a Picture in Excel 2010

You likely already know how to insert a picture into your Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, but what you might not realize is that there are some options available to you when it comes to formatting the picture.

One of these options is the ability to remove a background from a picture that you have inserted into your worksheet.

This is a cool little feature that can be very handy when an image that you are using has an unnecessary or distracting background, and you don’t want to waste time manually removing the background from the picture yourself.

The Excel 2010 option simply requires a few clicks to work its magic, and we will show you where to make those clicks in our steps below.

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Removing Image Background in Excel 2010

While this feature can be helpful when you have an image that has a defined foreground and background, there can be issues when this definition is not as clear.

For example, if you have an image with a white background, and something with white in the foreground that is near or touching the background, then Excel might also remove the white coloring from the foreground object.

Note that you will be able to make some markings to the image, however, before the background is removed.

If you need to perform more advanced image editing, then you should look into something like Photoshop or GIMP.

Step 1: Open your spreadsheet containing the image whose background you wish to remove.

Step 2: Click the image so that it is selected.

click the picture to select it

Step 3: Click the Format tab under Picture Tools at the top of the window.

click the format tab

Step 4: Click the Remove Background button at the left side of the navigational ribbon.

click the remove background button

Step 5: Drag the box inside the image so that the part of the image that you want to keep is selected, then click the Mark Areas to Keep or Mark Areas to Remove to trace around parts of the image that you wish to keep or remove. Once you have finished, click the Keep Changes button.

make and keep your changes

Now that you know how to remove the background from a picture in Excel 2010, you can use this editing tool anytime yu have another picture that requires a similar adjustment.

Are you looking to remove a watermark or picture from the background of your Excel spreadsheet instead? This article will show you how.

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