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Charts with Picture Markers

Problem

You'd like to create a line chart that uses pictures instead of the standard markers that PowerPoint / MS Graph supply.

Solution

Bingo. You now have pictures instead of boring old data markers.

Another approach suggested by PowerPoint MVP Shyam Pillai: Temporarily change the series type to Area Chart. Areas can have picture fills, so use your chosen picture to fill the area. When you change the chart type back to Line, the line will have picture markers.

The second method lets you bring the picture fill directly in from a file; you don't have to insert it into PowerPoint and copy it first.

On the other hand, if you copy/paste pictures, you can apply them as picture markers to individual data points (see below for an explanation).

For example, here's the original chart ...

normal line chart

And here's my finished example, ugly chart graced with lovely lady.

line chart with pictures as data markers

Notice that one of the lines has just one picture data marker. If you click the line first then click again on a data point, just the data point is selected and you can format it by itself, independent of the other points on the line.

Once you've added the picture data markers, it's not obvious how to get rid of them. Here, again thanks to Shyam, is the trick:

If you've pasted a picture as a marker for an individual data point, you can remove it by selecting the series, choosing Format and applying a regular marker type to the series.

Search terms:chart,trick,data,marker,picture,msgraph,ms graph


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Charts with Picture Markers
http://www.pptfaq.com/FAQ00574_Charts_with_Picture_Markers.htm
Last update 07 June, 2011
Created: