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Format Chart Elements You can customize the look of your chart by formatting the various chart elements. These elements include the axes, titles, labels, legend, gridlines, data series, plot area (the area where the chart data appears), and the chart area (the overall background of the chart). You can format chart elements using either the Format dialog box or the Ribbon. The rest of the sections in this chapter provide you with more detail on using the Ribbon commands. Format Chart Elements Format Chart Elements Using the Format Dialog Box 2 1 Click the chart element you 3 want to format. 2 Click the Format tab. • 1 You can also select a chart element by clicking the Chart Title and then clicking the object. 3 Click Format Selection ( ). The Format dialog box appears for the object you selected. Here, it is the Format Chart Title dialog box. 5 4 Click a tab. 5 Change the formatting options. 4 6 Repeat Steps 4 and 5 to set other formatting options. 7 Click Close. Excel applies the formatting. 200 14_577639-ch12.indd 200 7 3/15/10 2:48 PM 12 CHAPTER Formatting Excel Charts Format Chart Elements Using the Ribbon 1 Click the chart element you want to format. 1 2 2 Click the Format tab. 3 3 Use the Ribbon controls to change the formatting options. Note: Not all of the Ribbon controls will be available for each chart element. Excel applies the formatting. Are there any formatting shortcuts I can use? Yes. Excel offers several methods you can use to quickly open the Format dialog box. If you are using your mouse, position over the element you want to format, and then double-click. From the keyboard, first click the chart element you want to format and then press + . You can also right-click the chart element and then click Format Element (where Element is the name of the element). How do I know where to click to select a chart element? The easiest way to be sure you are clicking the correct element is to position over the object. If is positioned correctly, a banner appears and the banner text displays the name of the chart element. If the banner does not appear, or if the banner displays a chart element name other than the one you want to format, move until the correct banner appears. 201 14_577639-ch12.indd 201 3/15/10 2:48 PM Customize a Chart Element Background You can add visual interest to a chart element by customizing the element’s background, or what Excel calls the fill. Most fills consist of a single color, but you can also apply a color gradient, a texture, or even a picture. However, you should be careful about the background you choose for certain chart elements. Since some chart elements — particularly the chart area, plot area, value axis, and category axis — display data, be sure to choose a background that does not make that data difficult to read. Customize a Chart Element Background Apply a Color Fill 3 1 Click the chart element you want to format. 4 2 Click the Format tab. 3 Click the Shape Fill . 4 Click the color you want to apply. • 2 1 Excel formats the element’s background with the color you selected. 202 14_577639-ch12.indd 202 3/15/10 2:48 PM 12 CHAPTER Formatting Excel Charts 2 3 Apply a Gradient Fill 1 Click the chart element you want to format. 2 Click the Format tab. 3 Click the Shape Fill . 4 Click Gradient. 5 Click the gradient you want to 4 1 5 apply. • 2 3 Excel formats the element’s background with the gradient you selected. Apply a Texture Fill 1 Click the chart element you want to format. 1 4 5 2 Click the Format tab. 3 Click the Shape Fill . 4 Click Texture. 5 Click the texture you want to apply. • Excel formats the element’s background with the texture you selected. 3 How do I use a picture as an element’s background? Follow these steps: 1 Follow Steps 1 to 3. 2 Click Picture. 3 Click the folder that contains the image file. 4 Click the image file you want to use as the 4 5 background. 5 Click Insert. 203 14_577639-ch12.indd 203 3/15/10 2:48 PM Set a Chart Element’s Outline You can make a chart element stand out by customizing the element’s outline, which refers to the border that appears around the element, as well as to single-line elements, such as gridlines and axes. You can customize the outline’s color, its weight — that is, its thickness — and whether the line is solid or consists of a series of dots or dashes. Set a Chart Element’s Outline 2 1 Click the chart element you 3 want to format. 2 Click the Format tab. 3 Click the Shape Outline . 4 Click the color you want 4 to apply. 1 5 Click the Shape Outline . 6 Click Weight. 7 Click the line thickness you 5 want to apply. 6 7 204 14_577639-ch12.indd 204 3/15/10 2:48 PM 12 CHAPTER Formatting Excel Charts 8 Click the Shape Outline . 9 Click Dashes. 0 Click the line style you want 8 to apply. 9 0 • Can I display my chart with a rounded outline? Excel formats the element’s outline with the color, weight, and style you selected. 4 Yes. Follow these steps: 1 Click the chart border to select the chart area element. 2 Click the Format tab. 3 Click Format Selection ( ). 4 Click the Border Styles tab. 5 Click Rounded corners ( changes to 6 Click Close. 14_577639-ch12.indd 205 5 ). 6 205 3/15/10 2:48 PM Add Effects to a Chart Element You can make your chart elements more visually striking by customizing them with special effects. For most chart elements, you can add one or more effects, including a shadow, glow, soft edges, or bevel. In all cases, however, make sure that the effects you apply do not make the element more difficult to read or to decipher, and that the effects you use do not distract the reader from the chart itself. Add Effects to a Chart Element 2 Add a Shadow Effect 1 Click the chart element you 3 want to format. 2 Click the Format tab. 3 Click the Shape Effects . 4 Click Shadow. 5 Click the shadow effect you 4 1 5 want to apply. • Excel formats the element with the shadow you selected. Add a Glow Effect 2 1 Click the chart element you 3 want to format. 2 Click the Format tab. 3 Click the Shape Effects . 4 Click Glow. 5 Click the glow effect you want 4 to apply. • Excel formats the element with the glow you selected. 1 5 206 14_577639-ch12.indd 206 3/15/10 2:48 PM 12 CHAPTER Formatting Excel Charts 2 3 Add a Soft Edges Effect 1 Click the chart element you want to format. 1 2 Click the Format tab. 3 Click the Shape Effects . 4 Click Soft Edges. 5 Click the soft edges effect you 4 want to apply. 5 • 2 Add a Bevel Effect 1 Click the chart element you 3 1 Excel formats the element with the soft edges you selected. want to format. 2 Click the Format tab. 3 Click the Shape Effects . 4 Click Bevel. 5 Click the bevel effect you want 4 to apply. 5 • Excel formats the element with the bevel you selected. The shadow I selected is not very noticeable. How can I get a better shadow effect? Excel offers several controls that enable you to manually adjust various aspects of the shadow. Follow Steps 1 to 4 in “Add a Shadow Effect” and then click Shadow Options. Either use the Size spin box to increase the size of the shadow, or use the Distance spin box to increase the space between the chart element and the shadow. Click Close when you are done. 207 14_577639-ch12.indd 207 3/15/10 2:48 PM Apply a Style to a Chart Element You can reduce the time it takes to format a chart element by applying a style to that element. Excel comes with more than 40 predefined element styles, each of which is a collection of chart formatting features. Each style includes one or more of the following formatting features: a background, which is usually either a solid color or a color gradient; an outline, which is usually a solid line with a color that matches or complements the background; and one or more special effects, such as a shadow or bevel. Apply a Style to a Chart Element 1 Click the chart element you want to format. 1 2 Click the Format tab. 3 Click the Shape Styles . 2 3 208 14_577639-ch12.indd 208 3/15/10 2:48 PM 12 CHAPTER Formatting Excel Charts Excel displays the Shape Styles gallery. 4 Click the style you want to apply. 4 • Excel applies the style. How do I remove a style from a chart element? Unfortunately, Excel does not offer a simple method for removing a style. Instead, you must remove the background, outline, and effects individually. To begin, click the chart element you want to work with, and then click the Format tab. For the background, click the Shape Fill and then click No Fill. For the outline, click the Shape Outline and then click No Outline. For the special effects, click the Shape Effects , click Preset, and then click No Presets. 209 14_577639-ch12.indd 209 3/15/10 2:48 PM