{"id":440,"date":"2011-01-19T19:53:33","date_gmt":"2011-01-20T02:53:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.visiozone.com\/?p=440"},"modified":"2011-01-19T19:55:19","modified_gmt":"2011-01-20T02:55:19","slug":"highlight-your-visio-diagrams-with-clipart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/visiozone.com\/?p=440","title":{"rendered":"Highlight Your Visio Diagrams with Clipart"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Post<\/a><\/p><\/div>

\"Sample<\/a><\/strong>At Visimation we often receive requests to produce compelling diagrams for work or information flows.\u00a0 Of course we could simply use the stencils included with Visio, but we can do much better by adding other eye-catching graphics to provide more information in an attractive way.\u00a0<\/p>\n

So today we\u2019re going to discuss how to spruce up your Visio diagrams with various kinds of graphics that are easily obtainable.\u00a0 We\u2019ve also created a free Visio stencil download containing clipart icons that represent people in business and occupations such as the adjacent photographer. All of these clips are avalable from the Microsoft Clipart Library but we’ve assembled them in a stencil to make it easy for you to use them.<\/p>\n

We also offer thousands of shapes at www.shapesource.com<\/a> for free and for sale but we\u2019re going to focus on free stuff in this article.\u00a0\u00a0 Here\u2019s an example of what you can do with a combination of Visio stencils and MS Office Clipart:\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Visio

Visio call flow diagram enhanced with MS Office clipart<\/p><\/div>\n

Vector vs. bitmap graphic images<\/strong><\/p>\n

First, we\u2019ll briefly review the main types of clipart you can use.\u00a0 Then, we\u2019ll explain how\u00a0 to create a custom stencll like the People stencil that contains graphics you\u2019ve collected so you can easily access and drag them into your drawings.<\/p>\n

Vector graphics are created with an illustration or CAD program.\u00a0 They consist of lines, polygons, and text with formatting for colors and fonts.\u00a0 The graphic elements are defined mathematically inside the program. \u00a0For example, a line will consist of a start point and end point in x-y coordinates.\u00a0 The program draws the line between those points at the specified thickness, color, and style.\u00a0 A vector line will remain sharp as you zoom in and out\u2026 no \u201cfuzziness\u201d.<\/p>\n

Bitmap images are created with a camera, scanner, or image edting program.\u00a0 They consist of tiny pixels that look clear when the image is small or zoomed out.\u00a0 However, the image will become fuzzy or \u201cpixelated\u201d as you enlarge it or zoom in.\u00a0 The higher the resolution of the image, the less fuzzy it will be but the down side is that the file becomes quite large at higher resolution.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The free People stencil contains bitmap shapes because that is their format in the Clipart library.\u00a0 This is fine for most diagrams where you might use them since they don\u2019t need to be expanded in size.\u00a0 The Clipart library also contains many vector images in .emf format\u2026 it\u2019s a mixed bag.<\/p>\n

Finding Clipart<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

At ShapeSource, we offer both Visio vector and clipart vector versions of many of our products.\u00a0 The clipart is not meant for use in Visio because we already provide those Visio stencils.\u00a0 Our clipart can be inserted into other programs such as PowerPoint so that you can use the images without needing Visio.<\/p>\n

\"Visio

Visio process step with icon from MS Clipart<\/p><\/div>\n

You also have access to a huge collection of free clipart from the Microsoft Office libraries.\u00a0 The easiest way to access them is to use the Insert > Picture > Clipart menu in Visio 2007.\u00a0 In Visio 2010, it\u2019s in the Insert tab, Clip Art button.\u00a0 Use the search feature to find what you need either on your local system or online.\u00a0 Then, click on the preview image to insert it into your drawing.<\/p>\n

You can tell if the art is vector or bitmap simply by zooming way in close.\u00a0 If it\u2019s completely sharp, then it\u2019s vector and you can resize at will.\u00a0 If it\u2019s fuzzy at all, be careful not to enlarge it beyond its original size.<\/p>\n

In the adjacent example, we\u2019ve used a standard decision shape from the Visio flow chart stencil and added two pieces of clipart from the Office library.\u00a0 These are bitmap clipart but since they are small, they look fine.<\/p>\n

When you search the Clipart library, if you don\u2019t find what you want at first, select \u201cclip art on Office Online\u201d.\u00a0 This will bring you to the Microsoft online library where you will find a greater selection.\u00a0 For example, below is an assortment of symbols we found there that are great for flow diagrams.\u00a0 We used this link<\/a> to find them as well as many similar ones by searching for \u201cbutton symbol\u201d at Office Online:<\/p>\n

\"Icons

Sample set of clipart for use in Visio diagrams<\/p><\/div>\n

Creating a Visio stencil with clipart<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

You can easily save these symbols in a Visio stencil that you can open with new drawings.\u00a0 In Visio 2007, select File > Shapes > New Stencil to open a blank new stencil.\u00a0 In Visio 2010, if you plan to create new stencils regularly, we suggest you run in Developer mode.\u00a0 This is not at all as intimidating as it sounds!\u00a0 It\u2019s a checkbox in the Option dialog.\u00a0 Once that\u2019s enabled, a Developer tab appears in your user interface and there is a New Stencil button in the Stencils section of that tab.<\/p>\n

Drag the clipart to the stencil to create icons.\u00a0 Name them by highlighting an icon then clicking again to put the icon name onto edit mode so you can modify the text.\u00a0 Finally, save the stencil into you\u2019re My Shapes folder in My Documents (or any other location you choose) with an appropriate file name.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Check www.shapesource.com<\/a> periodically since we will continue to add free stencils from clipart<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/div>\n

\"Post<\/a><\/p><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\"Post<\/p>\n

\"SampleAt Visimation we often receive requests to produce compelling diagrams for work or information flows. Of course we could simply use the stencils included with Visio, but we can do much better by adding other eye-catching graphics to provide more information in an attractive way. <\/p>\n

So today we\u2019re going to discuss how to spruce up your Visio diagrams with various kinds of graphics that are easily obtainable. We\u2019ve also …Continue reading<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false},"categories":[69,68,1,6,61],"tags":[56,35,43,34,19,3,73,4],"yoast_head":"\nHighlight Your Visio Diagrams with Clipart - VisioZone<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/visiozone.com\/?p=440\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Highlight Your Visio Diagrams with Clipart - VisioZone\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"At Visimation we often receive requests to produce compelling diagrams for work or information flows. Of course we could simply use the stencils included with Visio, but we can do much better by adding other eye-catching graphics to provide more information in an attractive way. So today we\u2019re going to discuss how to spruce up your Visio diagrams with various kinds of graphics that are easily obtainable. 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