CG5: Dragging a Drawing Object into Clip Gallery Creates a GIF Graphic

This article describes how to create new .gif files in Clip Gallery by dragging vector-based images, AutoShapes, or groups of AutoShapes from PowerPoint, Word, or Excel into Clip Gallery.

Note that if you drag these objects from Microsoft Publisher 2000, Clip Gallery creates a Windows metafile (.wmf file).

NOTE: If you drag an AutoShape into Clip Gallery, you can use the sizing handles (even with .gif files) when inserting that clip art into another Office program.

To use this feature to quickly produce .gif images, follow these steps:

CAUTION: Converting a vector-based AutoShape (or a 24-bit .jpg file) into a 256-color .gif file results in the significant loss of picture detail.

1. Manually start Clip Gallery. (Double-click Cag.exe in the Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Artgalry folder.)
2. Start Microsoft Word and do one of the following:
   
   Create an AutoShape on a new document.
   
   -or-
   1. On the Insert menu, point to Picture, and then click From File.
   2. In the Insert Picture dialog box, browse to the picture that you want (do not use a .bmp file); click the picture file and then click Insert.
      
      NOTE: Bitmap images dragged into Clip Gallery are converted into .wmf picture files.
3. In Clip Gallery, on the Pictures tab, click the category that you want.
4. Drag the picture or AutoShape from Word into Clip Gallery.
5. In the Clip Properties dialog box, type test in the Description of this clip box.
   
   Under File Information, note the Name is "Clip0001" (or something similar), and the Type is GIF.
6. Click OK.
   
   The clip art is now included in the Clip Gallery category you wanted.

These same steps work from within Excel or PowerPoint.