How To Make A Picture The Background Of A Chart In Excel

Tony sends this chart and asks if it can be done in Excel.

It sounded like a good challenge for a lazy Dominicus morning. So here nosotros get. (Posting it on Mon).

Now I could not become an oil rig photo or that data. Then I made up few numbers and used a photo of Flinders street station I took when I was in Melbourne last year.

Step one: Arrange the data.

Accommodate the information like this.

Step 2: Create a column chart

Select the data, insert a stacked cavalcade nautical chart (why non a regular column nautical chart?, you volition sympathize in a minute).

You lot will get this.

Step 3: Set upward image as background for chart's plot area

Select nautical chart'southward plot area. Press CTRL+1.

Choose picture show or texture fill and select the file with image you want.

Stride iv: Add together dummy max-series

In your information, add a column which gives the departure between column values & axis maximum. For our test data, I cull 1,400 equally axis maximum, then the dummy serial values are,

Now add this series to chart.

Stride v: Format the chart

Now, nosotros are virtually done. Our nautical chart looks like below. Nosotros but need to format it.

Select the columns (any serial) and printing 1
Suit gap width to 0%
Fill the dummy series with a chosen groundwork color.
Make the data serial transparent (fill color = no color)
Add borders to data series. Border color should be same as background color.
Adapt the border thickness to 3pts .
Adjust axis maximum to 1,400 (or whatsoever value you have selected in Step 4).
Remove filigree lines, legend and any un-necessary chart fluff.

Your column nautical chart with background paradigm is fix!

Note of caution: Go easy with images

The main purpose of a chart is to convey data. By adding a groundwork images, sometimes your chart will be difficult to read. So I suggest you to become easy with background images.

Download Excel workbook with this chart

Click here to download Excel file with this nautical chart and play with it. Examine the chart formatting settings to sympathise this technique better.

Practice you use background images in your charts?

I confess. I rarely use this technique, because finding adept groundwork image that can reveal data is very tricky. The oil rig image is an excellent choice. Besides, certain things like driblet-shadow for data series are not possible with our technique (every bit gap width = 0%). Just I enjoyed figuring out this puzzle.

What nearly you? Practice you lot utilize such charts? Please share your tips and techniques using comments.

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35 Comments
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Tagged under Advanced Charting, chart formatting, charting, cavalcade charts, downloads
Category: Charts and Graphs, Excel Howtos

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35 Responses to "How to create a cavalcade chart with background image in Excel ?"

Misca says:

I similar to visualize routemaps with scattered XY charts with outlined county maps equally the background images. They're nowhere near perfect simply they'll do the play a trick on.

Information technology would be a boom if I knew how to use GeoCodes every bit the XY coordinates for the chart but I don't know how to transpose them to the flat surface so I have locate the coordinates for zip codes manually.

Also, sometimes Excel seems to display the chart background image differently (=the background image of the nautical chart is usually displayed as solid greyness/black groundwork) so it is oft times better to layer the chart with invisible background on top of the map on the workbook then just grouping them together.
Keen thought, Chandoo -- works well in PowerPoint as well!
I similar how y'all creatively solved this problem, which is what Excel development is all well-nigh.

But information technology'southward my sworn moral duty to tell people it's not a good idea to put a nautical chart like this on a dashboard or report. only say no.
Ricardo Vieira says:

Very interesting.
🙂
Nikki says:

Awesomeness personified!!

Thank you equally always, Chandoo 🙂
Ramu says:

I actually similar this thing. Thanks chandoo.
Leon-K says:

Wow, this submission has provoked a deep ambivalence within me; it illustrates brilliantly how pretty visuals override the meaning of data.

I accept that, when reporting on data, lark will hibernate the meaning. However, this, and the 'Pie Chart' article before it, demonstrate the requirement to actually practice such techniques. In practicing, one develops a firm command over the data, appreciating how eye candy distorts and so honing clarity through abstention.

The greatest properties of pretty graphics is that they practise distract and concenter the viewers attention. In context, this may be the main objective of customers within prototype centric organisations similar PR and Advertising to proper noun just ii.

I don't recollect distracting graphics should be immedately vilified. Instead, I give thanks Chandoo for demonstrating how they tin exist created so that we can ameliorate sympathise them
Hmm...While I'd be wary of putting this in near of my sheets, I definitely could run into it's place in an infographic or almanac report or something in general with bones info.

Thanks!
Sathish Kumar Barla says:

this is an excellent Boss
Hats of to y'all...

Happy weekend and take a nice time Boss...
Abdelrahman Omer says:

Nice.. very good idea.. keep information technology up 🙂
Eranda Karunathilaka says:

It is really nice and useful.
Thank you Chandoo. 😀
Salih says:

This puzzle solving is amazing.. If there is a volition there is a manner.. You proved it here.. HATS OF U...:)
Moin says:

Hello,
I have information which I updated daily and then its dynamic, hence I have made a unproblematic pivot to requite me consolidated numbers. with these number is pivot tabular array, I created a nautical chart which I send it to my boss. and then my question how to format the nautical chart in above mentioned mode. I tried but could not practice it.

Someone delight aid.
- Chris says:
  
  Moin,
  I have daily updating information equally well. Here's what I did:
  
  In Step 4, no demand to cull a specific max value. Where 1400 is, insert:
  =MAX(B3:B11)
  (bold column B contains the sales information and North is in row three)
  
  And so modify your nautical chart blazon to 100% Stacked Column.
[...] How to create a cavalcade chart with groundwork paradigm in Excel ? [...]
Swapnil says:

Information technology was really Awesome trick.

Thanks
Yael Z. says:

Tried it. Loved it.
cheers for sharing
Lashanda Takeda says:

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Carlos says:

AWESOME.. thanks
Butholenkosi Tallbert says:

i absolutely love the manner you present your charts. i am new in the field of Analysis and i have constitute some of your piece of work very helpful. i would love to know more than though. Neat work you are doing.
Game Developers says:

I tried this till quaternary step only i tin can't continue further for the next step. tin can you tel me how to exercise the 4th step in a like shooting fish in a barrel way.
Medha says:

Chandoo... u rock!!! :):):)
Gaurav says:

Wow, This is what I was looking for. This one is awesome trick to make our presentation await Practiced in Excel. Thank You and so much for giving this Data 🙂
Sayan says:

Hi,

Awesome solution !

Tin can you please show the states how to put the figure values in the bar with color contrasting to the background as the chart with the Oil RiG !

🙂
Sayan
- @Sayan
  Did you download the sample file:
  Select the chart
  and then select the data series columns
  Right Click, Add data Labels
  Select the Data Label
  Right Click, Format Information Characterization
  Label Position, Within End
  Close the format Box
  Now select the Information Labels again
  and select a unmarried Information Characterization by selecting it again
  Y'all can now utilize the Font Color and Assuming buttons on the Home Tab to set the colors equally y'all want
  Yous can move back and forward through each Data Label using the Right/Left arrow keys
  - Sayan says:
    
    Thanks a ton , Hui 🙂
Arup says:

Beloved Sir,

It is not working on pivot charts. Is there whatsoever way I tin can do it on pivot charts too?
Lovely pace past pace explanation. I landed on your blog some days ago and since then i am coming regularly.
Hi Chandoo,
this is a really cool idea. I would like to publish a German language YouTube-tutorial demonstrating this technique. There volition be a link to this site, of class.

All-time regards from Federal republic of germany
Andreas
- @Andreas... Thanks for the feedback. Please go ahead with the video. I am sure (y)our German readers would beloved it.
Hi,

I too added some eye-annoying images backside some (non transparent) charts, with the goal of providing boosted data near the criticality of the displayed trends.

Unfortunately, the images are not displayed on other sources, even though I uploaded them, into a similar relative directory construction. My fear is that they are referenced with accented path.

Do you know somehow the reason, maybe fifty-fifty the solution (maybe in C#: I ma using chart.SetBackgroundPicture(backgroundImageFile);)?

Thank you in advance for any aid.

Regards,
bigstefi
Witchny says:

Awesome!...Thank you so much.