Bar Chart with Custom Image
A simple bar chart may look dull. You can change the colors, fill it with gradients, textures and even patterns of the bars. But how about replacing the bars with the image you have created? The procedure is relatively simple.
First, you will need to create an image. This image will be used to replace the bars on the bar chart. In this article, we will use apple as an example. The image below shows an apple that has been created. Take note that you will probably need to leave some spaces around the apple so that the apple can stack and appear nicely on the bars.
Figure1: Image that will be used to replace the barsNext, start PowerPoint. Then click Insert > Chart. Double click on the chart to edit them. Now, double click on the bars that you want to customize it with your own image. This should bring up the Format Data Series dialog box. Set the border to None. Then under the Area section, set the color to None. Click on the Fill Effects button. Select Picture tab. Then click "Select Picture". Select the image you have created and click Insert.
Now under Format section, select Stack. Alternately, you can also select "Stack and scale to: x Units/Picture". The lesser x you set, the higher times the image will be repeated. Finally, click Ok twice. The final output is shown below.
Figure 2: Output of the Apple Bar Chart