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Technique 17: Instant Range Formatting
sheet with the same exposure problems. You can
then use the Format Painter to copy the contrast
and brightness settings applied to the first photo
onto the second one. All you do is click the edited
photo to select it, click the Format Painter button,
and then click the second unedited photo. Excel
then immediately copies the same contrast and
brightness exposure settings to it.

Cutting and Pasting
• Figure 17-5: Cell range D5:D9 after using the Format
Painter to copy all the formatting applied Formats Only
to cell D4.
As I’m sure you’re aware, whenever you move or copy
To format more than one range, double-click formatted cells from one part of the worksheet to
the Format Painter button instead of single-
clicking it. That way, the Format Painter stays another, Excel automatically copies the formatting
engaged until you next click the Format Painter along with the cell contents. What you may not be
button to disengage it. In between, you can aware of is that you can copy just the formatting
use the mouse pointer to paint through as applied to a cell or cell range and — leaving behind
many cells and cell ranges as your little heart the contents — paste that formatting into a new
desires. range.

Although the Format Painter makes copying from The range into which you copy the formatting can
one cell to another range a real breeze, copying for- be blank or can contain cell entries. If the range is
mats is not its only claim to fame. You can also use blank, all cell entries that you make there take on the
the Format Painter to copy column widths in a work- copied formatting. If the range already contains cell
sheet. To do this, you click the letter of the column entries, the copied formatting is immediately applied
whose width you want to copy in the column header to them, replacing any existing formatting.
and then double-click the Format Painter button to
To copy just the formatting from a cell or cell range
engage it. Finally, click or drag through the letters of
to a new place in the worksheet, follow these steps:
the columns that need to be the same width and
then click the Format Painter to disengage it.
1. Select the cell or range that contains the for-
As if this weren’t enough, you can also use the matting you want to copy.
Format Painter to copy the attributes of one graphic 2. Choose Edit➪Copy or press Ctrl+C to copy the
object (such as a piece of WordArt, an AutoShape, a cells to the Clipboard.
Clip Art image, or a graphics file inserted into the
Excel copies both the cell contents and the for-
worksheet — see Technique 56) to other objects of
matting in the selected cell(s) to the Windows
the same type.
Clipboard.
For example, suppose that you insert a photo into a 3. Select the cell or cell range into which you
worksheet and then edit that photo with the More want to copy the formatting now residing on
Contrast and Less Brightness buttons in the Picture the Windows Clipboard.
toolbar. After a bit, you add another photo to the