When you are using the ClipArt task pane, you’ll notice a link at the bottom of the pane:

 

 

If you click on this link, it will open the Microsoft Clip Organizer. (You can open the Clip Organizer outside of Word by clicking the Start menu, choosing Programs, choosing Microsoft Office, and then clicking the Microsoft Office Tools folder.)

 

The first time you open the Clip Organizer, you will see this welcome screen:

 

 

The text in this screen explains exactly what your options are. You can choose to have the Clip Organizer catalogue media files on your computer; pick what folders and drives you want it to scan by clicking the Options button. You can choose to perform the scan now or later; you can also tell the Clip Organizer not to display the window again by checking the appropriate box.

 

Once you get past the Welcome screen, you’ll be in the main window of the Clip Organizer.

 

 

Once again, you’ll see that the interface is a lot like Word, with toolbars, menus, and task panes.

 

1	Menu Bar	Use this menu bar to access all the Clip Organizer commands.
		File: Use this menu to create a new collection, add clips to your collection, view collection properties, or send the collection via e-mail.
		Edit: This menu contains basic editing commands, such as copy, paste, move, and rename.
		View: Change how you view clips and what elements of the Clip Organizer are shown.
		Tools: Find similar clips to the one selected, search clips online, or compact your clip collection.
		Help: If you have questions about Clip Organizer, this is the place to go.
2	Clip Organizer Toolbar	Click any icon to perform the related command; if you’re not sure what a command does, place your mouse over it to see a ScreenTip.
3	Ask a Questions	If you have a specific question, type it here and hit enter.
4	Task Pane Menu	Use this menu to choose what task pane you’re in.
5	Collection Task Pane	Choose the collection to view here. Remember that you can use the plus and minus signs to expand or shrink collections.
6	Viewing Pane	Clips in the selected collection will be displayed here.

 

You can modify certain clips just like you can in the ClipArt pane: by right-clicking on them.

 

 

After you right-click, you can pick any of these commands to perform that action. (You’ll find all of these commands under the Edit menu too.) You cane even select multiple clips and right-click to modify them. Or, you can drag and drop clips into the folder structure on the right.

 

If you download a lot of clips, or if you have purchased separate ClipArt, this can be a great tool to manage all your photos in one place. And, if your pictures are better organized, it will be easier to find them when searching in the Office applications.