Generating a picture for a sheet with AI in Grid

Sometimes a sheet would look better with a picture and you don't have one to hand. A header image for a party budget, an illustration for a classroom worksheet, a placeholder graphic for a menu price list while the real photos are being taken. If you've connected an AI account that can create images, Grid by Zaweba's Generate picture action makes one from a description and puts it on the sheet.

From description to picture

Choose Generate picture... from the AI menu and describe what you'd like. Grid sends the description to your image-capable account, receives a PNG back, and places it on the sheet at the active cell. Pictures are kept at most 520 pixels wide, a sensible size for a sheet that won't bloat the workbook.

Select the cell where you want the picture to appear before you start, because that's where it lands. You can move and resize it afterwards like any other picture.

Writing a good description

Be specific about subject, style and mood. "A simple flat illustration of a birthday cake with candles, bright colours, white background" gives a far more usable result than "cake". A plain or white background usually sits best on a spreadsheet, since cells are white. If the first result isn't right, adjust the description and try again.

Mention the size and shape you have in mind too, such as a wide banner for the top of a sheet or a small square for a corner. Keep it relevant to the sheet. A picture that suggests what the sheet is about makes it easier to recognise in a pile of printouts, which is the main job a picture does here.

Using the picture

Once placed, the picture behaves like any other inserted picture in Grid. Move it, resize it, or delete it. Pictures are anchored to whole cells, so set row heights and column widths to give it room. When you save as .xlsx or .zagr, it's saved as a real picture inside the file and appears for anyone who opens it.

Check the layout in Print Preview before printing or exporting to PDF, so the picture doesn't land across a page break.

Sensible limits

Generated pictures are best for decoration and illustration. For anything that has to be accurate, such as a real product, a company logo or a map, use a real photo or file and insert it with the ordinary picture command, which needs no AI at all. And bear in mind your provider's own terms on how generated images may be used, especially for anything public or commercial.

Image generation needs an account that supports it. If your connected account only handles text, the action won't produce a picture; the other AI actions, for formulas and data, still work.

Privacy

As with all of Grid's AI features, nothing is sent until you ask. For Generate picture, the request is your description; you choose what to write in it.

It's an optional extra in Grid by Zaweba, a quick way to add a bit of character to a sheet when a picture helps and none is to hand.