need help inserting photos in Appleworks document

Recently bought WF 2660 with scanner. I scanned photos then the scanner converted them to pdf and assigned them to Adobe Reader ?? They are saved in Pictures.
Last month, I successfully edited photos and placed them in my story. This month I am unable to remember how I did it and nothing I have tried works. (I'm 80--maybe part of the problem)
I have inserted the photos into my story, but what a haphazard mess!
Can someone help me, first of all, to eliminate the white areas surrounding the photos, then in adjusting the black & white tones of some of the photos?
I would be ever grateful.
Patricia

I hesitate to jump in here, since my knowledge is a 1 on a scale of 1-10, but I've worked a lot with Appleworks (listen to me continue to whine that Apple no longer supports it) and I still have an old laptop running OS 9 just to have access to Appleworks.

A question first--can we assume you are typing in Appleworks Word Processing? And that your intent is to have some text followed by a picture and then more text?

If so, here's how I do it:

First of all, I hate pdf files. Here's one suggestion--open the picture needed and take a screen shot of it. It will appear on your desktop as Screen Shot xx(some number) and the time it was taken. It will be a PNG file. (You can rename it so that you know what it is for sure) Open your Apple works word processing document and drag the PNG file wherever you want it.

I'm sure there will be other suggestions, but this is how I've always done it. (If you convert the picture to a jpg, it seems always to make the picture very huge. PNG files stay their same size and there is no white border.)

Hope this can help.

Skillet01

Gracias for the help. I love Appleworks, transferred through 3 computers (now 10.6.8).
As you say, jpg makes the picture full page, pdf cannot be edited.
Your solution seems PNG sounds like a good solution. BUT I don't know how to take a screenshot???? I tried from the photos saved in iPhoto but there is no option for screenshot. Is there some other place I can park the photos to screenshoot them? I am writing my 'memoirs' and using 80-year old photos.
Thanks a lot, Skillet
Patricia

to Skillet01

From your help I have now added one photo--I (sort of by accident) moved it to Preview where it was converted to PNG and is now a decent size in my story.

I am forever in your debt
Patricia

Glad you were able to convert to png. But taking a screenshot is something you can do on all macs, and it isn't dependent at all on what program you are in. to take a screenshot of whatever part of the screen you are looking at, hold down the command key, the shift key and the #4 key all at the same time. Then without clicking, move the cursor to the top left of where you want to start the shot. Click and hold and move to the bottom right corner. You will hear a 'click' sound; now look on your desktop and it will say screen shot and the date and the time. It will be a png format.

This has been an option since the first mac I ever had, which was back in 1996.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201361

Skillet01

Also, there ought to be some way to select what format your scanner saves in. Not sure what you are using, but check out the prefs.

Skillet01

There are many options available on Apple & Mac and indeed always were. That doesn't mean to say clods like myself know about them, or are able to access and use them. I need folks like you to gently lead me. (My first Apple wasn't even an Apple--it was an Arrow, since about 1980. How embarrassing is that not to have learned how to navigate it after all these years!!!) I can understand why some people get stuck in Facebook or whatever-- it gives them the appearance of knowing what they are doing.
Having had my data transferred through a succession of computers, you can imagine what a mess my hard drive is in. I have tried cleaning it out, only to lose important apps. OMG the more I learn the less I know.
Patricia