How do I shade the area between two lines on a chart?
 

I created a simple chart with two data series - monthly budget vs. monthly
actual spending. On the chart I would like to shade the area between to the
two lines. Anyone have any ideas?

Answer: How do I shade the area between two lines on a chart?
 

Yes, you can definitely shade the area between two lines on a chart in Excel. Here's how you can do it:

1. Select the chart by clicking on it.
2. Click on the "Format" tab in the ribbon.
3. Click on "Shape Fill" and choose the color you want to use for shading.
4. Click on "Shape Outline" and choose "No Outline" so that the shading doesn't have a border.
5. Right-click on one of the data series lines and choose "Format Data Series" from the dropdown menu.
6. In the "Format Data Series" pane, click on the "Fill & Line" tab.
7. Under "Fill," choose "Solid fill" and select the same color you used for shading in step 3.
8. Under "Line," choose "No line" so that the data series lines don't have a border.
9. Repeat steps 5-8 for the other data series line.
10. Right-click on one of the shaded areas between the two data series lines and choose "Format Data Series" from the dropdown menu.
11. In the "Format Data Series" pane, click on the "Fill & Line" tab.
12. Under "Fill," choose "Solid fill" and select the same color you used for shading in step 3.
13. Under "Line," choose "No line" so that the shaded area doesn't have a border.

That's it! You should now have a chart with two data series lines and a shaded area between them.

This might help

http://www.peltiertech.com/Excel/Cha...AreaChart.html

I think I might just use a bar or column chart to get to the same result.

"Hart" wrote in message
...
I created a simple chart with two data series - monthly budget vs. monthly
actual spending. On the chart I would like to shade the area between to
the
two lines. Anyone have any ideas?

Yes, plot both series selecting the Area chart type and using the first,
non-stacked sub-type. If you set the fill pattern for the lower of the two
lines to the same colour as the plot area and remove the gridlines then it
will look like two lines with the area in between shaded. You may have to
use the Format Data Series window and Series Order to make one series sit on
top of the other so you can see them both, otherwise the bigger one may mask
the smaller one. This method only works if one series is consistently above
the other, if a value dips below the smaller values it will be hidden
behind.

Andrea Jones
http://www.allaboutoffice.co.uk



"Barb Reinhardt" wrote in message
...
This might help

http://www.peltiertech.com/Excel/Cha...AreaChart.html

I think I might just use a bar or column chart to get to the same result.

"Hart" wrote in message
...
I created a simple chart with two data series - monthly budget vs.
monthly
actual spending. On the chart I would like to shade the area between to
the
two lines. Anyone have any ideas?

I would use the stacked version of the area chart, and plot budget as one series and
the spending minus budget as the second. Then I'd format the first series to be
invisible. This way, if the lines cross, you'd still fill the area.

To clarify the chart further, I'd add two series, budget and spending (not spending
minus budget), and convert both to line series. This way, if the lines cross, you
can see which is higher at any given point.

- Jon
-------
Jon Peltier, Microsoft Excel MVP
Peltier Technical Services
Tutorials and Custom Solutions
http://PeltierTech.com/
_______

Andrea Jones wrote:

Yes, plot both series selecting the Area chart type and using the first,
non-stacked sub-type. If you set the fill pattern for the lower of the two
lines to the same colour as the plot area and remove the gridlines then it
will look like two lines with the area in between shaded. You may have to
use the Format Data Series window and Series Order to make one series sit on
top of the other so you can see them both, otherwise the bigger one may mask
the smaller one. This method only works if one series is consistently above
the other, if a value dips below the smaller values it will be hidden
behind.

Andrea Jones
http://www.allaboutoffice.co.uk



"Barb Reinhardt" wrote in message
...

This might help

http://www.peltiertech.com/Excel/Cha...AreaChart.html

I think I might just use a bar or column chart to get to the same result.

"Hart" wrote in message
...

I created a simple chart with two data series - monthly budget vs.

monthly

actual spending. On the chart I would like to shade the area between to
the
two lines. Anyone have any ideas?