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Cindy M -WordMVP-
 
Posts: n/a
Default Grouping pictures, text boxes, and clip art in Word

Hi ?B?Q3JlYXRpdmVJbWFnZXM=?=,

Thank you for your reply. I am running Office XP. I have Photoshop CS2.

Well, in your reply you angle off into a completely different aspect/question. I
also not that the Drawing.Graphics group might be more relevant for the
discussion... But here are my opening thoughts:

1. If you edit the graphic elements in Word, using its tools, the graphics sizes
will probably be much larger than if you did the work in a dedicated graphics
program. (You could copy things from Word into that program, put them together
there, then save that as a single graphic file, in a "compressed" format such as
PNG or JPG.

2. Graphics in Word documents tend to be large. The only compressed format Word
can really handle, and that only since Word 2002, is JPG.

3. You might find it better to "export" the work you do in Word to Adobe Reader
(PDF) format. Then you can be sure things aren't going to "move around" (even if
you choose to not do the work in a separate graphics program)

4. Another approach to consider would be a web-site, so that people can read/view
without needing to download. Or even links on a webpage for downloading (instead
of trying to send things by email).

5. If you absolutely want to edit the pictures in Word, in order to open Word's
picture editor:
- Tools/Customize/Commands
- Category: Drawing
- Drag the tool "Word Picture" to your Drawing toolbar
- After you close the dialog box, click it and you should go straight into
the Editor

Here, you can insert a picture, add call-outs, arrows, textboxes, whatever you
like. Be sure everything you use has text flow formatting. You can group things
by holding Shift, then clicking on each additional graphic in turn; Draw/Group.

Before you click the "Close" button to return the picture to the Word document,
be sure to click the other little icon in the "Edit Picture" toolbar. This will
make sure that none of the drawn objects are cut off.

Two situations come to mind. The first is a picture that needs areas of the
picture to be "highlighted" or explained. I use arrows and/or circles to
draw attention to an item in a picture; then picture details are explained
with a text box on top of the picture. Finally, I need to send this
information by e-mail or a word document to others. Because the subject
might have 50 to 100 pictures, with explanations, a Word document becomes
larger and larger; finally, it becomes unmanageable.

The second situation would be a scanned sheet of paper. This scanned
document could be a hand written letter, or maybe a church marriage log. The
handwriting is difficult to read because of legibility or language. These
documents are original genealogy research documents, government censuses,
newspaper articles, wills, correspondence, ships logs, etc. I scan these
documents with a quality photographic scanner, then digitally translate or
decipher the text on the document. After I evaluate the document and write
my opinions of the text, the document is send to others for their opinions
and critiques.

Many times the added elements separate or move, and their €śreferences€ť are
no longer pointing to the correct location of the picture or they are no
longer associated with the area or discussion.

In general, the 5MB gateway limits of e-mail sizes requires that I keep
these documents of 50 to 100 pictures as small in size as possible. To move
these documents, they must be €śFTPed€ť or burned to CD and mailed. Usually
the recipient cannot handle these documents; so the effort is of little value
to others. Worse, they can not easily add to the effort.


Cindy Meister
INTER-Solutions, Switzerland
http://homepage.swissonline.ch/cindymeister (last update Jun 8 2004)
http://www.word.mvps.org

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