Free-rotation of a picture

[unclekracker]

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)
Processor: intel

Here's my problem (again): I've been bringing in pictures to a Word document and I'm trying to align them in a collage. Right now when I select any of the pictures in the Word document, a green handle appears slightly above the center of the top of each picture. When any photo is selected and I go to the Rotation drop-down menu, "Free Rotate" is not an option.

I think my basic question is how to turn off "free rotate". Usually when a picture is selected (WITHOUT the green free-rotate handle appearing) I can move a picture by pressing an arrow key, OR I can do a smaller move by pressing CTRL + any arrow key. BUT...when the green handle appears with a selected picture, I cannot do the smaller movement (the CTRL + arrow key combo), I can only do the larger incremental move (just the arrow key).

I'm not sure how I turned "on" the green free-rotate handle so I don't have a way to turn it off.

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I'm afraid I don't understand what the problem is. The graphic shapes in
2008 don't have a rotation handle the way they did in 2004.

Once you select a shape the Formatting Palette presents a Size, Rotation &
Ordering section right at the top. The circular arrow provides a menu of
choices, one of which is Free Rotate. Selecting that causes the four corners
to turn into green rotation handles. You can then turn them of by clicking
the button again & selecting Free Rotate - which leaves the shape selected
as it would normally be - or you can simply click elsewhere to deselect the
shape altogether.

If this isn't the answer you need please rephrase your question with more
descriptive details.

HTH |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

 

[unclekracker]

Another thing I just noticed:

In a document where the green handle DOES appear when I select a picture, the "Quick Styles and Effects" section of the Formatting Palette appears. In a document where the green handle DOES NOT appear, the "Quick Styles and Effects" section disappears as a section on the Formatting Palette.

 

[John McGhie]

The difference is whether the document is in binary (.doc) format or in XML
(.docx) format.

The new file format supports rotatable pictures, the old one does not.

In either format, if the picture is formatted with a wrapping style of
anything other than "Inline with text" then you will be able to nudge it
with the cursor keys.

If you are in the new file format, you also get the new tools provided by
Word 2008, which can exist only in a document in the new format.

Hope this helps

Another thing I just noticed:

In a document where the green handle DOES appear when I select a picture, the
"Quick Styles and Effects" section of the Formatting Palette appears. In a
document where the green handle DOES NOT appear, the "Quick Styles and
Effects" section disappears as a section on the Formatting Palette.

--
Don't wait for your answer, click here: http://www.word.mvps.org/

Please reply in the group. Please do NOT email me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie, Microsoft MVP, Word and Word:Mac
Sydney, Australia. mailto:[email protected]

 

[CyberTaz]

There are a number of variables involved here and as John wrote the *first*
consideration is whether you're working in a .doc [Compatibility Mode] or
..docx (native 2008 format) file. Graphics are handled differently in each.

Also, even in a .docx, it depends on whether you're dealing with a *picture*
or a *drawing*: Pictures have the Rotation Handle & no Free Rotate command,
drawings (shapes) have no Rotation Handle but do have the Free Rotate
command - Notice how the Formatting Palette reconfigures itself depending on
which type of object you select.

Likewise, Quick Styles & Effects will only be available in .docx files -
those features aren't supported in .doc format - and even in .docx only for
pictures, not for drawings.

The Nudge also operates differently, and I'm not sure I've completely
figured it out, myself What I generally find is that those objects with
the Rotation Handles *cannot* be nudged in the smaller increments, whereas
those without the handle *can*... But the key that is used in all of my
Office 2008 installations (for situations where it does apply) is
Option+Arrow (as indicated in Word Help), not Control+Arrow.

HTH |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

 

[unclekracker]

THANKS, that helps my larger frustration. Now the lingering question I'm still left with is this....

In a .docx file, are there any ways to incrementally nudge pictures?

There are a number of variables involved here and as John wrote the *first*
consideration is whether you're working in a .doc [Compatibility Mode]
or .docx (native 2008 format) file. Graphics are handled differently in
each.





Also, even in a .docx, it depends on whether you're dealing with a *picture*
or a *drawing*: Pictures have the Rotation Handle & no Free Rotate command,
drawings (shapes) have no Rotation Handle but do have the Free Rotate
command - Notice how the Formatting Palette reconfigures itself depending
on which type of object you select.





Likewise, Quick Styles & Effects will only be available in .docx files
- those features aren't supported in .doc format - and even in .docx only
for pictures, not for drawings.





The Nudge also operates differently, and I'm not sure I've completely
figured it out, myself What I generally find is that those objects
with the Rotation Handles *cannot* be nudged in the smaller increments,
whereas those without the handle *can*... But the key that is used in
all of my Office 2008 installations (for situations where it does apply)
is Option+Arrow (as indicated in Word Help), not Control+Arrow.





HTH |:>) Bob Jones [MVP] Office:Mac

 

[CyberTaz]

Well, the arrow keys do still work, of course, but as far as your "lingering
question"...

In a .docx file, are there any ways to incrementally nudge pictures?

I've not found a way to nudge in smaller increments via a modifier key. The
only suggestion I can offer is in Word> Preferences> Edit, click the Grid
Options button. Set the H & V increments to something more desirable or turn
the Grid Off altogether. The trade-off is that you then don't have the
larger increments available with the arrows.

Regards |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac