grouping pictures pasted into MS Office Word 03...

[kondilemma]

Hi--
I'm trying to use the clipboard to paste screen captures from another non-MS
program into a document--actually updating old captures by pasting over
regions of the pictures with new ones. I'd like to link them all together by
using the "group" function in the picture toolbar so all will move as one
unit. When I try this, it attracts other nieghboring un-selected pictures
to the mix and I get a jumbled mess. Not having much fun with this. Any
ideas? Must be a simple setting I haven't found yet...

 

[Dian D. Chapman, MVP]

Well, I'm not exactly sure I understand how you are doing this...you
SHOULD be able to click on an image, then press Ctrl and click to add
more to the selection, then group. However, if Word isn't cooperating,
you might want to try inserting the images into a frame? Then you can
move the entire frame or have the frame move with the text.

See this TechTrax article to see if it helps in what you are trying to
accomplish...

Understanding Frames and Anchors in Word
http://pubs.logicalexpressions.com/Pub0009/LPMArticle.asp?ID=482

However, here are several other article related to photos that might
also provide some insight and ideas to help...

Photographs in Office Documents
http://pubs.logicalexpressions.com/Pub0009/LPMArticle.asp?ID=440

Create a Photo Album in Word
http://www.computorcompanion.com/LPMArticle.asp?ID=175

Add AutoShapes in Word
http://www.computorcompanion.com/LPMArticle.asp?ID=158

Hope this helps...

Dian D. Chapman, Technical Consultant
Microsoft MVP, MOS Certified
Editor/TechTrax Ezine

Free MS Tutorials: http://www.mousetrax.com/techtrax
Free Word eBook: http://www.mousetrax.com/books.html
Optimize your business docs: http://www.mousetrax.com/consulting
Learn VBA the easy way: http://www.mousetrax.com/techcourses.html

 

[kondilemma]

Hi Dian--
thanks for the reply. To be more specific, I am using a screen capture
utility (techSmith Snagit version 7.0.3) to take screen "shots" of our
electronic health care reporting system, using the 'capturing a region to
Clipboard' setting, then pasting into a document as part of an instruction
manual. Recently the reporting system changed, and the previous screen
shots became outdated. Rather than go through the work of creating more test
patients to capture from, I covered up the outdated areas with new snapshots,
ending up with multiple layers of pasted images. Of course, when you try to
move them, they come apart and need re-aligning.

Good news--under the Tools/Options/Edit Tab I found and changed the
Insert/Paste Picture as: to "top and bottom" and now I can group them
without problem. (I think the previous setting was at "In line with text".

Question: Can I make this change apply to an entire document by selecting
the whole thing and then right clicking to apply the Grouping setting? Or do
I need to go through it, screen shot by screen shot?

thanks for your help
-k.

 

[Dian D. Chapman, MVP]

HA...yeah, I know SnagIt well...written many articles on it and use it
myself.

SnagIt - It Ain't Your Daddy's Screen Capture Program!
http://pubs.logicalexpressions.com/Pub0009/LPMArticle.asp?ID=313

However, know that if you are using SnagIt to do the editing, you can
use the square selection tool to select the entire image and then
click Edit > Join. That will cause all the PIECES to become one
image...saving you from having to deal with pieces of images. If
you're using another graphics program, such as Paint Shop Pro, you can
also click Layers > Merge > Flatten. Any graphics program you are
using SHOULD provide a way to solidify your image from its pieces.
Then you don't have to deal with that issue in Word.

As for the last Q...I don't know if it'll work across the doc. I'd
think it should, but you'll have to test it. You could also record a
macro of you doing it once and then select the next and click a hot
key to run the macro.

Hope this helps...

Dian D. Chapman, Technical Consultant
Microsoft MVP, MOS Certified
Editor/TechTrax Ezine

Free MS Tutorials: http://www.mousetrax.com/techtrax
Free Word eBook: http://www.mousetrax.com/books.html
Optimize your business docs: http://www.mousetrax.com/consulting
Learn VBA the easy way: http://www.mousetrax.com/techcourses.html