Troubleshoot drawing objects

Appearance

The lines in my drawing are jagged.

• Curved lines — and straight lines that are not absolutely vertical or horizontal — will have some degree of jaggedness on the screen. When printed, the curves appear smooth.
• Two tools on the Drawing toolbar (AutoShapes menu, Lines submenu), the Curve tool and the Freeform tool , will also give your drawing a smoother look than using the Scribble tool .
• Try increasing the magnification (Zoom command, View menu). It's easier to draw details at 200 percent.
• Try setting your mouse to the slowest tracking speed available in Windows Control Panel. You have greater control when you draw at a slow speed.
• You can adjust the shape of freeforms to make them look smoother. Click the shape, click Edit Points on the Draw menu (Drawing toolbar) to make the vertexes appear, and then drag any vertex. Make sure to increase the magnification (Zoom command, View menu) to 200 percent.
• You can smooth freeforms by removing individual vertexes. Click the shape, and then click Edit Points on the Draw menu to make the vertexes appear. Point to the vertex you want to delete, and then press CTRL as you click the vertex.

Colors within objects aren't smooth.

• Make sure the magnification (Zoom command, View menu) is set to 100 percent. Shading patterns can appear distorted at reduced or enlarged views.
• If your monitor can show only 16 colors, shading may not appear smooth. Shading shows up best on monitors that display 256 or more colors.

Freeforms I drew won't align evenly.

Instead of using the Align or Distribute command on the Draw menu (Drawing toolbar), try to align the objects by moving them.

• Use the Nudge tools on the Draw menu to move the object in 1-pixel increments.
• If the To Grid command (Draw menu, Snap submenu) is selected, temporarily turn it off by pressing ALT as you drag a freeform.

Text in a drawing object doesn't rotate or flip.

In Microsoft Graph, text that is attached to an AutoShape will move with the shape, but it will not rotate or flip — for example, appear at an angle or upside-down — when you rotate or flip the shape. To change the position of text within a shape, click the border of the shape, click AutoShape on the Format menu, and then select the options you want on the Alignment and Margins tabs.

Drawing

Freehand drawing is hard to control.

• Try increasing the magnification (Zoom command, View menu). It's easier to draw details at 200 percent.
• Use the Freeform tool on the Drawing toolbar (AutoShapes menu, Lines submenu) instead of the Scribble tool .
• Try setting your mouse to the slowest tracking speed available in Windows Control Panel. You have greater control when you draw at a slow speed.

Moving and selecting

I ungrouped a group of drawing objects and can't regroup them.

If you are working with multiple groups of drawing objects, make sure to select a drawing object in the group that you want to regroup. If you close Microsoft Graph and later want to regroup the objects, select the objects by holding down SHIFT as you click each object, and then click Group on the Draw menu (Drawing toolbar).

When I try to move a drawing object, it resizes, or vice versa.

• To move an AutoShape that does not have text attached to it, drag the body or border of the shape, but not a sizing handle or the adjustment handle. If the AutoShape has text attached to it, or if it has no fill (for example, shows only the outline of the shape), drag its border. If you click the body of a shape that has attached text, you select the text.
• To resize a selected AutoShape, drag one of the sizing handles or the adjustment handle. If you drag the center or the border of the shape, you will either select text in the shape or move the shape instead of resizing it.