Graphic elements can be simple geometric shapes—rectangles, circles, lines, or points—or they can be complex polygons, linear or curved text, or images. When a graphics layer is added to a map in ArcGIS AllSource, you can create graphic elements in maps and draw them in layout map frames and scenes.
Every graphic element in a graphics layer has its own name, and each graphics layer can have a scale range and spatial reference. If the map's coordinate system changes, graphic elements remain in their assigned geographic position. However, because graphic elements are not features, they do not have associated attributes and cannot be queried.
You can also create and work with graphic elements in layouts. For more information, see Add graphics, text, and pictures in a layout.
Legacy:
Graphic elements created in ArcMap are converted from annotation groups to graphics layers when they are imported to ArcGIS AllSource. They no longer associate with a particular layer or part of the data frame.
Create graphic elements
To create graphic elements on a map, follow these steps:
- Open a map, and ensure that a graphics layer is present in the map.
- On the Graphics tab, in the Insert group, click the Target layer drop-down menu to set the target graphics layer.
- Choose a type of graphic element using one of the following methods:
- Click the Picture button
and choose to add a picture from a local path, network path, or URL. - Hover over and click any shape icon in the graphic element gallery:
Rectangle text
Arc
Half-Circle
Polygon text
Point
Cross
Straight text
Rectangle
X
Curved text
Polygon
Cloud
Auto text
Circle
Arrow
Circle text
Ellipse
Curved Arrow
Ellipse text
Lasso
Double Arrow
Line
Rounded Rectangle
Curved Double Arrow
Curved line
Triangle
Freehand line
Right Triangle
- Click the Picture button
- Click the map to create the first vertex of the element.
Point graphic elements require a single click.
For line and polygon graphic elements, move the pointer and click the map again to create a segment.
- If necessary, double-click the map to complete the graphic element.
The most recently chosen graphic element type appears at the top of the gallery for quick access.
Tip:
By default, the application switches to selection mode after a graphic element is created. If you plan to add multiple elements to the map, click to expand the graphic element gallery on the ribbon and enable the Keep the last tool active option. This allows you to continue to add graphic shapes, pictures, or text.
After a graphic element is created, use selection tools to move it, resize it, change its color or symbol, and arrange its position relative to other graphic elements.
Auto text
The Auto Text tool speeds the task of adding descriptive text for features. It derives the text string from the label expression of the clicked feature. If there are multiple label classes, the first label class will be used. This text string can be seen in a tooltip when hovering over the feature. If features conflict, the topmost feature will be annotated.
Note:
When there are multiple layers or label classes overlapping, use the keyboard shortcut N to step through layers and label classes. This selection will be retained allowing you to annotate several features at a time.
Right-click while using the Auto Text tool to change the placement and symbol options.
| Label | Explanation |
|---|---|
Use positioning from layer | Unchecked—Place where clicked. This is the default. Checked—ArcGIS AllSource finds the best location for text using the label engine that is specified for the map and the label properties that are set for the layer. |
Use symbol from layer | Unchecked—Use the default text symbol for the project. Checked—Use the symbol from the layer. This is the default. |
Select graphic elements
Graphic elements use a specialized set of interactive selection tools. These tools are available on the Graphics tab, in the Edit group. Similar to feature selection, you can select graphic elements interactively by clicking or drawing a selection shape around the elements. You can cut, copy, and paste graphic elements between layers by right-clicking the element and selecting the option or using keyboard shortcuts. If the element is grouped with other elements, you can click the group, and click the individual element again to select it.
To work with all graphic elements in a map, across all graphics layers, click Select All 
. Click Clear Selection 
to deselect all graphic elements.
To avoid selecting graphic elements from all graphics layers, in the Contents pane, click List By Selection 
and uncheck the box to disable selection for those layers.
You can also use the selected graphic elements of the graphics layer to set your map's extent or clip the map's layers to a custom extent on the map's Properties dialog box. Only nontext shapes—rectangle, polygon, lasso, circle and ellipse—can be used to clip to an outline.
Note:
Graphic element selection tools operate independently from the feature selection tools on the Edit tab. You cannot use feature selection tools to select graphic elements, and vice versa. However, graphic elements do remain selected when using feature selection tools and can be copied, cut, or pasted from the Edit tab if the graphic elements were the last copied, cut, or pasted items.
Graphic element operations
When one or more graphic elements are selected, you can apply a variety of graphic operations to them. The Graphics tab contains tools for editing, arranging, and symbolizing graphic elements. If snapping is enabled, you can use other types of tools (such as the Measure tool) on graphic elements in the map. However, graphic elements cannot snap to other graphic elements in the map.
Move graphic elements
There are many ways to move graphic elements in a map. You can click and hold the mouse to drag them to a new position, or use keyboard shortcuts to move the graphics across the map. For more precise movement, right-click a graphic element, and under Nudge, select the direction to move the graphic. Alternatively, on the keyboard, press Ctrl with an arrow key to slightly move the selection, or Shift with a direction for larger movements.
You can also specify the graphic element's exact x,y position (in map units). Right-click a graphic element and choose Properties to open the Element pane. Under the Placement tab 
, expand Position and specify the x position, y position, or degrees of rotation.
To rotate a graphic 90 degrees at a time or to flip the graphic on its x- or y-axis, on the Graphics tab, in the Edit group, click the Rotate Or Flip drop-down menu 
and choose an option.
Edit vertices
You can edit the vertices of a graphic element if it is a line, polygon, circle, or ellipse. Select the graphic element, and on the Graphics tab, in the Edit group, click the Edit Vertices tool 
.
Click and drag a vertex to stretch or resize the graphic element. You can hover over any of the graphic element's vertices to view its x,y coordinates, or around the edge of a vertex to rotate the graphic element.
Similar to layout graphic elements, picture and point graphic vertices cannot be edited.
Arrange, align, and order graphic elements
You can arrange, align, distribute, and reorder graphic elements relative to the position of each. On the Graphics tab, view the Arrange group to access the tools.
Select multiple graphic elements, and click the
Align drop-down menu 
to arrange the elements in a map. The Align tools arrange elements vertically or
horizontally to the left, right, top, or bottom. The elements are aligned to the pixel or edge of the
first selected element in the map view by default. Aligning to the middle or center aligns to the centroid of the graphic element.
Click the Distribute drop-down menu 
to space selected graphic elements evenly in the chosen direction. You can choose from the following options:
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
Distribute Horizontally | Evenly distribute elements between the leftmost and rightmost selected elements so there is an equal amount of space between element edges. If there is not enough space between the two elements for all the selected elements, the distribution space is expanded so all elements fit without overlapping. |
Distribute Vertically | Evenly distribute elements between the topmost and bottommost selected elements so there is an equal amount of space between element edges. If there is not enough space between the two elements for all the selected elements, the distribution space is expanded so all elements fit without overlapping. |
Distribute Horizontal Centers | Evenly distribute elements between the leftmost and rightmost selected elements so there is an equal amount of space between element centers. The leftmost and rightmost elements do not move. |
Distribute Vertical Centers | Evenly distribute elements between the topmost and bottommost selected elements so there is an equal amount of space between element centers. The topmost and bottommost elements do not move. |
Make Same Size | Make the selected elements the same height and width as the first selected element. |
Make Same Width | Make the selected elements the same width as the first selected element. The heights of the elements do not change. |
Make Same Heights | Make the selected elements the same height as the first selected element. The widths of the elements do not change. |
Click the Bring Forward button 
or Send Backward button 
to change the drawing order of graphic elements. You can select one or more elements at a time. You can also click the drop-down menu and choose Bring To Front 
or Send To Back 
to move graphic elements directly to the top or bottom of the drawing order of the graphics layer.
Group graphic elements
Some workflows benefit from grouping graphic elements. For example, you can move, rotate, flip, or resize the graphic elements together as a group. You can also edit the symbols of grouped graphic elements at the same time.
To group graphic elements, on the Graphics tab, in the Arrange group, click Group 
. Click Ungroup 
to ungroup the selected elements.
When a group of graphic elements is selected, click an individual graphic element in the group again to focus the selection to that particular element.
Merge graphic elements
If two or more graphic elements overlap, you can combine or remove parts of two or more graphic elements to form a new graphic using simple overlay operation tools. With the graphic elements selected, on the Graphics tab, in the Edit group, click the Merge Shapes drop-down menu 
and choose an option from the list.
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
Union | Combine selected graphics into a single graphic. |
Intersect | Combine overlapping graphics by keeping only the intersecting areas. |
Remove Overlap | Combine overlapping graphics by keeping everything except the overlapping areas. |
Subtract | Combine overlapping graphics by taking the first selected graphic and removing the overlapping areas, as well as any other selected graphics. |
With each operation, the properties of the first element selected are transferred to the resulting element.
Set graphic element properties
You can modify the appearance of any graphic element in a graphics layer. You can change its size, symbol, or color, rotate its angle, and so forth. On the Graphics tab, in the Edit group, select one or more graphic elements in the layer. Then follow one of the workflows described in the sections below.
Most graphic element types use a default symbol when they are created. You can change the default symbol of certain graphic element types, or directly modify the symbols of selected graphic elements.
Change the symbol of a graphic element
On the Graphics tab, in the Symbol group or Text Symbol group, use the available tools to change the properties of the selected graphic elements. The availability of properties depends on the type of graphic elements selected.
Additional symbol settings, such as symbol effects, are available in the Element pane. To open the pane, select one or more elements in the map view, right-click an element, and choose Properties 
. Click the Symbol or Text Symbol tab to define and edit the graphic element's symbol layers. If multiple types of graphic elements are selected, these tabs may not be available.
For some text and picture graphic elements, you can use the Display tab 
to create a border, background, or shadow for the graphic element.
- Border—A line around the outside of the element
- Background—A symbol the same shape as the element that draws behind the element
- Shadow—A symbol the same shape as the element, offset to create a drop shadow highlighting the element
Graphic element visibility
Selected graphic elements can be made visible, or they can be hidden but not deleted from the map. In the Element pane, on the Options tab , expand General and check or uncheck the Visible check box.
In some cases, nonvisible graphic text elements are created when unplaced labels are converted to graphics using the Convert Labels To Graphics geoprocessing tool. To draw these nonvisible graphic elements, select the layer in the Contents pane, and on the Graphics Layer tab, in the Drawing group, click Symbology 
. In the Symbology pane, check the Draw non-visible graphic elements check box, and optionally define a color. This color overrides any default color settings for the nonvisible elements.
Convert graphic elements to features
Graphic elements such as points, lines, polygons, and text can be converted to their equivalent feature geometries with the Graphics To Features geoprocessing tool. Converting graphic elements to features is useful to assign attributes, to use advanced symbology techniques, or to convert the graphics to 3D features.
Create a legend patch from a graphic element
You can use the shape of graphic elements to customize the symbol patches for features in legends. See Work with legend patches to learn more.