Aspects of the systems and methods are described providing for modifying a presented interactive element or object, such as a cursor, based on user-input gestures, the presented environment of the cursor, or any combination thereof. The color, size, shape, transparency, and/or responsiveness of the cursor may change based on the gesture velocity, acceleration, or path. In one implementation, the cursor “stretches” to graphically indicate the velocity and/or acceleration of the gesture. The display properties of the cursor may also change if, for example, the area of the screen occupied by the cursor is dark, bright, textured, or is otherwise complicated. In another implementation, the cursor is drawn using sub-pixel smoothing to improve its visual quality.