evtonic3 Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 So what happens if I create a file in AD and have to send it to a agency that requests ai format so that they can edit it? I have tried exporting out of AD as an eps hoping that the agency can read all my edits but they get botched up. Is there a good way to make this happen? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Bravery Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 Hi evtonic3, I think the agency may be a bit pedantic with their requirements. If you export to PDF for print, it opens fine in Illustrator - if there are any unsupported effects, they will rasterise. Paul. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oval Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 If they have to recreate all layers, to quote just one example, this is pedantic? … I think the agency may be a bit pedantic with their requirements. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evtonic3 Posted October 16, 2015 Author Share Posted October 16, 2015 I guess my post should have been more clear- if my artwork is created in AD and someone apart from me needs to edit something that doesn't have AD what is/are the solutions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Bravery Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 Why do they have to recreate all layers? A PDF can be opened in Illustrator & then saved as an Illustrator file, if required. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Bravery Posted October 17, 2015 Share Posted October 17, 2015 I guess my post should have been more clear- if my artwork is created in AD and someone apart from me needs to edit something that doesn't have AD what is/are the solutions? Hi evtonic3, If you send a vector PDF, it is editable in Illustrator. If it uses fonts that the recipient does not have, then that will be a problem for them because if the fonts are licensed you are not permitted to send the entire set for someone else to use. Paul. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oval Posted October 17, 2015 Share Posted October 17, 2015 Exporting a PDF means that many things will be missing in Illustrator, for example ordered and named layers. Much work gets lost. The agency will not be lucky. ((((If you just have to import a few curves this is not a big problem.)))) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Bravery Posted October 17, 2015 Share Posted October 17, 2015 So what happens if I create a file in AD and have to send it to a agency that requests ai format so that they can edit it? I have tried exporting out of AD as an eps hoping that the agency can read all my edits but they get botched up. Is there a good way to make this happen? Hi evtonic3, Can you upload an example of the type of file you are referring to, please? Preferably the original .afdesign file & a PDF exported, using the default PDF for print setting. Paul. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmac Posted October 17, 2015 Share Posted October 17, 2015 Exporting a PDF means that many things will be missing in Illustrator, for example ordered and named layers. Much work gets lost. The agency will not be lucky. ((((If you just have to import a few curves this is not a big problem.)))) The issue of compatibility and reasonable work arounds between Affinity and the current industry standards is a concern to me BUT, I get PDF files from clients all the time that I open in Illustrator. No the layers aren't named and sometimes the font formatting gets chopped up. Sometimes drop shadows get rasterized but I have never had a situation where "Much work gets lost". I may have to spend a little time putting things back together but the file is editable and the information is there to work with. Missing fonts...that is a whole other issue. Paul Bravery and evtonic3 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Bravery Posted October 17, 2015 Share Posted October 17, 2015 The issue of compatibility and reasonable work arounds between Affinity and the current industry standards is a concern to me BUT, I get PDF files from clients all the time that I open in Illustrator. No the layers aren't named and sometimes the font formatting gets chopped up. Sometimes drop shadows get rasterized but I have never had a situation where "Much work gets lost". I may have to spend a little time putting things back together but the file is editable and the information is there to work with. Missing fonts...that is a whole other issue. I agree, jmac. My new employer has an in house marketing department, where the guy in charge uses Adobe Illustrator CS6, I've sent him a PDF (exported from AD beta) of my new business card to try out in Illustrator & he's happy with it's importability including the Pantone yellow spot colour. PDF attached. BC-Paul-Affinity.pdf evtonic3 and anon1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oval Posted October 17, 2015 Share Posted October 17, 2015 PDF attached. BC-Paul-Affinity.pdf evtonic3, if you have to convert such uncomplex files, it really is not a big problem for Illustrator only agencies if groups, layer compounds, grouped layers, … get lost. evtonic3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Bravery Posted October 18, 2015 Share Posted October 18, 2015 evtonic3, if you have to convert such uncomplex files, it really is not a big problem for Illustrator only agencies if groups, layer compounds, grouped layers, … get lost. Hi Oval, I agree that my business card PDF is of a simple construction. However, I was mainly questioning the need for the recipient of a finished PDF file to edit it further & to such an extent that the layers structure needed to be maintained. In my previous decade of PDF workflow, with Adobe CS, most of my files were assembled in InDesign, sometimes with linked vector & raster files included. Any PDF exported from InDesign does not maintain InDesign's layer structure when opened in Illustrator. If my PDF files needed corrections or amendments, the onus was on me to edit my original files & re-supply an amended PDF to the recipient, it was never intended for the recipient to open my PDF in Illustrator & make changes. The only time that my PDF files were needed to be opened in Illustrator, was when they were sent to a Chinese manufacturer who had a different workflow. In this case, I would ensure that all the text in the files was converted to paths to avoid font conflicts. Paul. evtonic3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oval Posted October 18, 2015 Share Posted October 18, 2015 We will be in big troubles if an agency has defined to get an AI file at a certain time and we only can deliver a PDF. Not a big problem if the file has only to be printed. Only few details are still missing that have to be integrated by Serif (e.g. bleed, real overprint control, printer marks, …). But if complex contents have to be integrated in other illustrator files, we are in big troubles. It is not only about layer and group problems. If typography details or colors / colour names must be the same or equalized, for example. There's not only one snag to it. If we do not have AI, we cannot import some AI files and we cannot deliver those files. This is why AI will survive and better applications like AD have only little chance to define the new agency standards. Worse luck! Serif still does not want to integrate an AI export. No hope. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Bravery Posted October 18, 2015 Share Posted October 18, 2015 Adobe's .ai format is proprietary. No other software can use Adobe's code base. It's not a case of Serif not wanting to integrate a .ai export, it's a case of Serif not being able to. anon1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oval Posted October 18, 2015 Share Posted October 18, 2015 Support of AI including version 8 is easy. And nothing is impossible. Not all details are proprietary and there is reverse engineering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmac Posted October 18, 2015 Share Posted October 18, 2015 Nothing is impossible for those who don't have to do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oval Posted October 19, 2015 Share Posted October 19, 2015 Wow, jmac. Look here, what was promised and what we have purchased. Gödel's incompleteness theorem! And we do not get back our time and money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Bravery Posted October 19, 2015 Share Posted October 19, 2015 Support of AI including version 8 is easy. And nothing is impossible. Not all details are proprietary and there is reverse engineering. "4.5 No Modification or Reverse Engineering. You shall not modify, adapt, translate, or create derivative works based upon the Software. You shall not reverse engineer, decompile, disassemble, or otherwise attempt to discover the source code of the Software. If you are located in the European Union, please refer to the additional terms at the end of this agreement under the header "European Union Provisions," in Section 16." EULA Link: https://www.adobe.com/products/eulas/reader/x/eula_en_gb.html MEB 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmac Posted October 19, 2015 Share Posted October 19, 2015 Oval, I am not saying, and have never said this was a perfect software. There is clearly room for tremendous improvement. Which is a good thing! An even better thing is how responsive the development team is, and has been, to requests and input from this forum regarding that improvement. I wish this was a completely mature software ready to compete on an equal level with Adobe products. For some it is. For others it is almost there and for still others it has a ways to go. But at this stage of development this software is pretty freakin' amazing. Which is something you seem unable to even acknowledge and I truly do not understand why. Affinity Photo and Designer are children that have barely begun to stand on they're own. You not only want them to run Olympic marathons today, you demand that they do it in world record time. From everything I have seen on this forum it is clear the developers not only appreciate constructive criticism, they encourage it. Your comments are almost entirely critical without offering, either encouragement, appreciation, or constructive solutions. If you are as gifted in the area software development as you believe yourself to be, it shouldn't be that hard to observe an area that could be improved and offer a well thought out and respectful suggestion. Just saying "It doesn't work. Do it better. And do it now! It's easy, what's the problem?", is not helpful. Paul Bravery, MEB and anon1 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oval Posted October 19, 2015 Share Posted October 19, 2015 Just one example: One problem is, that complete compatibility is still communicated. It is not corrected: Purchasers will be not happy if they have read this and do not get it. … what's the problem? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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