Changes in texts when importing from Illustrator

[Jim Monson]

Since I have thousands of complex map files created in Illustrator, the fact that I can bring these into AD is really great. However, when I drop my Illustrator texts into and AD doc I find that often they come up as individual SVG letters. If the text is on a curved line, the line appears as a curve in AD and every letter is an SVG, usually are aligned correctly. This is no doubt the easiest way of programing such an import, but it leaves the AD in a state great editing difficulty.

 

I would add that even when I adjust imported graphic objects from Illustrator and then enlarge them in AD, when I copy that AD edited object and paste it in a different doc, it appears to keep the original Illustrator size.

 

I appreciate the challenge of reflecting Illustrator work with the same structure in AD, especially with Adobe's complex way of doing things. Is there any post or doc that explains these importing problems, i.e., what the user should beware of or expect when important docs from Illustrator.

 

Thanks! 

[MattP]

Hi Jim,

 

We would have no issues in representing Illustrator objects such as curve text by our own variants of curve text... however, the problem that we actually face is that the entire .ai (Illustrator) file format is a closed format with no public documentation so it is not possible to open it directly - not even Adobe's own PhotoShop or InDesign applications can read the .ai file natively. Instead, they read an embedded 'compatibility' PDF stream in the file - as do we. In modern .ai file import, we are limited both by what PDF specification can represent and by what the .ai file's PDF stream chose to write out into the file at the time it was saved. Interestingly, older .ai files are actually a variant of EPS internally and we also open these but we are again limited by what the EPS file format can represent - so it may be that your files are from an older version of Illustrator and the problem is that the EPS format itself couldn't represent the feature you require, but Illustrator added its own specific tags to the file so it could load the object as intended when it opened the file. I suspect your files may be of this older variety?

 

Basically, I'm just trying to say that if the problem is down to it being a 'modern' .ai file then I don't think anyone else could do better (as Adobe themselves don't offer a native .ai import into their other applications) or if the problem is because it's a 'legacy' .ai file then there may not be enough customers suffering the same problem to warrant extending our EPS file import to try to parse for Illustrator-specific path text tags, although we would obviously try our best if it turned out there was a big demand for this :)

 

Thanks,

Matt

[R C-R]

I am all too familiar with the problems encountered when trying to work with 'legacy' vector file formats. Often, the only practical way to salvage them I have found is to open them with the app that created them & export to some more compatible 'modern' format, but that only works if that app is available, can run on my Macs, & is capable of exporting to a format a contemporary app can import reasonably well.

 

Even when it works, it can be a frustrating, convoluted multistep process. For instance, I have hundreds of old Freehand documents created years before Apple released OS X. To convert them into something useful, I use an old 2008 iMac running OS X 10.6.8 & open them with Freehand MX so I can export to one of the several EPS or Illustrator formats it supports, or to PDF. I can't use a more recent Mac for this because MX is a PPC app that can only run on an Intel Mac under Rosetta emulation, 10.6.x was the last OS X version that supports Rosetta, & my newer Macs can't run 10.6.x.

[Jim Monson]

Thanks to both of you for these very helpful responses. I sort of thought something like you describe is what was going on. I also came from the FH era through all of the mutations in Illustrator and am now on the latest Adobe CC version. In some ways I have found it easier to simply bring over what I can and remake the objects and texts in the image of the older work.  I will look further into your explanations. Here's hoping. In any event, all the work that has gone into AD is deeply appreciated. It is a joy to use!

[FFHMark]

I don't know if this helps at all with Designer but I did a review on Facebook of the best ways to get FreeHand files into Illustrator CC; especially with live text intact. Sometimes PDFs work but a  third-party plugin was best.

If there is some way to harness this for AD, that would be great as FreeHand file import is a mess unless it is a very simplified file.

 

 

Using gradations and text, here's what happened when exporting from FreeHand in different formats:

1) Exporting a FH file to Illustrator 7 format will have editable text on a path but the type will shift position. Gradients will breakup into bands with noticeable borders. Blends work the best.

2) Exporting a FH file to PDF and opening into AI will have smooth Gradients and Blends, but text will breakup to individual letters and the text path is deleted. PDF's work best if there is no text in your FreeHand file.

3) Using native FH file and opening with Tensai AI Plugin in Illustrator will have accurate gradations and blends. However, text brackets on the path are collapsed on import. Expand the brackets and your editable text will appear.

If you have a FreeHand file with no text, create a PDF and open in the latest AI. If you have text, use the plugin.

 

When exporting TRANSPARENCY effects from FreeHand to Illustrator in different formats: (see below)

1) Original FreeHand file with Lens effect and transparency. This is how it looks in FHMX:

2) Exporting the FreeHand file to PDF and opening the PDF in Illustrator will divide the transparent sections into blocks. It also removes all actual transparency and 0% areas revert to the white background.

 

3) Using native FH file and opening with Tensai AI Plugins in Illustrator will keep the transparent effect intact. You can move the elements around and still have transparency.

 

4) Exporting a FH file to Illustrator 7 will will not work at all; it deletes the overlapping elements. (no image shown)

 

Bottom line is if you have one or two FH files to convert over to Illustrator, exporting your file to PDF works in most cases. If you have more complex files, or a large number of files, get the Tensai AI Plugin

[Jim Monson]

Thanks, FFHMark for these carefully constructed illustrations and useful suggestions. It is also comforting to know that there are others out there who have gone through the nightmares of the FH--->Illustrator and now AD transitions. All we want to do is to work, right? Hopefully, the AD will become the standard and remain on top. 

[krollian]

I totally agree, Jim.

 

FreeHand was (and in some way is) the king of vector work. SO simple, so awesome. With 4 panels you can do the 85% of the work, changing everything in no time. The Inspector panel, for example: change any corner of a square.

 

The gradations. the different tones of the same color in a useful panel, replicate forms and multiple elements in no time so so easy...

 

Illustrator: 

 

Lot of panels and effects, replicate is a real pain. Change a tone of a simple colour a real adventure for a new user.

 

Just try to convert the 4 corners selected of a square at the same time to round corners: You must to convert 3, and then, select the last point and change to round corner.

 

A lot of common and simple techniques are so complicated and intrincated that I think that the engineers behind Illustrator are real sadic and mad or crazy people.

 

Here I remember other one: Why Illustrator need to draw all all the time? Please! redraw or show selected what I have selected. No other thing.

And remember: to select a element in the artboard  zoom, zoom, zoom, zoooooom. With the view at 400% or more you can select the element you want to select.

 

SO here are the parody of this things:

 

http://adobegripes.tumblr.com/post/95263642574/illustrator-smart-guide-snap-accuracy-changes

 

For me Illustrator is Frustrator from Hell's Cave software.

[Jim Monson]

I resurrect this topic to ask if anyone has discovered a way to solve this problem in the Illustrator (AI) to AD migration.

 

1. When I bring a vector object into AD from AI, its screen size and position are huge in the AD doc of the same size/layout and resolution as my original AI doc. I must therefore resize and reposition the objects in my AD doc. 

 

2. However, when I copy this object from one AD doc to another (of the same size and res), the object reverts to the huge screen size as when I first brought it into AD from AI.

 

3. Also (and more important), when I export such an object as a SVG, the SVG is at least ten times larger that the same object newly created in AD, e.g., instead of 50k it is now some 550k.

 

Questions: In light of the previous posts above does this reveal that there are probably unseen AI artifacts left in the object that causes the above differences? Has anyone yet figured a fix for this? 

 

I continue to try your ideas, R C-R, but to get a reasonably-sized SVG for an app it appears that I may have to redraw thousands and thousands of objects created in AI, such as route networks on various complex maps ... all the while paying my Adobe subscription after updating those docs in the latest Adobe CS.