Designer: How to Duplicate Object and Edit Without Updating Original?

[Mike B]

Hi am experiencing a weird issue, and I think I've seen this before, but for the life of me cannot remember how to work around it.

 

1. Create SVG object, save to file.
2. Create new Designer document (with Artboard, not sure if that matters).
3. Import the SVG file created in step one and drop it onto the artboard.
4. Duplicate the imported object.
5. Double-click on the duplicate to edit it. It opens in a new tab. Make your edits.
6. Switch back to the tab of the document and observe that both the original object as well as the duplicate have these edits applied to them

 

How do I edit a duplicate object without it also editing the original? I made this recording of the problem:

 

http://share.genealabs.com/NAUepmJ

 

Thanks!

~Mike

[stokerg]

Hi Mike and Welcome to the Forums,

 

This is because the SVG you've imported back in, is classed as an embedded document.  When you make a change to an embedded document, all copies of that will update.  

 

At the moment the quickest workaround would be to import the SVG and double click it as if you wanted to make changes.  Now select all the layers and copy the item and then close it.  Now if you right click and paste, you'll get a copy of the SVG that is no longer an embedded document and any changes will only apply to this copy.

[Mike B]

Thanks for explaining why this happens, @stokerg!  Do you know if there are any plans to add the functionality to convert an embedded document to layers easily?