How do I import Freehand MX files?

[KipV]

I am trying to open some FreeHand files for the first time but they are currently showing up in the Finder as generic. When I try to open them in Affinity Designer it tells me that the files have become corrupt. What should I do?

[MattP]

Hi Kip,

 

By default, Freehand didn't add any extensions. Try adding .fh11 to one of those files and opening it - does that succeed?

 

Thanks,

Matt

[KipV]

Nope, I am still getting the corrupt message in AD. Illustrator CS6 says it is an unknown file format and can't be opened.

[MattP]

Could you send us one (or two) of the files please? :) 

 

support@seriflabs.com

[LiseyLu]

Hi there.

 

I managed to open freehand files by adding the extension .fh11, BUT it only imports the vector shapes....not the fonts, unless they were converted to outline in the freehand file.

So the files I'm opening it deletes the font boxes....does anyone know a way to resolve this?

[Alan Martin]

I have managed to open someFH files, without their text of course (frustration!) and not others. With those that will not open, after adding .fh11 extension I am getting error message 'A temporary Persona file could not be created'. If I try .eps as someone suggested in another thread It tells me file is corrupt. Can anyone shed any light, to enable me to at least open all vector files?

 

Thanks.

Alan M

[MattP]

I have managed to open someFH files, without their text of course (frustration!) and not others. With those that will not open, after adding .fh11 extension I am getting error message 'A temporary Persona file could not be created'. If I try .eps as someone suggested in another thread It tells me file is corrupt. Can anyone shed any light, to enable me to at least open all vector files?

 

Thanks.

Alan M

Hi Alan,

 

The error message you've received indicates that the .fh11 file did parse correctly and was trying to open, but it suggests that we were unable to construct a temporary file on your disk to put the contents into... This is either because: You've run out of disk space? or: You need to 'Repair permissions' using Disk Utility as there is an OS X problem with the permissions set on your user folders...

 

Hopefully that may help :)

Matt

[evtonic3]

I'm sorry nut Freehand MX files can or cannot be opened by AD? 

[R C-R]

As per the Affinity Help topic "Import and export file formats," AD can open "Adobe Freehand (10 and MX)" files, but text import is not supported. This is slightly confusing because:

 

a. FreeHand 10 was a Macromedia product, not an Adobe one

b. The final version of Freehand developed by Macromedia was marketed under the name "Freehand MX" but because the version numbers were 11, 11.0.1, & 11.0.2 it was popularly called "Freehand 11" by many users, even after Adobe acquired it.

c. The Affinity Designer Complete Feature List web page says AD opens or imports "Adobe® FreeHand® (versions 9 to 11)"

d. All versions of Freehand for Mac were coded as native Power PC (PPC) apps. Freehand versions 10 & 11/MX could run on OS X through Rosetta emulation, which limited it to OS X versions prior to Lion (OS X 10.7). Because the PPC apps did not add an extension to file names by default, it is necessary to add either the ".fh10" or ".fh11" extension for the files to be recognized as Freehand documents in later versions of OS X.

e. Adobe acquired Freehand in 2005. Prior to that, all versions of Freehand MX were Macromedia products.

 

So basically, if the FreeHand MX file was created by the Adobe owned version & has the ".fh11" extension, AD should open it without errors (but without text). Otherwise, maybe not.

[JMGGG]

Hello,

I'm a old user of FreeHand® Macromedia, from v1 to v11. (Yes, it's possible, with PageMaker® when they was the leaders.)
For me and others olds users, Freehand® is better than Illustrator®. (I use Illustrator® in high level since FH® was out by Adobe.) 

I'm new user of Affinity Designer, and I discover it. 
 

Freehand® was able to open Illustrator® files, while Illustrator® could not open FreeHand® files, or with problems.

Best of all, FreeHand®, on its way out, even opened the Illustrator® files of futurs versions of Adobe! Ouaa, Thanks Macromedia.

 

There, I restored my old .FH files, with the hope that Affinity® could open one of them ...
and Yes, but it only opens .FH11 files. It's perfect.

The .FH, .FH7, FH8, FH9 Files can not be opened.

The .FH10 files open but damaged.

 

It is already giant to be able to open .FH11. And we retrieve all Vectors!

Thanks Affinity! I'm happy this morning.
 

Sorry for my French accent. 
JMGGG  ;)