Community Expert

Question

Can you - somehow - convert Adobe Illustrator graphics to FrameMaker graphics?

Forum|Forum|2 years ago
August 7, 2023
4 replies
1239 views

I would like to create vector drawings in Adobe Illustrator and convert them to the type of graphics that FrameMakers internal graphics tool produce. But can it be done?

This topic has been closed for replies.

F

FrameMaker-dk

Author

Community Expert

So it seems one could - if it works - use this tool:

https://visual-integrity.com/products/pdf-fly-pdf-conversion-suite/

It promises conversion from pdf to mif.

They have a free test conversion which I shall try later. It is not ideal because the business of having an extra conversion tool will almost always introduce new problems in the workflow. Solve some and create new 🙂

I really wish that FrameMaker was able to handle svg properly or at least have a proper preview of ai / pdf / eps files.

Bjørn Smalbro - FrameMaker.dk

Matt-Tech Comm Tools

Community Expert

In case this helps others recall details, I recall an odd format back in the day (perhaps PGL?) that was a printer output-oriented format.

It allowed you to use the graphics tools to modify the placed file when copied into a FrameMaker document.

Unfortunately, I don't recognize the format from either the list of available formats when importing images, nor from Illustrator's list of exportable formats. 😞

-Matt Sullivan, FrameMaker Course Creator, Author, Trainer, Consultant

Bob_Niland

Community Expert

Matt: …(perhaps PGL?)…

Which I'd guess is not HP-GL, a vector language for the pen plotters of yore.

Matt-Tech Comm Tools

Community Expert

I'm almost completely certain that's the format.

If only we had a way to export HPGL from Illustrator!

If you have a Frame Technologies training manual laying around, it feels like there was an exercise that used that feature. (So...pre Fm 5.1 unstructured training materials...blue and white cover, LTR size, and spiral-bound)

-Matt

-Matt Sullivan, FrameMaker Course Creator, Author, Trainer, Consultant

frameexpert

Community Expert

There used to be an AI to MIF converter that was actually quite good. But that was probably 30 years ago :-). I am not sure if it still exists somewhere, but I doubt it.

F

FrameMaker-dk

Author

Community Expert

https://www.reaconverter.com/convert/ai_to_mif.html

Wonder whether this will work...?

Bjørn Smalbro - FrameMaker.dk

K.Daube

Community Expert

I have just tested this (https://online.reaconverter.com/) - the MIF is not MIF at all...

Barb Binder

Community Expert

Hi Bjørn:

Are you asking this because you want to be able to edit the illustrations directly in FrameMaker? I really don't think so.

But you know that you can right+click the .ai file, chose Edit With > Illustrator which opens the original file, make your edits, save and close and the edits will be immediately reflected in the FrameMaker doc?

~Barb

~Barb at Rocky Mountain Training

F

FrameMaker-dk

Author

Community Expert

Yes, I was hoping to make it easier to create graphics which were directly editable in FM. The option you suggest is also good but there are many uses who don't have acces to Illustrator.

Bjørn Smalbro - FrameMaker.dk

Bob_Niland

Community Expert

FM's vector editor hasn't gotten much in the way of updates over the last ¼ century. I usually find myself doing the opposite: rough out the art in FM, save as PDF, open in AI, complete\optimize, save to SVG, and import into FM.

There are multiple SVG editors available, and SVG is the only vector format to use these days (unless it can't do the job).

You may already have found it, but there used to be tools for the FrameVector data structures.

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