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R
rewob
Participant
July 29, 2014
Question

Illustrator CC opens file showing missing embedded images. Illustrator 5.1 opens same file fine with no missing images.

  • July 29, 2014
  • 2 replies
  • 29110 views

How do I get CC to open these files correctly? Is the client saving them incorrectly?

My work around has now become a pain & I need to know why Illustrator CC tells me most/all embedded images are missing in files received by clients.

Illustrator 5.1 opens the files ok & gives me no errors. It does a few funky things because ti says the file was produced with a new version. The file previews fine in the Finder window & shows all images. The issue with opening them in 5.1 is it wants to open 1 page at a time like the AI file is a PDF.

Why is CC failing to recognize the embedded images? Are the images not embedded correctly by the client? Is 5.1 pulling from some lower res version of the images? Files export from 5.1 as hires. Stumped.

Oh my gosh why arent they just using InDesign. : (

This topic has been closed for replies.

2 replies

R
Robert Brannon III
Participant
July 14, 2023

Check the color settings of the images themselves in photoshop. When I had this issue, I spent quite a lot of time troubleshooting it in Illustrator. When I finally tried recreating the file in Indesign, I ran into display issues, so, I opened the images themselves, and they had embedded color profiles that were a problem. I eliminated those, and viola - the newly saved images could be embedded without issue in Illustrator. 

    Monika Gause
    Community Expert
    Monika GauseCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    July 29, 2014

    Please get informed about how Illustrator saves files and what exactly is in a file and how it is re-opened.

    See: http://rwillustrator.blogspot.de/2006/11/whats-in-file.html

    When in Illustrator CS5, Illustrator actually opens the PDF part of the file that contains all the images. Always.

    When in Illustrator CC, Illustrator accesses the AI part of the file, which doesn't necessarily contain the images.

    gilbertobono
    gilbertobono
    Participant
    March 24, 2015

    That's not a solution. How can I have Illustrator CC read .ai as a PDF? That's the question to answer. A better question is why does Photoshop/Images sees the missing images and Illustrator doesn't?  I have the same "missing file" issue and the only work around is opening the .ai file in Photoshop, select image, open, alter the file for PATH and save either .psd to drop background or tif for picture box placement. I spend too much time with this workaround and I need a software fix or a preference adjustment.

    Monika Gause
    Community Expert
    Monika GauseCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    March 24, 2015

    Create a new AI file and place the other file in it. Have you watched the movie I linked?

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